Michael Irvin Right When Calling Bears' Game a "Must Win", But For A Different Reason

Dallas Cowboys' fans from all over have fought through the workday, and are slowly preparing for what has now turned into one of the biggest games of the year for this team. Why, you ask? Well, Michael Irvin puts it best with his recent comments, when calling this game a must win.

Irvin: "Absolutely. If I'm the Cowboys I'm looking to come out of these last four 3-1 at worst in this stretch. 3-1 at worst. Everybody keeps going, ‘get to 10 wins.' It don't look like that. You want to finish this thing 3-1 so you can try to get 11 wins and then sit pretty, but you better believe that this is, for me and the Cowboys, knowing what we just saw last week with Philly and you've got Philly again. You don't have one to give right here. You've got to win this game. This is a must win."

The question immediately becomes whether or not Irvin is right when saying this. To sum it up as simply as possible, yes, he is, but not exactly for the reasons that he describes.

His point about the Cowboys needing to go 3-1 down the stretch isn't necessarily a MUST, but it is the way that they can get into the postseason without a major argument.

One key thing that stands out currently, is that if the Cowboys can knock off the Bears tonight, all eyes turn to the Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles could absolutely lose that game, as they are facing a defense which has allowed a grand total of six points in their last two games against divisional rivals, in the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. To add on to that, they are also coming off of the emotional Cowboys' win, and it's almost the definition of a letdown spot.

I've underestimated the Eagles in the past, and I know how talented they are, but Seattle is rolling right now. If both of these things happen, the Cowboys can control their own fate from there, something that will absolutely light a fire under this team, if there isn't one already.

So while I believe this is a must win for the Cowboys, it's for a different reason than the popular opinion. Call it positive thinking if you'd like, but the Cowboys are in a great spot with the Eagles still having to feel the pressure when facing the defending Super Bowl champions on Sunday.

The Cowboys' playoff chances aren't finished if they lose tonight, but they would take a major hit. For me though? I'm more focused on the opportunity that the Cowboys may be looking at to regain control of the NFC East, and overtake the Eagles in around a week and a half. It's a must win spot, and the reasoning for that is because over the span of the next four days, things could completely change heading into Week 15.