Special thanks to the Raiders for providing the Cowboys with excellent homecoming fodder. The Cowboys easily handled Oakland yesterday (as they should have) in one those victories that you, as a fan, should savor for about five seconds. Because…
…oh, man…
…here it comes…
…get the Zantac…
It’s time for December. Oh, December. You are the cruelest month to the denizens of Cowboyland. You already know about all the trouble this month presents Wade Phillips and Tony Romo. Romo’s record in December is a lackluster 5-8. And now comes the most critical December run of his career, featuring three of four games on the road. And none of those games will feature the Raiders, or any other team dumb enough to cover Miles Austin with someone OTHER than Nnamdi Asomugha. Here’s the slate:
Week 13 @Giants
Week 14 Chargers
Week 15 @Saints
Week 16 @Redskins
Throw in the home game in Week 17 against Philly, and it’s arguably the hardest five-week schedule of any team left in football. Even the game in DC against a failing Redskins team won’t be easy, given how the first game went. Phillips’ job almost certainly hangs in the balance this month. If the Cowboys blow this stretch in spectacular fashion, he’ll be run out of town. If they run the table on this gauntlet, he’ll have proved his mettle. If they win two or three of their final five games, who knows what the Double J will do.
The Cowboys are now, at 8-3, in clear control of their division. And the amazing thing about them is, despite that excellent record, it’s impossible to know if they’re the kind of team that will rise to the occasion this month, or if they’ll go down in flames. Twelve weeks, and we still don’t have a firm handle on this team. That’s about to change, for better or for worse. I hope you took your blood pressure meds. The real season is about to begin.
