DALLAS — Even though they didn’t know mid-week if their head coach would join them on the sideline, the Dallas Cowboys are riding high after dominating the division rival Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14 to reclaim the top spot in the NFC East.
With a five-game winning streak, and renewed hope for a division crown, owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones is ready for head coach Mike McCarthy to receive his flowers for the job he’s done to lead Dallas to a third consecutive double-digit win season.
Speaking during his weekly visit on the Shan & RJ show on Audacy's 105.3 The Fan, just days after seeing his team vault over Philadelphia with an emphatic 33-13 win, Jones announced that he was more impressed by Dallas’ win on Sunday than any other victory during the McCarthy era.
"I don't know when we've played better against a quality opponent since [McCarthy] has been here than we did against the Eagles," said Jones.
The victory allowed the Cowboys to even their record with Philadelphia at 10-3 and it evened their record against their hated rivals in the season head-to-head which began with the Eagles’ dramatic 28-23 win over Dallas in Philadelphia back in Week 9. That loss was the last time that Dallas has suffered a defeat and, due to currently holding a better record against divisional opponents, the Cowboys sit atop the East for now.
What made the victory even more special for Jones was that McCarthy was able to lead the team against a top opponent after undergoing an emergency appendectomy earlier in the week.
"To stand on that sideline for four hours during a game with that much on the line, there’s a lot of stress and physical pain involved,” Jones said. “It just shows the team and all of us how much this all means to him."
The Cowboys have won at least ten games in each of the last three seasons with McCarthy at the helm. After a couple of disappointing playoff losses, however, McCarthy opened the year on the hot seat. The spotlight was placed firmly on the former Super Bowl-winning coach, especially after he reclaimed play-call duties and installed an altered offense.
Things started off slow on offense for Dallas as they adjusted to the new system, but Jones has been happy with how things have progressed and attributes it to the hard work that McCarthy has put in.
"He's the busiest man in Dallas, Texas," Jones said. "If you're gonna call 'em, you gotta install 'em. He's not only our coach but also our offensive play-caller. That makes for some cumbersome, long weeks. But he's done an outstanding job.”
The work has the Cowboys scoring 32.4 points per game, which leads the NFL. But for Dallas to finish that job and get where they want to go, which includes remaining in first place in the NFC East, the next step comes with a trip to upstate New York to take on a Buffalo Bills team that appears formidable after defeating the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Though only 7-6 in what has been an underperforming year for Buffalo, Jones doesn’t buy that Dallas will have an easy time, especially on the road.
“They’re a dangerous team,” Jones said. “At any given time they can be as good as anybody in the NFL, in my mind. They’ve got the players and they've got the quarterback. They’re just a good team. This game coming up is as good a challenge as we could have.”
Looking for a sixth consecutive win, the Cowboys travel to Highmark Stadium for a Week 15 tilt that will kick off at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 17.
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