The Cowboys’ spot in the standings didn’t waver but the faith their fans have in the team did

The week leading up to the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving matchup with the Washington Redskins, Cowboys legend Michael Irvin said a loss might be a good thing for this team that was riding high.

Well, a couple weeks late but Irvin got his wish.

The 11-game winning streak came to a halt against the same team that beat them for their first loss: Those pesky New York Giants. Judging by the reaction on social media for Cowboys fans, you’d probably think the team hasn’t won a game in a year or has just been eliminated from playoff contention. In reality, the Cowboys, who were on top of the NFC before the loss, fell all the way down to… the top of the NFC following the loss.

That’s right, the Cowboys’ spot in the standings didn’t waver. But the faith their fans have in the team did.

That’s the roller coaster that is the Dallas Cowboys. One year ago, Cowboys fans were clamoring for one win. Today, they are panicking after one loss. Last year sneaking into the playoffs was good enough. This year the top seed is less than satisfying.

A loss to a division opponent is always less than ideal, specifically one that is on your tail the way the Giants are. But being two games up in the win column with three games left to play on that very team shouldn’t be something that is just glossed over.

The loss to the Giants can serve as a valuable learning experience for a team that is oozing with young, inexperienced players pretty much across the board. December football is magnified. A loss in September may have raised an eyebrow. Maybe a yellow flag. But in December? It’s a red flag, at least for the fans.

The Cowboys won’t panic. They have players that are disciplined and focused. They have enough veteran leadership. In the words of their head coach, they have “the right kind of guys.”

The Dallas Cowboys will be just fine. Whether their fans will be is a whole different story.

The 2016 Dallas Cowboys are a team of destiny

Sometimes, it just seems like it’s destiny. For the Dallas Cowboys, the 2016 season feels like that. It’s not just that their first round pick is playing like a future Hall of Famer. It’s not even that their fourth round pick is looking like their quarterback for the next 15 years.

Actually, it’s everything else.

The success of rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott is at the same time unprecedented but not the difference. The difference is the rise of the Cowboys and the seemingly demise of the NFL.

 Who in todays NFL can legitimately challenge the Cowboys? The Seattle Seahawks, the team that just lost their All-Pro safety Earl Thomas for the season? The Atlanta Falcons, who are dealing with an injury to their All-Pro wide receiver Julio Jones? The New England Patriots, who in consecutive weeks now have lost top offensive weapons in Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola? The Washington Redskins, who the Cowboys have already beat twice? The Oakland Raiders, who though win a lot of games, find plenty of ways to shoot themselves in the foot throughout the contests?

Those are the top teams in the NFL and it’s hard to make a case why the Cowboys couldn’t beat them with their strong rushing attack, careful ball management and opportunistic defense. Now, before you scoff on the defense, remember than they are the ultimate bend-but-don’t break defense. Yes, they may not get a ton of pressure on the quarterback or some up with takeaways, but they also just give up three points, not six and three-pointers only win games in the NBA.

Another thing is, while these injuries may set back the Seahawks, Falcons and Patriots, the Cowboys have such strong depth, the dropoff for any injury wouldn’t be insurmountable. They already proved earlier in the season they can win without Dez Bryant and Orlando Scandrick. They’re showing they can win without Morris Claiborne. If Prescott goes down, their backup is a guy you may be familiar with in Tony Romo and if Elliott goes down, in comes a guy in Alfred Morris who has been a 1,000 yard rusher in the NFL and has the luxury of the best offensive line in the game. 

So yes, the Cowboys have a lot to do with why their fan base should feel good, but so does the rest of the NFL.