'Nothing Surprises Me!' Will Cowboys as No. 2 Playoff Seed Silence Critics? Coach Mike McCarthy Reacts
FRISCO - As the calendar was flipped to December, the Dallas Cowboys were about to embark on the toughest stretch of their 2023 schedule.
Dallas was 8-3 with two of those losses coming in the only two games the Cowboys played against teams with winning records - Philadelphia and San Francisco. The other loss was a head-scratcher against a Cardinals team that just beat the Eagles on Sunday.
Since then has come a two-game losing streak that had critics oozing out of the woodwork ... and now a glorious New Year's Eve weekend that sees coach Mike McCarthy's team leapfrog over Philly onto the inside track as the NFC playoffs' No. 2 seed.
Said McCarthy on Monday here in Frisco at The Star in reflection: "Nothing surprises me,'' he said, noting he and his wife watched Arizona upset the Eagles. “We put ourselves in position to win the division and be the No. 2 seed. That’s a good place to be.”
And on the intensity of Week 17 and Week 18?
"The playoffs,'' McCarthy said, "have already started."
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Looking back ...
Beginning with a Nov. 30 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, the Cowboys would play five consecutive games against playoff-hopeful teams in Philadelphia, Buffalo, Miami and Detroit.
It would be a chance for the Cowboys to prove themselves and show they belong in the conversation with the best in the league.
Now, after that five-game stretch is in the rear-view mirror, the Cowboys look back at a 3-2 record with two road losses to Buffalo and Miami.
Dallas has proven it can play with the other big boys in the league but has created a different narrative in the process. With all the success the Cowboys have seen at AT&T Stadium over the past two seasons where they ride a 16-game winning streak, there are now doubts about their ability to win a big game on the road.
Now that narrative becomes less important if they can get one more win. With a victory over division-rival Washington in Week 18, the Cowboys will lock in the No. 2 seed in the NFC, meaning they'll have an opportunity to play at least two playoff games at home.
That opportunity comes thanks to the Eagles' recent slump and loss on Sunday to the Cardinals.
Dallas is hoping to get even more healthy for Washington; per McCarthy, guard Tyler Smith “has a chance” to play with his torn plantar fascia, and nose tackle Johnathan Hankins "had a good workout today'' as he rehabs his ankle.
Dallas and coach McCarthy have been able to silence the critics - OK, maybe not "silence,'' but how about "quiet'' the critics? - with wins over playoff teams at home. Will it be able to do the same with road wins? Will there be more "surprises'' that don't "surprise'' McCarthy?
“Frankly,'' he said of the experiencing of it all, I just think that’s the National Football League.”
