Just like that, the perspective is changed. I've been urging caution at jumping ship, especially with the Dallas Cowboys sitting at 3-2 which constitutes a winning record. This is why in the NFL, when things are bunched this tightly, early in the season, just keeping your head above .500 can put you in position to make a run. The close-shave win over the (then) winless Chiefs had some in a sour mood. I was just happy for the win. Why?
Because no game is a gimme in the NFL, especially on the road.
Ask the Philadelphia Eagles who just went on the road and coughed up a game to the lowly Raiders. Right about now, I guarantee you the Eagles (and their fans) would kill for an OT win against a bad opponent on the road. They would do anything to get that win, because in the NFL, a win is a win. This isn't about style points or popularity contests, it's about cold, hard, wins.
Heck, you don't even have to go on the road to blow a game against a bad opponent. Just ask the Washington Redskins, who have given three teams their first wins so far this season. Watching that team disintegrate is one of my favorite past-times.
And the team we're chasing in the East? Well, they just dropped a conference game to the Saints (who look like the class of the NFC so far). Now we're only one game behind the Giants in the loss column.
So the Cowboys take care of business last week, it wasn't pretty but they got the job done, and then sit back and receive an early Christmas present from the rest of the NFC East.
We've jumped into a tie for second place in the division. But we're also sitting right in the middle of the wild-card race.
Never give up too early on a team, especially a team with a winning record. Next week, the Cowboys get the Falcons, who are 4-1 and serious contenders.
If Dallas can win next week...
Some other takes on the same story from BTB readers here, here and here.