Cowboys’ next measuring stick is simply doing what they’re supposed to do

David Helman

Dallas Cowboys Insider

We’ve seen how the Cowboys stack up against the NFL’s best. Now let’s see how they do when nobody’s watching.

OK, that’s mostly tongue-in-cheek. Someone will always be watching the Dallas Cowboys. Their upcoming game against the New York Giants (Sunday at 4:15 ET) will air on FOX in 43 of the 50 states. In just two weeks, they’ll host Washington on Thanksgiving, with the entire country watching.

Still, these next three weeks are about as low-key as it gets for this ostentatious football team — and that’s quite a departure from the past few weeks.

The Cowboys are fresh off a heartbreaking loss to the NFC-leading Eagles in a game that was seen by over 27 million people. Two weeks before that, they eked past the L.A. Chargers on Monday Night Football, and the Sunday Night Football drubbing at the hands of San Francisco was just a month ago.

The past month has been one hell of a high-wire act — a series of narrative-changing games, played out on the biggest stages. Like when playing a packed house every night in Vegas, some shows are decidedly better than others.

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The stakes were high. The outcomes were unpredictable. The games themselves were a ton of fun. But how does this team respond to a round of sleepy matinees? Because that’s what’s on deck.

Time slots aside, you’ll rarely see such a forgettable stretch in the schedule. The networks will generally put the Cowboys in front of as large an audience as possible, but the boring truth is that the next three games don’t do much to get the juices flowing.

Giants, Panthers, Commanders. The Cowboys’ next three opponents have a combined record of 7-19. Their combined point differential is a ghastly negative 256. New York’s mark of -116 is the worst in the entire league, while Carolina’s -86 is fourth.

At 4-5 and with several eyebrow-raising performances, the Commanders are the class of that trio. But, as one might expect from a team breaking in a first-year starter at quarterback, Washington has been very hit-or-miss. Their four wins this season have come by an average of four points; their five losses by an average of two touchdowns.

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If the point isn’t obvious yet: this is a stretch of games Dallas needs to handle — particularly with two of them coming at home, where the Cowboys have won 11 straight in dominant fashion.

After losing in Philadelphia, the Cowboys are now 2.5 games back of the division lead. They’re going to be hard-pressed to win the division as it is, and those slim chances hinge on avoiding slip-ups — because they’re going to have to be phenomenal down the home stretch.

After these three games, the season ratchets back to All-Madden difficulty level. It’s teams like Seattle and Detroit, a return date against the Eagles and road trips to play the Bills and Dolphins. Starting Nov. 30, the Cowboys play six straight games against teams that currently have winning records — and three of those opponents are currently leading their divisions.

With all of that out in front of them, the Cowboys can’t afford to miss their layups. They’ve already done that once this season, losing by 12 points in Arizona. The Cardinals team that upset them, 28-16, hasn’t beaten anyone else this season and currently sits No. 1 in next year’s draft order.

Consider how much hotter the Cowboys would be on the Eagles’ heels if not for that loss, or better yet, don’t. It’s not worth the exasperation.

It’s better to face forward, where a November win streak could set up a fun December. The downside is that the Cowboys aren’t going to change any narratives against this type of competition, but it sure would set the stage for huge games against Seattle and Philly.

The first step is to get there. This stretch of November is always a grind, with the short week for Thanksgiving and often a second straight Thursday game afterward — as is the case in 2023, and for the seventh time in the last 10 years. Four of the next five are at home, though, which should ease some of the strain.

It’s not going to earn them much credit around the league, but it’s an opportunity to make some hay and stack some wins. And if they can do it, they’ll be well-positioned for their next chance to make a statement.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.