Well, another Cowboys season has come to an end without a Super Bowl Championship. It might as well been another 8-8, 5-11, or 1-15 season. This one, however, was different.
Last season it seemed the Cowboys were putting together a winning formula to make a run in the playoffs. But they kept making stupid, useless mistakes that dropped them into an 8-8 record for the third straight season. As the 2014 season developed though, the Cowboys actually learned from the past, played to their strengths, and came out tied for the best records in the NFL. (Four other teams had the Cowboys 12-4 record: Packers, Seahawks, Broncos, and Patriots.)
Going into the season most of the "experts" predicted the Cowboys would be 8-8, or worse, like 5-11. They had good reason. The Cowboys' miserable defense gave up the most yards in the league in 2013 and were 26th in points allowed. Moreover, they lost players like DeMarcus Ware and Jason Hatcher to free agency, and Anthony Spencer and Sean Lee to injury. The Cowboys tried, but didn't make any major moves to fill those now gaping holes in the defense. I, personally, was prepared for yet another disappointing season, similar to that of 2013. Boy was I wrong...
Here's the year in review, game by game, and my thoughts after each:
Week 1: vs San Francisco 49ers; LOSS 28-17
"Here we go again. This is going to be a rough year. Man, there were a lot of 49ers fans at AT&T Stadium."
Week 2: at Tennessee Titans; WIN 26-10
"Well, they won, and surprisingly, on the road. But it was just the Titans. Now they're back on pace for their fourth straight 8-8 season."
Week 3: at St. Louis Rams; WIN 34-31
"The Rams defense was really good, and the Cowboys just stole one from them. They'll probably lose next week to remain on pace."
Week 4: vs New Orleans Saints; WIN 38-17
"That was an unexpected crushing victory. Seems like they're running the ball really well. There sure were a lot of Saints fans at AT&T Stadium."
Week 5: vs Houston Texans; WIN 20-17 OT
"Just barely escaped from the Texans in overtime!? I guess this team is as bad as I thought, and the other wins were just flukes. There sure were a lot of Texans fans at AT&T Stadium."
Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks; WIN 30-23
"That is just insane. They just went into Seattle and won. Maybe this team is better than I thought."
At this point in the season the Cowboys are 5-1 and the Seahawks, the defending champions, are 3-3. I must admit, though I didn't blog about it, I predicted this win. One day I turned to a coworker and said, "You know, I think the Cowboys are going to win this week." He said he had the same thought just a couple of hours ago.
Then I told our resident office Seahawks fan that the Cowboys were going to win and he said, "They very well could." His normal response to something like this would be, "Are you kidding me? Going into Seattle? No way!"
But not this season, not this game. This was probably my mental turning point for the season.
Week 7: vs New York Giants; WIN 31-21
"That running game is amazing. The line is great. Murray is great. Another one in the win column."
Week 8: vs Washington Redskins; LOSS 20-17 OT
"They lost to the Redskins? That offensive line looked horrible. Romo's going to be out for awhile, if not the rest of the season. I guess this team is going to let us down again, collapse and finish 2-6 the rest of the way, ending at 8-8."
Week 9: vs Arizona Cardinals; LOSS 28-17
"Yep, here we go. Two in a row. Couldn't get anything going today."
Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars; WIN 31-17 (London)
"They won the game they should have won. Good 'get right' game. Not sure how this will translate in the next six games. It was just Jacksonville (2-14). Romo and his back looked pretty good, but again, Jacksonville. Next week they can come home, rest up and get healthy, since it's a bye week."
Week 12: at New York Giants; WIN 31-28
"Odell Beckham Jr. is insanely good. Cowboys escaped another one, but they have an even more difficult road ahead with a fast turnaround for Thanksgiving."
Week 13: vs Philadelphia Eagles; LOSS 33-10
"That looked horrible. Everything looked bad, quarterback, running game, passing game, defense, all of it. I don't think the Cowboys will get out of the division. Still, they're going to win in Philadelphia since they'll have more time to prepare, instead of just over three days."
Week 14: at Chicago Bears; WIN 41-28
"Another 'get right' game against a talented team that is going nowhere. Everything was clicking, and they've rededicated themselves to the run game."
Week 15: at Philadelphia Eagles; WIN 38-27
"I'm glad the Cowboys are done with the Eagles, they're tough. They stuck to their bread and butter and have figured this thing out, finally. Two more games to go. They are in the driver's seat to make the playoffs. Hopefully, Murray's hand isn't too bad."
Week 16: vs Indianapolis Colts; WIN 42-7
"Dominating performance against a really good football team. The Cowboys can beat any team this season. Murray looked good, not great, but good. The Colts made a lot of mistakes and the Cowboys were able to capitalize. Thank you, Washington, for defeating the Eagles, so they're done and out of the playoffs. I'm surprised this is an 11-4 team vying for the number one seed in the playoffs. Next week is Washington again. Hopefully, they'll have learned from the previous game against them."
Week 17: at Washington Redskins; WIN 44-17
"Well, that wasn't as tough as I thought it'd be. Great way to end the season. This team is going places."
Wild Card Game: vs Detroit Lions; WIN 24-20
"That was closer than it should have been. Terrible officiating all game long. Several missed calls, both ways. Amazing play by Williams for a touchdown. Now that the number one rush defense is finished it'll be easier the rest of the way. Playing in Green Bay is going to be tough, but this team can beat any team on any given Sunday."
Divisional Playoff Game: at Green Bay Packers; LOSS 26-21
"That was rough, and a tough loss. The Cowboys didn't seem to run as much as they should have. And they didn't ever seem to be in control of the game, even when they were winning. They didn't make the plays necessary to win."
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the way the Cowboys' season turned out. Seeing they were tied with the likes of New England, Denver, Green Bay, and Seattle at the end of the season, I was a little baffled. Those other 12-4 teams were portrayed as teams that dominated their opponents all season (well, except for Seattle, who righted their ship in time to become 12-4). But it felt like the Cowboys were scratching and clawing their way through games, and then they magically had a 12-4 record! How did that happen?! It seemed that this team could find a way to win and beat anyone.
Well, they weren't able to find a way and make the plays needed to win in their final game of the season, and so it comes to a close. In the offseason, the Cowboys have a lot of work to do to secure the same talent level, team play, and mindset that this year's team had. If they are able to do it, and Mr. Jones can stay out of his own way, the 2015 season could be as exciting -- if not more so -- than the 2014 season.
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