NFL overreaction Week 14: These Cowboys just don’t have it
The Cowboys don't look great in their win, the Eagles do, and no one wants to face the Lions in the playoffs in this week's NFL overreactions
Photo credit: Tom Pennington, Getty Images
The holiday season has approached us, and teams are starting to drag themselves toward the finish line. Now, through fourteen weeks of football, we get a closer look at the playoff picture, both pretenders and contenders. And we also have the Cowboys, kinda sorta in the middle.
The Cowboys are frauds
You might have needed clarification if you tuned into the end of the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans game. For much of the game, the Cowboys trailed but pulled a late win against the one-win Texans by a score of 27-23. It appeared Cowboys nation was celebrating a Super Bowl victory. But, Cowboy fans, are you not concerned?
Cowboys fans celebrating after barely beating the worst team in the NFL pic.twitter.com/AOvqvGfXSk
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) December 11, 2022
The Cowboys played like absolute shit and only managed to win due to the incomprehensible play-calling of the Texans’ coaching staff. Dallas avoided a major upset, as they were seventeen-point favorites. Cowboy fans better hope this was a one-off performance, as there is no way they’ll win any playoff game playing this type of football.
It’s the same cycle every season: Cowboy fans win a couple of games, fans scream “We Dem Boyz,” and then they lose the first round of the playoffs. I’m not saying Dallas can’t go all the way since crazier things have happened, but nothing appears different this season.
The Eagles are going to steamroll everyone
The Eagles temporarily pushed the New York Giants to the bottom of the playoff picture with a 48-22 win. Jalen Hurts continued a potential MVP campaign scoring his tenth rushing touchdown of the season and passing for another two. Running back Miles Sanders reached the 1,000-yard mark, and receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith continue to crush it. Who the hell is going to stop the Eagles? The Vikings with primetime Kirk Cousins? The injury-riddled 49ers? A washed-up Tom Brady? Dem Boyz??
Nick Sirianni has the most wins for any Eagles coach in team history in their first 30 regular season games
He has led The Birds to the playoffs in each of his first 2 years in Philly
pic.twitter.com/QYY4YD7IMc— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 12, 2022
Yesterday, the Eagles became the first team to clinch a playoff berth, and they may not lose another game for the rest of the season. Philly has an unreal team with the third-best offense and second-best rushing attack in the entire league. Now their defense is the second-best ranked in yards allowed, and they also lead the league in sacks and turnovers forced. Good luck to any team visiting Philly at this time of the year.
Tom Brady looks done
Even though Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely host a playoff game, maybe even with a sub-500 record, Brady looks finished. There’s something about Brady and backup quarterbacks: The Bucs were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers 35-7, as Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy beat Brady in his hometown.
LMAO Michael Irvin anointing Brock Purdy as his #1 playmaker #ProBowlVote + @brockpurdy13 pic.twitter.com/4E2t4WFvid
— Sourdeath Sam (@SourdeathSam) December 12, 2022
Any team with Brady at the helm is always expected to contend for a Lombardi trophy, but the Bucs aren’t even close to being a contending team. No one knows if this is enough to make Brady retire, but he’s got to be thinking about it. Why would a 45-year-old quarterback want to deal with the mess the Buccaneers are right now?
Granted, they’ll still make the playoffs in all likelihood. Who knows, Brady could even go on an improbable run. But in all likelihood, Brady should be done in Tampa. The team is not what it once was.
The Lions can sneak in
This might be the start of something special in Detroit. The Lions beat the second-seed Minnesota Vikings (the most fraudulent 10-3 team ever) 34-23. The Lions finally got rookie receiver Jameson Williams on the field, and he caught a touchdown for his first reception in the NFL. But, most importantly, Jared Goff looks elite!
Lions QB Jared Goff over his past five games:
* 117-of-169 (69.2%)
* 1,311 passing yards
* 8 TD, 0 INT
* 75 Total QBRThe Lions are 4-1 in those 5 games and are a top 5 offense in both total yards (4,893) and points per game (26.8) this season. pic.twitter.com/jI3mjHOf1e
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 12, 2022
Yes, he was kind of the forgotten soul during the Rams’ Super Bowl runs, but Goff has played so well this season that the Lions’ front office seems to like their quarterback going forward. Goff passed for 330 yards and three touchdowns yesterday. Running back Jamal Williams has fourteen rushing touchdowns this season. That’s more than some teams have recorded in their entirety. The Lions are now 6-7 and just outside the playoff picture. However, it won’t be easy for Detroit.
They’ll play the Jets next in a game with significant playoff implications, then the Panthers, Bears, and Packers. The Lions have been known as the lovable losers of the NFL for their entire existence, but things are looking up now in Detroit. They’re on pace for a bright future, if they don’t screw it up, first.
