By: Jordan Griffitt
Heading into week four in the NFL season brings many questions for two teams. The question for these organizations is, “who are we?’
My first evaluation, the Dallas Cowboys. This team continues to be the league’s most perplexing team every year and the 2020 season is no different.
The Cowboys now sit at 1-2 after suffering a hard fought loss at the hands of Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks 38-31. The problem with this game was that if it weren’t for a D.K Metcalf blunder, fumbling out of the back of the endzone, the game would have been considered a one-sided contest.
That small glimmer of hope that the Cowboys are hanging onto is dwindling by the week. There is more of an argument to be made that they should be 0-3 if the Falcons could hold onto a lead rather than 2-1.
The problem with the Cowboys has little to do with what I’m seeing on the field because I have seen this same team for the past three years now. The problem is off of the field for Dallas. There should be no way that any of these teams should even be in these games against Dallas because the Cowboys have more talent than any other team in the league. Simply put, they constantly disappoint the expectations of what the roster displays. This team should be Super Bowl champs; they are barely even a playoff team.
The fact is that the media and the Cowboys continue to lower the bar with expectations so if they even finish at .500, it won’t look like a failure. This is not normal. We talk ourselves into making excuses for why the team’s record is the way it is though the fact is that they aren’t good
enough. The only options left on the table are either their head coach is the problem yet again or that they don’t have as much talent as we thought.
Keeping it in the NFC East, The Philadelphia Eagles are the most disappointing team in the league through 3 games.
Much like the Cowboys, I believe we have also over-evaluated the amount of talent this squad has. The secondary is a mess even with the addition of Cornerback Darius Slay Jr. and the linebacking core is among the worst in the NFL. The offensive line has also been bad as Right Tackle Lane Johnson has missed a bit of time.
The only positive that the Eagles have so far is the defensive line has been terrific led by verteran DE Brandon Graham with 3 sacks.
The main reason for the Eagles struggle is the horrid play of Quarterback Carson Wentz. I wish there was something I could tell you to explain what is going on with this guy, but I can’t. He looks confused, disturbted by pressure and he doesn’t seem to have any confidence in his decision making. He has the most turnover-worthy plays in the league and has 6 Interceptions to go with only 3 Touchdowns. This is the worst version of Wentz that we have seen after a good year a season before as he dragged a limp team to the playoffs.
It’s not time to give up on Wentz just yet because he still has a lot of growing to do but if he continues to regress throughout this year, don’t be surprised if Jalen Hurts is the opening day 2021 Eagles Quarterback.
The season is not over for either of these teams although I don’t like the directions of both teams. The Eagles are a worse team as of today, but that almost plays to their benefit if they need to reset. For the Cowboys, it’s hard to push the reset button when you win around eight games a year, but they will not win a Super Bowl with this team. Is it better to be outright
dreadful with hopes of a future or good enough to not win anything with the same team? I don’t think these teams are ready to rebuild quite yet but they are closer than most think.
