ARLINGTON, Texas – Heading into the bye week, the Cowboys sat at 3-5-1 and weren't sure how the rest of the season would go. Following a difficult loss to the Broncos on the road, owner/GM Jerry Jones didn't know if Dallas was a player away from changing the course of their season as the trade deadline approached.
"I don't know what's realistic," Jones said following that game. "Could one better player if we didn't pay too big a price to have a better player on defense? Could it possibly help? I'm not trying to be cute, that's why you'd go get it, is that you'd think it could help your defense."
At the trade deadline, the Cowboys went and acquired DT Quinnen Williams and LB Logan Wilson. Then, they got injured players like LB DeMarvion Overshown and CB Shavon Revel back. Now, they've won three games in a row and are over .500 for the first time this season sitting at 6-5-1 following a 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now, the postseason seems like a realistic possibility after it appeared to be a longshot just a month ago. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer isn't looking ahead, and just wants to continue putting together strong performances.
"We'll play anybody, anywhere," Schottenheimer said. "I think you can see that by what we've done the last couple of weeks. The moment's not too big for us, we just play. And then we know the fourth quarter's going to come, and when the fourth quarter comes, we know we're going to find a way to win. And I think you just keep doing that."
There is a lot of confidence brewing for the Cowboys, who not only won their three straight games in just 12 days' time, but beat both teams that played in last year's Super Bowl LIX in the span of just five days in the Eagles and Chiefs. Schottenheimer heard the noise surrounding this three-game stretch for Dallas coming into his first season as the head coach.
"I've heard everybody talk about, 'Oh hey, they've got to play the Eagles, and then they got to play the Chiefs, and then the Lions and the Vikings.' We're going to play it. We'll play anybody," Schottenheimer said.
"And the reason you play those games is because if we do have a chance and we do get into the playoffs, it proves to you that you're beating teams that have been in the Super Bowl. You beat teams that have won championships. And that gives all the guys in that room all the confidence in the world to go play anybody in the world."
The confidence is just as strong from Dallas' locker room. Quarterback Dak Prescott, who has scored nine touchdowns and thrown just two interceptions in Dallas' last three games, feels that the Cowboys are in the driver's seat of their own fate.
"We can be whatever we want to be," Prescott said. "Everything's in front of us. I just was telling the offensive that when we're in those kneel downs at the end of the game, but it's not going to happen next Thursday. It's going to happen Sunday when we get in the building.
"It's just taking it one day at a time, putting everything in, understanding that we win during the week with our preparation and that we just get to come out here and play the game that we love and playing it free. All these wins, all they've done is just given us more and more confidence."
With that confidence also comes the reality of knowing that the job isn't quite finished just yet, and there's still work to be done. Dallas heads on the road to Detroit next Thursday, where with a win over the Lions, they can surpass them in the NFC playoff picture.
The Cowboys' thoughts aren't placed there. Instead, they want to continue to lean into their process that's gotten them on a hot streak.
"We're just going to keep playing football," Schottenheimer said. "We're playing good football; We're riding a three-game winning streak. We need to get to four. And again, I think if you look at things that way, and it makes the process easier, and if we keep winning football games, we'll see what happens at the end."
