'Turf Wars!' Can Cowboys Incredible Streak 'Not On Grass' Continue?
"The streak'' at home at AT&T Stadium is as critical as it is impressive. The Dallas Cowboys are undefeated this year at home and have won 15 straight in their luxurious building, the NFL's best active roll.
That also fits a good old-fashioned formula for NFL success, as coach Mike McCarthy mentioned this week as he prepped his team for an NFL Week 15 showdown at the Buffalo Bills.
Sweep and home. Split on the road. And you are almost surely a playoff team.
In the present circumstances of the 10-3 Cowboys, though, continuing to be a .500 team on the road (Dallas is 3-3 this season) will end up being a disappointment of sorts - as winning the NFC East (and maybe even the conference's top seed) is a goal.
But there is another streak, and it does include a road-game thumbs-up: When the Cowboys are not playing on grass, and instead are performing on artificial turf?
Dallas has now won an astounding 21 straight games.
That marks what is reportedly among the longest streaks in NFL history ... and is could be extended today if Dallas can find a way to beat the Bills at Highmark Stadium, which if course features a turf field. (It should also feature some issues with wind and rain, by the way.)
Is there a reason Dallas plays well on turf? Is it because the Cowboys are "built for speed''? That's one argument ... but 1) aren't all NFL teams in favor of being "speedy''? ...
And 2) are Dallas players really "speedier'' than the competition at their respective positions? On offense, that's not true of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Jake Ferguson. On defense, it's not true of DeMarcus Lawrence or Stephon Gilmore or Jayron Kearse. (It is, of course, true of Micah Parsons.)
However it's happened, it's happened. And by the way: After Buffalo's turf comes a game at Miami (natural grass), Detroit at AT&T and then at the Commanders (natural grass, and maybe muck and mire).
So at some point, for the Cowboys to truly achieve, they've got to win regardless of the field. But for the moment? Getting to 22 straight on turf, while in Buffalo, will have to do.
