From 3-5 to NFC East champs: 5 turning points in Cowboys 2018 turnaround
How did the Dallas Cowboys get here?
What were the moments that helped shape their 2018 season, propel them to the NFC East title and into Saturday’s wild card game against the Seattle Seahawks?
Five Cowboys’ turning points in 2018:
1. Season-saving win
After falling to 3-5, no one expected the Cowboys to beat the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday night on Nov. 11, much less rally to win the division. But they pulled it off. Leighton Vander Esch set the tone early with his first-career interceptions, which set up a Cowboys’ field goal. After taking a 13-3 lead, the Eagles tied it at 13-13 and then again 20-20. Both times, however, Dak Prescott led two, fourth quarter, 75 yard touchdown drives to pull out the, season-saving 27-20 win.
2. Hitting bottom
The genesis of the turnaround actually started the week before on Monday Night Football against the Tennessee Titans. The Cowboys started off on fire and took a 7-0 lead after DeMarcus Lawrence forced a fumble in Tennessee territory and Amari Cooper score his first touchdown in his first game with the Cowboys. But a missed field goal on Dallas’ first drive left points off the board. The Cowboys were held to 108 yards and scoreless in the second half and lost 28-14 for what seemed at the time like a season-defining low.
3. Brett Maher beats Lions
Even before the Cowboys dropped to 3-5, they were in danger of falling to 1-3 against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 30. Matthew Stafford hit Golden Tate for a 38-yard touchdown with 2:24 left to give Detroit a 24-23 lead. But Prescott led a nine-play, 55-yard drive that included a key 34-yard pass to Ezekiel Elliott down the right sideline to set up Brett Maher’s game-winning 38-yard field goal as time expired. Maher made four field goals, including a 43-yarder in the 26-24 win that made Dallas 2-2.
4. Saints’ showdown
After turning their season around with three consecutive wins the New Orleans Saints and their NFC-best record came to AT&T Stadium for a Thursday night game. The Cowboys’ defense was running on all cylinders and held the mighty Saints’ offense to season-lows in yards (176), first downs (14) and points (10). Prescott outplayed the future Hall of Famer Drew Brees, completing 24 of 28 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown. With Dallas’ 13-10 win, expectations began to change for the Cowboys.
5. Amari torches Eagles
After losing to the Redskins in Washington on Oct. 21 to drop to 3-4 the Cowboys knew Prescott needed help in the passing game. The front office, which had been talking to Oakland about receiver Amari Cooper already, finally pulled the trigger for the former top five draft choice. Dallas gave up a 2019 first round pick and reaction to the trade was mixed. Did they give up too much? Cooper has since more than proved it was worth it. Against the Eagles on Dec. 9, Cooper caught 10 passes for a career-high 217 yards and three touchdowns. Two of the touchdowns, including a 75-yarder, came in the fourth quarter, and the third beat the Eagles 29-23 in overtime.
