Viewpoint Week 14 Overreactions: Takeaways that Matter

Week 14 Overreactions: Takeaways that Matter

December 18, 2023

DALLAS — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) speaks with an official during the second half of an NFL football game Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

As a Cowboys fan, this has been a pretty good week. Christmas is coming up, and the semester is about to end. And above all, the Cowboys won. Four takeaways, fourteenth week, let’s go.

The Cowboys and 49ers are the only true NFC contenders

Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Photo Credit to: pff.com

I don’t want to hear anything. The Lions and the Eagles both lost, in embarrassing fashion. There are no more narratives. The Cowboys are able to beat good teams, as they just showed against the Eagles. Even if the Eagles win the NFC East, I’m confident in the Cowboys that if we face them in the playoffs, it’s over for them. No more Cowboys narratives, no more Dak hate, no more defense slander. The Cowboys are good, get used to it. Now, let’s look at the game. Well, the Cowboy’s defense held the Eagles to 6 offensive points, and forced three turnovers. The offense put up 24 points in the first half to go along with 3 touchdowns but failed to score a touchdown in the second half, only managing 9 points. Regardless, the Cowboys controlled the game from the first drive. The Cowboys and 49ers stand alone (The Niners are probably on a different level).

The Lions, Chiefs, and Eagles need to fix something

Philadelphia Defensive backs celebrate winning a Super Bowl rematch versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Photo Credit to: cnn.com

Three good teams that are on the brink of being contenders but are being held back because of something. Now each team is different, but overall, there is a continuous trend. Scoring points when it matters most. In the Lions-Saints game, the Lions barely won despite taking a 21-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring 6 or less in every other quarter. Against the Bears, the Lions were scoreless except for a 13-point second quarter. The Chiefs, against the Eagles, went up 17-7 at halftime but failed to score a point the entire second half and lost 21-17. And against the Bills, they went down 17-7, and had to mount a 2nd half comeback to stay in the game. The Eagles, against the 49ers, drove down the field twice to start the game and failed to score a touchdown on both tries, allowing the 49ers to get up big. Every single one of these teams can be the most electric on the field sometimes, but when it matters most, they seem to fall out of games they should be in. These teams need to figure something out.

Quarterbacks are cursed this season

CJ Stroud after the Texans vs Bengals game. Photo Credit to: sandiegouniontribune.com

Here’s a list of every starting quarterback to get injured this season. Aaron Rodgers, Anthony Richardson, Deshaun Watson, Joe Burrow, Jimmy Garoppolo, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, Geno Smith, Mathew Stafford, Ryan Tannehill, and now Justin Herbert and maybe CJ Stroud. That’s a long list of names. Now not all of these are season-ending injuries. but that’s still a lot of names. Important names as well. Joe Burrow was the bridge from the Bengals being whatever they are with Jake Browning, to a Super Bowl contender. And now, CJ Stroud and Justin Herbert. Justin Herbert is one of the only reasons the Chargers have won 5 games. Without him, their season is over. And CJ Stroud, while it is only concussion protocol, his injury cost the Texans a game against the Jets. Now, even when he was in the game, he was only 10 for 23, so maybe that was just a down game anyway.

Josh Dobbs’s insanity run is over

For a while, Josh Dobbs was playing really well, and helping the Vikings compete in the NFC. That is over. The Vikings have lost 2 of their last 3 but did bounce back and win an insane, high-scoring, shootout, overtime thriller against the Raiders 3-0. That was not because of Josh Dobbs, as Josh got benched for Nick Mullens. The Viking’s defense was the reason they won that game, and that offensive performance wouldn’t fly against any other team except the Panthers. Anyway, as Babe Ruth said, “Hero’s get remembered, but legends never die”, so I guess Dobbs is neither then.

Everyone can celebrate football, except Eagles fans (I’m not even sorry). So there you have it. Four takeaways from the eleventh week of the NFL season. How will these hold up during the season? I have no clue. But I guess we’ll find out. And yes, this conclusion is copied and pasted from my NFL Week 1 Overreactions: Being Way Too Conclusive article.