Before I start, there is one thing that I would just like to say that this is my honest opinion. Anybody that says they believed that the Dallas Cowboys would be 9-1 at this point in the season with the best record in the NFL is either a liar or a homer. Honestly, do we need any more of those types of people in the sports world?
Now that that is off my chest, let me try to explain how the Dallas Cowboys are 9-1. To be real with those reading this, I DO NOT KNOW! Just like I don’t know how a rap artist such as Lil Yachty can release a song like “Broccoli” and it’s a hit. Some things just happen and that’s the way it is.
Nonetheless, the Dallas Cowboys have defied expectations, which I thought went away when Tony Romo injured his back for a second consecutive season. But the surge of rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and him having perhaps the greatest season by a rookie quarterback ever, has taken the league by storm and he has willed his team to 9 consecutive victories. Prescott has easily outperformed the seven quarterbacks taken before him in his draft class and currently has a 108.6 QBR, which is third only behind four-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady and second-leading passer in the league Matt Ryan.
Let that sink in for a minute. Right now, a fourth-round pick that started the season as a third-stringer is outperforming the likes of Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and last year’s MVP Cam Newton. Let’s not forget, he also just threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns against the NFL’s No.1 defense. Prescott now finds himself in the company of Russell Wilson and Dan Marino as the only rookie quarterbacks to have multiple touchdown passes in five consecutive games and he continues to help his team win.
Dak has not only in the mix for the Rookie of the Year Award but he’s also now in the MVP conversations. He could very well be the first rookie to win the MVP since Earl Campbell won the PFWA MVP as a rookie in 1978. Not bad company at all, huh?
However, those chances could be thwarted by another rookie having a freakish season. As a matter of fact, he just so happens to share the same uniform and receives handoffs from Dak Prescott.
“Zeke the Freak” is about as an appropriate name for any player in the league with the season Ezekiel Elliott has had. I was not a fan of the pick when the Cowboys drafted him but boy oh boy do I look even dumber than what I thought at first. Don’t get me wrong, I saw him look like the Tecmo Bowl version of Bo Jackson in the National Championship Game against Oregon in 2014. He was completely unstoppable that night and I was in awe of his performance.
In my first 24 years of life, my first vivid memories of the Dallas Cowboys came from a squad led by Dave Campo and Quincy Carter. Because of that, I had a pretty pessimistic outlook of the team. I thought the Cowboys could’ve used Zeke’s selection for a more important position. All questions of my intelligence aside, the NFL’s leading rusher just continues to get better and better. In fact, the great Eric Dickerson’s hallowed record for the most rushing yards by a rookie could very well be in jeopardy.
Zeke needs 707 more yards to break it and six games left to do it. That would mean he needed to rush for close to 118 yards per game. At first, I thought it was a stretch. However, I no longer doubt his playing ability. I lost a friendly wager to a good friend who will now be enjoying a nice holiday beverage courtesy of the Irish when I believed he would not even hit the 1000-yard mark. Elliott will most likely continue being fed after the Thanksgiving holiday. For that, I do wish all the best for opposing defenses.
I could go on about several other factors such as the Great Wall of Dallas that is the offensive line, how Sean Lee is actually healthy and is one of the best linebackers in the league when he is, the outstanding rise of the secondary (stand up Mr. Anthony Brown) and just how the coaching staff have handled the season so far.
But for the sake of those who are still reading this, I’ll go ahead and stop and let you comment with what you believe has also attributed to the season so far or how someone like me is even allowed to put out an article like this.
Once again, I say to those who said they believed prior to the season that the Cowboys would be 9-1 at this point of the season, you are either a liar or a homer, but I will be rooting with you every step of the way as a labeled non-believer. Go Cowboys!
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