The Dallas Cowboys are riding high right now-and for good reason. Back-to-back wins over last season’s Super Bowl participants will do that for a team.
Confidence is surging inside that locker room, and the rest of the NFL is starting to take notice. Brian Schottenheimer’s squad is suddenly looking like a legitimate threat, and the timing couldn’t be better.
But let’s not forget how quickly things can turn in this league. The NFL doesn’t hand out gold stars for momentum.
It’s a week-to-week grind, and every team is one bad Sunday away from falling back into the pack. That’s the reality the Cowboys are facing as they head into Detroit for what’s shaping up to be a pivotal matchup with the Lions.
Defensive tackle Kenny Clark isn’t buying into the hype just yet-and he’s right not to. Despite the recent success, he knows the Cowboys haven’t climbed all the way out of the hole they dug earlier this season.
“It’s a lot of good momentum, but it don’t mean nothing if we don’t go out and handle business,” Clark said. “Just got to wash all that away with what we did. It’s a week-to-week league and proving ourselves week-to-week and get ourselves out that hole.”
That’s the mindset of a veteran who’s seen how quickly things can unravel. And at 6-5-1, Dallas doesn’t have much wiggle room. They’re still walking a fine line between playoff hopeful and postseason afterthought.
The good news? The NFC is wide open.
With the Cowboys sitting just 1.5 games back of the Philadelphia Eagles in the division, the path is still there. But it’s narrow, and the margin for error is razor-thin.
That makes Thursday night’s game in Detroit feel like more than just another regular-season clash-it’s playoff football in early December.
Both teams know what’s at stake. For Dallas, a win means keeping pace in the NFC East and continuing to build on the momentum they’ve worked so hard to generate. For Detroit, it’s a chance to defend home turf and make a statement of their own in a crowded NFC race.
Expect this one to have a postseason feel. The stakes are high, the lights will be bright, and for players like Kenny Clark, it’s an opportunity to keep the Cowboys’ playoff hopes alive-and maybe, just maybe, plant their flag as a team nobody wants to face in January.