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Ben Solak, ESPN
OK, NFL Week 6 is behind us. I think I know the league’s good teams at this point … the Chiefs, Ravens, Vikings, Texans, Lions, Bills, maybe the Packers. We have a few teams on Plucky Watch, such as the Falcons, Buccaneers, Commanders and Bears. Otherwise, I’ve seen what I need to see. Let’s skip to the Ravens-Lions Super Bowl.
(Nobody’s reading this intro, right? And you can’t screenshot these?)
While the upper echelon of NFL teams finally seems clear for the first time this season, a lot is going to change between now and playoff time, especially with all of these 3-3 teams. The one I’m focusing on this week? The Cowboys.
Every Tuesday, I’ll spin the previous week of NFL football forward, looking at what the biggest storylines mean and what comes next. We’ll take a first look at the consequences of “Monday Night Football,” break down a major trend or two, and highlight some key individual players and plays. There will be film. There will be stats (a whole section of them). And there will be fun. Let’s jump in.
Jump to a section:
The Big Thing: Eulogy of the 2024 Cowboys
Mailbag: Answering questions from … you
Preseason lie detector test: Week 6 hindsight
Second Take: Colts can’t stick with Flacco
Next Ben Stats: Wild Week 6 stats
‘Monday Night Football’ spin
The Big Thing: The Cowboys can’t seem to get up from the mat
Every week, this column will kick off with one wide look at a key game, player or trend from the previous Sunday of NFL action. What does it mean for the rest of the season?
In 2021, the Dallas Cowboys went 12-5. They scored 530 total points that season, the second of Mike McCarthy’s coaching tenure — a team record. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw for 4,449 yards and a career-best 37 touchdowns, while CeeDee Lamb led all Cowboys receivers with 1,102 receiving yards in just his second season as a pro. Pass rusher Micah Parsons won Defensive Rookie of the Year; cornerback Trevon Diggs had 11 interceptions and somehow didn’t win Defensive Player of the Year. Zack Martin was Zack Martining. The Cowboys were a good football team.
Despite all their regular-season success, the Cowboys lost 23-17 to the 49ers in the wild-card round of the playoffs.