needed every bit of their 41 points to outlast the Eagles. They needed the offense to rack up yards and points. They needed a huge kickoff return for a touchdown by Felix Jones. And then in the second half, they needed the defense to stop Donovan McNabb and the Philly offense, which it did, holding the Eagles to seven points and forcing a key fourth-quarter fumble.
However you want to play, the Cowboys have shown they can play it, and play it better.
The scary thing is how incomplete some of these games have been so far. In three games, we have yet to see all three phases of the Cowboys execute in unison. When that happens, some team will get completely hammered.
Just remember, there a lot of bad football teams out there, and some of them are sitting on the Cowboys' schedule. None of the three teams they've already defeated had losing records a year ago, but four of the next five did.
Those beat-downs are probably coming here in the next month, although it's unlikely that will happen Sunday against the Redskins.
Records aside, these two teams usually play it rather close - that is when all of the starters are in the game. There are exceptions, and maybe we'll see one this week. After all, this is an exceptional football team.
And not just that, but the best football team in the NFL.
Yes, there are six teams still unbeaten, and one of those is the Giants. If you subscribe to the Ric Flair theory of "To be the man, you've gotta beat the man," that's fine. You'll disagree.
Hey, I like the Nature Boy as much as the next guy. But the Giants aren't "the man" anymore. They've won. Their glory season is over.
This is a new year, with a new team and new cast of characters.
Don't get me wrong. They look pretty good again. Maybe Eli Manning is something pretty special. And just maybe, Justin Tuck is a superstar in his own right.
But from top to bottom, the Cowboys are the best team in football. They've got the players, the coaches and more importantly, the record to prove it.
This isn't about the end of the season. It's not even about next month.
Right here and right now, the Cowboys are the best team in football.
Might change next week. But then again, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
