The Dallas Cowboys have one home game remaining on the schedule. For this team, that should be cause for celebration.
It's rare than an 8-4 team in the thick of a playoff race would be so eager to play a couple games away from home. But the Cowboys are 5-0 on the road and 3-4 at AT&T Stadium. They've provided a few reasonable explanations for this odd occurrence, most of them having to do with the us-against-the-world mentality that takes hold in road games. That's the way starting safety Barry Church explained it on 103.3 FM ESPN Monday.
The Cowboys have tried to simulate being on the road when preparing for home games, but perhaps they have trouble suspending reality. (They should consult their owner/GM on this front). All this talk should be embarrassing to Cowboys fans, although many of them have profited from selling tickets to opposing fans.
On Thursday, the Cowboys will return to the site where they were thumped 45-28 by the Chicago Bears last season. The Bears (5-7) are having a down season, but they have the type of offensive weapons who've given the Cowboys fits. Cornerback Brandon Carr has been torched by Bears receiver Brandon Marshall in the past. But if the Cowboys match up their best cornerback Orlando Scandrick with Marshall, Carr could end up on Alshon Jeffrey. If you're thinking the Cowboys can count on Jay Cutler throwing them the ball, just remember we thought the same thing about Eagles cornerback Mark Sanchez.
In recent weeks, the Cowboys have been awful at the start of games. The Giants and Eagles both scored on their first three possessions. The Cowboys' offense managed to overcome New York's fast start, but Tony Romo looked lost against the Eagles. Perhaps having more rest than he had before the Eagles game will have a positive impact.
"I think it's just about this week. More than anything, it's a time to start playing your best football and our football team needs to understand the sense of urgency is now," Romo told reporters Monday. "I think that it's time to take the next step and I think our guys understand the sense of urgency of right now and what's available and what's ahead of them if they can go on and play their best football."
Of course, it seems that sense of urgency should've been apparent in one of the biggest Thanksgiving Day games in recent history. The Eagles played with so much more passion and tempo than Dallas in a 33-10 win. It's hard to imagine the Cowboys winning in Philadelphia in two weeks, but a win in Chicago would help restore confidence.
Whether he admits it or not, part of Jason Garrett's job this week is reminding the Cowboys how well they've played throughout much of the season. It would easy to feel demoralized after the whipping they took Thursday. But these same Eagles were annihilated in Green Bay two weeks ago. They haven't let that loss derail a solid season.
The Cowboys have struggled against the Bears the past two seasons, but Romo can remember having a brilliant game against them at Soldier Field in 2007. That's right before he received the first of two lucrative contract extensions.
"I think we have the right kind of guys in our locker room and on our coaching staff, first and foremost," Garrett said Monday. "When you have good character guys with the right makeup, you're going to be able to do that. But you also have to be mature. That's part of this league. Other teams are going to have success on a given play, series or a quarter of a game, and you have to keep coming back. You have to handle the adversity just like you have to handle the success -- put it behind you and move on to the next challenge. That happens within games, it happens from week to week, the best teams are able to do that."
I don't know much in common the Cowboys have with the "best" teams in this league. But it helps that Green Bay's the only thing close to an elite team in the NFC right now. The Cowboys were embarrassed by a talented Eagles team. It's important for them to remember how they responded to being embarrassed in a season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Cowboys ran off six consecutive wins after that loss. Now, they probably need to win three of their final four games to qualify for the playoffs. The best news is that Arizona's in a free-fall and the 49ers are going through all sorts of turmoil. The Lions appear to have the softest schedule remaining of the NFC playoff contenders, but it's hard to trust that team on a weekly basis. The Seahawks have hit their stride and could easily separate from the Cowboys. That would take the head-to-head tiebreaker the Cowboys own out of play.
This should be a fascinating December for the Cowboys. And it's worth noting they will have nine days to prepare for the Eagles in the upcoming rematch. There's a decent chance they will head into that game with a 6-0 record on the road.
If only they could get that Indianapolis game moved 1,000 miles from Arlington. This is a team that can't overcome the adversity of a home-field advantage.
