'All About the Division!' Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott - New MVP Leader - Eyes NFC East Title After Demolishing Philadelphia Eagles
Do you remember when the narrative was that the Dallas Cowboys couldn't beat a team with a winning record? That talking point technically ended last Thursday, but it was buried with emphasis on Sunday night.
The Cowboys cruised to a 33-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles to climb atop the NFC East on "Sunday Night Football," and they seem to have established themselves as a legitimate Super Bowl contender through the NFL's Week 14 - in large part because Dak Prescott has established himself as the top contender for MVP.
If the Eagles win out in their last four games of the season, they win the East. Given Dallas' winning streak at home (now at 15 games), it would certainly be an advantage if the Cowboys could win the division and host some playoff games at AT&T Stadium.
Dallas quarterback Prescott knows that. In fact, he attributed part of the Cowboys' success on Sunday night to just that: being at home.
"After Thanksgiving, I understand this is all about playoff position," Dak said postgame on NBC. "All about the division. This team right here, they got the division last year and stole the first game from us earlier in the season. Just to have them here and get home-field advantage, continue to keep winning at home, all three phases stepped up. Great, great team win."
But even if things go "scratch" for Philly and it manages to win the rest of the way, will the location of the postseason games matter? If the Cowboys that showed up this week show up in the playoffs, it might not be all-important.
Dallas was clearly the better team on Sunday night, at least for this week. One could argue that the Eagles could still be reeling from last week's 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and it's not unheard of for one team to "beat you twice" after a performance like that. Still, that shouldn't negate what the Cowboys were able to do against their arch rival.
Prescott himself accounted for 271 yards in the passing game with two touchdowns, and Dallas rushed for 138 yards as a team. Oh, and that's not to mention the fact that the Cowboys defense forced three turnovers in the rout, keeping a potent Eagles offense at bay for the majority of the night.
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Those types of performances are certainly easier at home, but the friendly confines of AT&T Stadium aren't the only reason the Cowboys are firing on all cylinders right now. The "Texas Coast Offense" has, without a doubt, hit its stride, and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's unit has continued to wreak havoc and rewrite the record books in 2023.
Sure, home playoff games are great, and maybe Dallas will have those this season. Even if they don't, however, that's no reason to panic. This Dallas Cowboys team is legitimately good.
And this Dallas Cowboys QB could win MVP.