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.