Dallas already ahead in preparing for Philly showdown
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — They can say their next game is like any other, but then they'd be lying to you.
The Dallas Cowboys know it is bigger than most. They know it is monumental.
And if there's one sign that shows just how important Thursday's Thanksgiving Day showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles is, it's that the Cowboys are already one week into their game plan.
"We prepared during our bye week for Philadelphia, so we've got some hay in the barn," team owner Jerry Jones said after Dallas' 31-28 victory Sunday night against the New York Giants.
The Cowboys and the Eagles are locked in a first-place tie atop the NFC East at 8-3. The rivals face off twice in the next three weeks, the games separated by only 17 days. The stretch will define the season for both franchises. Win both, and Dallas is in the driver's seat. Lose both, and the Cowboys likely miss the playoffs, again. Split them, and they're still fighting.
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Looking ahead isn't something NFL coaches typically do — or at least admit publicly to doing. The perception is that by peeking at future opponents on the calendar, a franchise is at risk of overlooking the team that looms next.
That didn't matter. During Dallas' bye last week — a time normally reserved for recuperation and disconnection — the Cowboys sprinkled in some film work and practice reps to counteract the quick turnaround.
"We practiced maybe a few plays here and there just to kind of get a head start," cornerback Brandon Carr told USA TODAY Sports. "We see these guys twice a year. So the bye week was kind of just for us to prepare, get our feet back and get ready for this stretch we're coming into right now."
It almost was in vain. Sunday night, the Cowboys needed quarterback Tony Romo to lead an 80-yard drive, capped with a 13-yard go-ahead touchdown to receiver Dez Bryant, in the game's final minute to beat the Giants (3-8). Dallas will take it, but knows it needs to improve.
"Philly is playing great football," Romo said. "We're going to have to play better than we did tonight to win that game."
The Cowboys are coming off three consecutive 8-8 seasons and haven't made the playoffs since 2009.
Despite that, expectations are as high as they have been in Dallas in a long time. When asked if this was the most talented team he has had since the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the early 1990s, Jones referenced the 2007 squad that won 13 games but lost to the Giants in the divisional round. After Sunday night's win, Jones did say that he would "start to put this team and start talking about them in that category."
The building blocks are there. Dallas has a workhorse running back in DeMarco Murray, who rushed for 121 yards Sunday night, marking the 10th time in 11 games he has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier. The offensive line is among the best in the NFL, and Romo is playing at an elite level.
"Let me just say it this way: It would be, I think, the most negative thing about my ownership in my mind, if Tony has a career here and we don't win a Super Bowl with him," Jones said. "That would be the most negative thing. To have had his talent come through this organization and not get a Super Bowl. He's outstanding."
Players filed out of the locker room. It was well past midnight, and Cowboys staff barked reminders about having a plane to catch. The victory wasn't even an hour old, but there were reminders everywhere.
The Eagles await.
First, a reporter reminded Bryant that he had practice Monday afternoon at 4 p.m., local time.
"I'm there," he said. "Can not wait. And we have a big one next."
Not just a big one. The one that could define their season.
Follow Lorenzo Reyes on Twitter @Lorenzo_G_Reyes.
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