The storyline of the season is that Dallas has yet to beat a ‘good’ team. Yes, they did just pull off a 35-41 victory against Seattle, which was their first win against a team over .500, but is it still fair to label the Cowboys as elite?
In a recent interview with Sports Seriously, Emmitt Smith didn’t hold back when asked if he thinks the Cowboys deserve to be on the same pedestal as the Eagles and 49ers.
“I think they can be – and they have the ability to do it. They have been growing over the last four or five weeks and they’re showing signs of developing the mental toughness that’s going to be required for when we get into the playoffs… and how we finish the rest of the season is going to be a clear indication of how mentally tough and mentally sharp we really are,” Smith said.
“The playoffs” – two words that always bring Cowboys fans back down to earth.
Last season, the ‘Boys were 6-2 after their first eight games. In 2021, 6-2 through the first half as well. Both of those seasons ended up in embarrassing losses to the San Francisco 49ers in the early rounds of the playoffs.
Right now, it’s looking like Dallas has the 5th seed locked up yet again, no thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite Philly being 10-1, Smith doesn’t think Dallas is too far behind.
“I think [Philly] they’re built tough inside out. They have all the pieces of the puzzle in place to be a back-to-back Super Bowl-contending team, but I think our Cowboys are coming along. I think our Cowboys are rolling right along.”
It’s hard to disagree with the numbers Prescott and the offense have put up so far this season. In Dallas’ six games before Thursday, Dak had thrown 18 touchdowns to two interceptions, completing more than 70% of his passes for a league-high 122.6 passer rating. He was even better Thursday night, throwing for 299 yards, three touchdowns and made several big plays against a Seahawks team that came to Dallas looking for an upset and just about got it.
This win will undoubtedly give the Cowboys a boost of confidence as they prepare for a huge Week 14 rematch versus the Eagles.
When asked about Dallas’ recipe for success on how to beat Philly, Smith says it comes down to one thing— intensity.
“I think the key is matching that level of intensity for four quarters. That to me begins in practice.
We’re going up against one of the best defenses every day in practice and if we’re not matching that defensive intensity, then the defense is letting our offense down and our offense is definitely not showing up week in and week out when that intensity level rises up from an opposing team.”
Will Dallas prove Smith right and show the world that it can hang with the league’s best? We’ll find out soon.
In the meantime, you can watch the full Emmitt Smith conversation in the link above.