It's still hard to trust the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys finally showed up and not only beat, but dominated, a top-tier opponent on Sunday night in Week 14. Big D put a certified beatdown on Philadelphia, 33-13, in a game the Cowboys controlled from start to finish. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys took all the doubt and threw it back in the face of their detractors by stepping on Philly’s throat early and never letting up. Despite gaining their biggest victory of the season, it’s still hard to trust these Cowboys.

Everyone in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area is on a natural high after the Cowboys’ victory on Sunday Night Football over their most despised rival. That victory pulled Dallas into a three-way tie atop the NFC at 10-3 with San Francisco and Philadelphia. Although the 49ers own the tiebreaker, having beaten the Cowboys and Eagles, Big D still has a shot at the No. 1 seed with four games remaining.

Here’s where things get scary for Cowboys supporters, whether they care to admit it or not. We’ve seen this team play well before and go on winning streaks during the Prescott era. Yes, he’s playing possibly the best football of his career since that demoralizing loss to San Francisco.

Dallas has won 12 games in each of the past two seasons. They also had a 13-win campaign in Prescott’s rookie year of 2016. In all three seasons, Dallas generated winning streaks of at least four games (did that twice in 2022) and got up to 11 in ‘16. Currently, the Cowboys are on a five-game winning streak, which they can add to in Buffalo on Sunday. So, winning in the regular season isn’t anything new for the Cowboys.

Deep into January is where we need to see this type of play from Dallas. It’s been a long time since Cowboys Nation was able to wake up on NFL Championship Sunday and prepare to watch a game featuring their team. With all the talk about Prescott leading the MVP race, this is the year to make it happen.

It may sound unfair, but this franchise and its quarterback are held to a different standard. Winning the MVP award would be an excellent accomplishment for Prescott, especially since he’d be the first Cowboys QB to achieve that honor. The only other Cowboys player to win it was Emmitt Smith in 1993. That would be fantastic for Prescott, but ultimately, leading this organization to the NFC title and further will cement his legacy. Until Prescott does that, nothing else will matter in Dallas because this fan base is desperate to get back to the top of the mountain.

Prescott should be motivated to win a Super Bowl above all else if for no other reason than to throw it in Jerry Jones’ face. Although Jones has paid his QB handsomely the past few years and will be extending his contract soon, Jones has never fully embraced Dak and may never give him the credit he’s earned in the eyes of many. The only way to do that will be as the driving force in a run to the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl (fourth under Jones’ ownership) victory.