After beating the Lions, the Cowboys proved they are still Super Bowl contenders.

The victory over the Lions demonstrates that the Cowboys are still contenders for the Super Bowl.

While Jimmy Johnson was beaming on the microphone, the legends were easily visible behind him. They served as a reminder to the thousands of fans who were present at AT&T Stadium as well as the millions of supporters who were watching from home why the Dallas Cowboys were the team of the 1990s.

Although they were born in the 2000s, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Roger Staubach, and Tony Dorsett are all easily recognizable names. Although Johnson’s induction into the Cowboys Ring of Honor was long delayed, the fact that he was the head coach of two teams that won the Super Bowl indicated that the wait was well worth it.
The Dallas Cowboys, on the other hand, are sick of waiting for another Lombardi Trophy, and they may have reached the point where attending the NFC championship game would be plenty for them. (However, you should not tell that to the Cowboys luminaries who were on the field on Saturday night. The majority of them were part of the five teams that won the Super Bowl in the 1970s and 1990s.)
Let’s talk about the Cowboys of the year 2023. In addition to DeMarcus Ware, the only player from the exclusive club that mostly played in Dallas after the turn of the century, they have a few players who have the potential to become members of the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor at some point in the future.

But having star players—such as Dak Prescott, Cee Dee Lamb and Micah Parsons—might not be enough to help the current Cowboys make it past the divisional round for the first time since 1996. Well, unless more opposing players make costly mental mistakes on critical plays the same way Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker did on a bonkers ending that helped the Cowboys win, 20–19, to avoid spoiling Johnson’s special night.

On Saturday night, the Cowboys did not respond to inquiries regarding their troubles on the road throughout the entire year, even though they extended their winning streak at home to sixteen games. However, they did raise more concerns after the victory. It would appear that these Cowboys (11–5) are candidates for the Super Bowl while they are playing at home; but, there is a problem: it is quite likely that they will not have a home playoff game.

All the Philadelphia Eagles (11–4) have to do to win the NFC East is beat the Arizona Cardinals at home Sunday and the New York Giants on the road to end the regular season. The Eagles control their own destiny against two of the worst teams in the NFL because the Cowboys couldn’t win one away from Dallas during the recent two-game trip vs. the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. The two losses against the AFC East also serve as reminders that Dallas lost to the San Francisco 49ers and in Philadelphia earlier this year.

The Cowboys are more pretenders than Super Bowl contenders because they can’t win away from home and suddenly also have defensive issues (but more on that in a bit). They’re also 0–4 on grass this season and their offensive numbers dip away from artificial turf. If the Eagles handle business the next two weeks, the Cowboys will take the NFC’s No. 5 seed and a road trip for the opening round of the postseason against the NFC South champions—most likely the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who can clinch the division by beating the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

During the previous season, the Cowboys led by Dak Prescott defeated the Buccaneers led by Tom Brady in Tampa during a wild-card game. Due to the fact that Dallas is now having issues defending the run and downfield passes, it is possible that this will not be the case in a few weeks. It is possible that the Lions (11–5) would have won the game without Dan Campbell having to attempt a gutsy two-point conversion in the final seconds of regulation if Jared Goff had not committed errors and missed throws. Despite the fact that Decker was the one who caught the ball on the initial two-point attempt, he was unable to draw the attention of the referee, which freed up Dan Quinn’s soft coverage defense on Detroit’s last drive.

Even though they were just recently proclaimed winners of the NFC North, they still have a lot of ground to make up before they are considered seriously in the postseason. Goff’s performance has not been as good as it was during the previous season, the Lions continue to struggle defensively, and the squad has a difficult time competing in outdoor arenas. Campbell’s aggressive decision-making, as demonstrated by his commitment to passing on overtime and attempting the go-ahead two-point conversion, has at least contributed to the Lions’ air of intrigue, which is a result of Campbell’s aggressive decision-making.

In the second quarter, Campbell was determined to establish momentum in a drive that consisted of 11 plays and 76 yards but ended without any scores being scored. On a fake punt that evolved into a play that covered 31 yards, Campbell was the one who started the drive. However, the third-year coach got greedy on a fourth-and-goal attempt from the 4-yard line, which resulted in the defense stopping the play.

The fact that Campbell gave the Lions permission to go with two fourth-down attempts was a clear indication of how big of a wild card they could be in the postseason. In order to win playoff games against any opponent and on any playing surface, whether it be grass or artificial turf, the correct combination of innovative and gutsy decisions might be the difference between victory and defeat.

In the event that costly turnovers occur, however, forceful calls are not very helpful. Both sides were unable to score points inside the red zone, including Lamb’s fumble in the end zone, which allowed the Lions to take possession of the ball early in the second quarter and prevented Dallas from extending its advantage.

As a result of having Mike McCarthy as their coach, the Cowboys are less aggressive. As a result of the many unexpected upsets that 2023 has experienced, any team has the potential to win the championship. They have a large pool of talent and are powerful at home.

In spite of this, Dallas has not demonstrated anything throughout the regular season that would lead us to anticipate that this postseason will end in a manner that is distinct from the prior 27 years. Despite the fact that they have a history, it is quite likely that there is no surprise regarding where the Cowboys will finish in the next few weeks. This is unless they receive more breaks, such as a miscommunication between the official and the offensive lineman.