FRISCO — The Cowboys were a happy bunch on Monday. This is a group that came to The Star after a rousing 44-22 victory over the Commanders 24 hours prior.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer had good news regarding the health of several players including popular linebacker DeMarion Overshown starting his 21-day practice window on Wednesday, along with several others. There was tight end Jake Ferguson telling a funny story about giving one of the footballs he caught for a touchdown to Schottenheimer, only for it somehow to get lost after former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant got his hands on it. Reserve corner Trikweze Bridges drew a horde of reporters at his locker after playing 53 snaps on Sunday.
Everybody is in good spirits after a win.
Here’s the truth: Do it again.
Cowboys
The Cowboys have been an up-and-down team this season. Through seven weeks of this season, it’s been a gamut of emotions of wins, losses, ties, losses, ties. You can throw a pair of overtime games in there. A 1-3 road record. A 41.3 points per game average at home. A game with the sun glaring through AT&T Stadium, with no apparent problems occurring to the players.
The Cowboys have yet to win consecutive games this season, and in Week 8 face a Denver team coming off an emotional comeback victory over the Giants.
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Consistency has been missing with this Cowboys team. The last time the Cowboys won consecutive games was Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2024 season. Also, the last time the Cowboys lost consecutive games was the final two of the 2024 season.
You have to log back to the 2018 season when the Cowboys started the first seven weeks without stringing consecutive wins. Or losses for that matter.
Up and down, up and down all the way around.
After Sunday’s win, the Cowboys moved into second place in the NFC East and have division wins over the Giants and now Commanders to their credit.
If this Cowboys team wants to be taken seriously as a playoff contender, it must build consistency in how they play so it can lead to victories.
“Yeah, I use the word consistency a lot,” Schottenheimer said of why consistency has been missing. “I think it’s early season football in some regards. It’s new staff on defense in some regards, its new pieces on offense. Not an excuse, some of the injuries, some of the things that we had to deal with. But I do think yesterday was one of our more complementary days of team football.”
Through seven weeks, the biggest positive for the Cowboys is their offense. Before the two Monday night games, the Cowboys have the NFL’s No. 1 offense in total yards and rank third in points per game and yards per play.
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That offense was on display to its fullest on Sunday as quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes, with Ferguson catching two. There was receiver CeeDee Lamb, returning after a three-game absence with an ankle injury, to catch five passes for 110 yards and an electrifying 74-yard touchdown reception. Javonte Williams gained 116 yards on 19 carries with a score.
“It’s just consistency that’s all it comes down to, consistency on all 11 parts,” Ferguson said. “But it starts up front, I think some of the big things that we want to do, I think it starts with the front seven when we’re clean on that and we’re playing with great leverage, great strength, that’s when good things start to happen.”
It’s fair to say the defense was sloppy until Sunday. Playing more man-to-man, increasing the number of defenders going after the quarterback, creating takeaways — two against the Commanders — changed the narrative about that group.
At least for 24 hours.
You have to do it again.
“It’s just sticking to our process,” linebacker Kenneth Murray said. “I feel like we need to have another good week of practice and just go out there and execute the game plan on a high level. When we play complementary football, it’s hard to beat us. We need to go out there and do that.”
Schottenheimer doesn’t talk much about playoffs because, in reality, how can he when he’s got a team that can’t string together wins in back-to-back weeks?
It’s just the truth of things with the Cowboys. Beat Denver to get a two-game win streak and start building. Schottenheimer said he spoke to his team about being more fundamentally sound and once that happens, good things start.
“The other thing I talked about was the perspective, keep everything in perspective,” he said. “The world didn’t end when we lost to Carolina, you start a new week. We got the win, we played good and now we’re on to Denver.”
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