IRVING, Texas - Since we're still in late October, the only must-wins in sports this time of year occur on the baseball diamond.
OK, maybe you'll find a few must-wins in college football since their playoff system is already underway.
But in the NFL, nothing is a must just yet. Winless teams like Tennessee and Tampa Bay could still turn things around, although it's rather unlikely.
So when the Falcons come to town Sunday with their impressive 4-1 record, we all know how important this game is for the Cowboys as we sit here in late October. We know how big it could be come late December and January when the NFC playoff picture starts to crystallize.
Now, there's so much football to be played, it's a little early to be predicting division winners. But the Saints seem primed to win the NFC South and the Giants are in good shape in the East. Of course, that can change pretty quickly, but there's a greater than zero chance the Cowboys and Falcons best chances of making the playoffs will be in the form of a Wild Card. That being said, the winner of Sunday's game will have a huge advantage.
It reminds me almost of last year's mid-season win over Tampa Bay. All year long, as the two teams battled to the end, the Cowboys held that tiebreaker advantage over the Bucs, simply because of a 13-9 victory nearly a full year ago. Of course, the good news for the Cowboys is that Tony Romo is actually playing in this one.
Now, in the end, neither the Cowboys nor the Bucs made the playoffs. So I guess you can say, ultimately, that Bucs game wasn't so big after all.
But I think you get the picture here. Sure, we don't know what will happen down the road. Atlanta could win this game Sunday and then lose six straight. The Cowboys could hold off the pesky Falcons and everyone will say this team has turned the corner at 4-2. And before one Dirty Bird flies out of here, another one in the form of a Seahawk could come in here the next week and spoil the party once again.
So really, who knows what these games mean? That's why the term "must-win" is still a little premature, if not completely overrated.
Forget must-win. Forget a need-win. How about calling Sunday's game a "just-win."
Just go win the game. And not because the Cowboys need to beat an NFC team that could compete for a playoff spot. And not because the Cowboys have yet to beat a quality team yet. And not because they have to protect their home turf with so many tough road games yet to play.
Sure, all of those reasons are good ones to go out and win. But, it's not the most important.
The Cowboys have to win this game because it's simply the next one.
Whether or not head coach Wade Phillips was trying to be funny or a wise guy in his answer Wednesday when asked the importance of this game, the answer he gave was right on.
"It's the biggest game of the year for us," he said. "It's the most important game. It's the one we can do something about. It's our opportunity and we need to take advantage of it."
I only preface Phillips' sincerity of the question because that's pretty much what all coaches say. And he really wasn't in the best mood this week, particularly with the media. A little short with some answers so when that question came up, he kind of popped up quickly and responded.
To me, I get the feeling Phillips will answer the same way to the same question every week for the rest of the season. Yes, this is a big game because it's the next one. Like he said, it's the one the Cowboys can do something about.
It goes back to my own feelings regarding many fans and media guys who simply dismiss the regular season, especially the wins. Because this team has struggled in December, particularly Tony Romo, it's almost like no one cares what happens until we get to that point in the season. That is unless the team loses a game, and then all of a sudden it becomes crisis-mode.
But no team has ever won a game in December . . . in October. I know people like to say that nothing is impossible, but trust me, this one is. Tony Romo and the Cowboys can't shake off the late-season woes in the middle of the season.
So there's no point in rehashing that right now. We all should know that if they don't take care of this Atlanta, Seattle, Green Bay, Philadelphia, Washington and Oakland business that stands before them between now and Thanksgiving, that nothing will matter at all come December. Lose four of the next six games and the final month of the season means squat.
The season is definitely right now. Not because they need to beat a good team, although for confidence reasons it probably doesn't hurt, considering they will face teams better than Atlanta this year and not in front of 90,000 people cheering for them.
They do need to beat an NFC team that could possibly have some meaning later in the season. You'd hate to get that far in the schedule and have a loss like this one hanging over their head.
But more than anything else, the Cowboys just need to win the game because it's the only one staring them smack-dab in the face.
OK, so the Falcons have a good, young quarterback that might end up being one of the best in the league for years to come. And yes, they have a running back that smashes like Marion and can run like Felix. And they have a tight end that has done everything Jason Witten has done, but for a little while longer and a little bit better.
Yes, the Falcons are good, but certainly beatable, especially at home and with so much at stake.
So for the Cowboys this week . . . no, they don't need to win. No, it's not a must-win, but more like a "just-win."
So that's it, just win.
Home | Email | Print | Register for New Alerts | RSS
Nick Eatman - 
