ARLINGTON — In a season that makes absolutely no sense, it’s hard to know where to start.
Forget even pretending to predict how it will end.
But as the Cowboys head into the final week of the regular season, ask yourself what is more improbable: that Dallas can win the NFC East after all its endured or the fact this defense has come back from the dead to play a crucial role?
Call it a toss-up.
“I can’t say enough about the football team, the whole operation, how everyone has battled and the challenges we’ve had,” head coach Mike McCarthy said after his team’s 37-17 win over Philadelphia at AT&T Stadium. “We have seen things come full circle these past three weeks. This is an excellent team win.
“Now we have a chance next week.”
The Cowboys had a 0.87% chance to win the division heading into last week’s game with San Francisco. A win against the Niners bumped those odds to 5%.
But if Dallas beats the New York Giants in Week 17 and Philadelphia disposes of a Washington team that has lost two straight, the franchise will have arguably the most unlikely division title in its rich history.
The Cowboys have won three straight, outscoring opponents 108-57, for this opportunity.
“It’s been a long season, and we’ve been able to push through some of the tough stretches we had,” said quarterback Andy Dalton, who threw for 377 yards and led the offense on five consecutive scoring drives that ranged between 63 and 80 yards. “You want to be playing your best football in December and going into January, and for us, we feel like we’re doing that now.”
The offense has averaged 36 points over the last three games. The defense …
Well, its transformation has been even more remarkable.
A group that held opponents to less than 20 points just once in the first 12 games has done so twice during this winning streak. Philadelphia opened Sunday’s game with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive and came right back with an 81-yard strike to DeSean Jackson to jump to a 14-3 lead.
“You’ve got to give Philly credit,” McCarthy said. “They stuck to their early script and were able to hit on a couple of big plays.
“But defensively, we came back and did a great job. There wasn’t any panic.”
Philadelphia never found the end zone again, managing just one field goal in its final 11 possessions.
“As cliché as it sounds, especially on defense, we bend but don’t break,” said defensive end Randy Gregory, who finished with 11/2 sacks, forced three fumbles and tortured Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts throughout the afternoon. “Today was a perfect example. We got down early, but I think we’re very prideful in our work [and] understand what we need to do when we play at the highest level.
“It showed there when we got down.”
This defense has allowed 450 points and 54 touchdowns. Both are franchise records for futility and were set in this game.
But this maligned bunch has forced 10 turnovers in this December winning streak. Three of them came in the final 6:40 of the fourth quarter as the Eagles desperately tried to stave off elimination.
Cornerback Anthony Brown intercepted a pass in the end zone intended for receiver Travis Fulgham.
Gregory stripped Hurts on a scramble and linebacker Jaylon Smith recovered.
Rookie Trevon Diggs then picked off his third pass of the season on a pass intended for receiver Jalen Reagor.
“Guys are showing up,” Gregory said.
McCarthy credits a resilient group that has gotten more time on task and is getting healthier, even though the defense overall was without three starters in defensive tackle Antwaun Woods, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and safety Xavier Woods.
“It’s the continuity of how we do things and guys spending time together,” the Cowboys head coach said of the improvement. “It’s cohesiveness.’'
Cohesiveness was in short supply after the Cowboys lost to Washington 41-16 on Thanksgiving. That demoralizing defeat appeared to be the one that would break Dallas. It did give Washington a sweep and force the Cowboys to finish ahead of Washington in the standings to win the division.
Inexplicably, that scenario still exists in Week 17.
“We still have to take care of our own opportunity and hope for some help,” McCarthy said. “The fact is we’re playing really good team football right now. I can’t be happier for the players.
“We stayed the course.”
Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon until 3 p.m.
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