Five legit reasons your Dallas Cowboys will finish strong

The Dallas Cowboys need to win one game to win the NFC East. They have two games left but let’s bet honest. If they don’t do it Sunday against the meandering Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9) do we really expect anything from them in the playoffs anyway?

There are plenty of reasons, however, to carry high expectations into AT&T Stadium on Sunday. The bad taste of last week’s shutout loss to the Colts could be long gone with a dominating division-clinching win against the Bucs. And it would allow the Cowboys to treat the season-finale against the Giants in New York they way they’d prefer, a reserved tune-up to the post-season where Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and other key components are relaxing on the bench in the second half.

And remember, even if the Cowboys fall off the cliff the final two weeks, they’ll still win the division with just one loss each from the Eagles and Redskins. The Eagles finish at home against the Texans and at the Redskins. The Redskins are at the Titans on Saturday. So Dallas could be halfway to a title before kickoff on Sunday. And if the Eagles lose to the Texans (which kicks at noon, the same time as the Cowboys), Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett could be celebrating a division title after a loss on Sunday. But let’s think good thoughts for now.

Here are five reasons to be hopeful about your Dallas Cowboys:

1. The opposition

Let’s get the most obvious reason to be hopeful out of the way: their opponents. The Bucs this Sunday and the Giants on Dec. 30 aren’t exactly the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers. Both are 5-9 with zero playoff hopes. Both should be more interested in draft position than the standings. If the Cowboys can’t take care of business against at least one of these teams, the entire franchise needs to shut down.

2. Youth on their side

The Cowboys are a young team. In some respects, a very young team. That youth brings resilience, short memories and deep confidence. That should serve them well in the wake of last week’s mess. The players said all the right things after the game and have kept the appropriate frame of mind throughout this week. If they play as they did during the five-game win streak, Indy will just be a blip.

3. Offended defense

Nothing helps a football player respond better than being embarrassed. Both sides of the ball own plenty of blame for the debacle in Indy. In fact, being shut out for the first time in 15 years is hard to beat in the embarrassment department. But the offense’s lack of points came down to two or three blown plays, including a blocked field goal and dropped touchdown. The defense, however, played its most sloppy game of the season and did it for four quarters.

4. Healthier line

Zack Martin missed the first game of his career and the offensive line didn’t fare very well against the Colts. But there’s hope that Martin (knee sprain), who has practiced this week, will return Sunday. That will allow rookie guard Connor Williams return to a backup roll for both Martin and left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, who left last week after getting poked in the eye. Su’a-Filo is recovering fast and is also expected to play Sunday.

5. Zeke, Dak and Amari

Lastly, but certainly not least important is the fact that the Cowboys’ primary offensive leaders are all winners and have shown they win when they’re on the field. The Cowboys are 27-14 when Ezekiel Elliott is on the field. They’re 30-17 with Dak Prescott at the helm. And since Amari Cooper joined them, the Cowboys are 5-2. Each of them took the shutout personally. All three are tired of the red zone questions. Expect all three to take it out on the Bucs, who have allowed the third-most points in the league.

This story was originally published December 21, 2018 at 12:00 AM.