3 games that will determine the Cowboys season

For the Dallas Cowboys, last week felt like two months after their 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos that wasn’t even as close as the final score indicates.

The six-game winning streak ended. The offense finally ground to a halt, and some wondered if there was a plan that other defenses could follow. The defense was exposed. They had to take the loss and accept everything that was being said about them.

“We weren’t ourselves last week and that’s understandable,” reflected wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

The Cowboys’ response Sunday was a 43-3 thrashing of the Atlanta Falcons for their first 40-point victory since 2000.

A week after completing 48.7 percent of his passes, quarterback Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes and ran for another while completing 77 percent of his throws. A week after allowing 190 ground yards to the Broncos and 8-of-15 third-down conversions, the Cowboys’ defense limited the Falcons to just three points and one third-down conversion out of 11 attempts, and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw for just 117 yards, the fewest he has had in a game with at least 10 attempts in his career.

The Cowboys scored 29 points in the second quarter, the most points they have scored in any quarter in franchise history.

The performance made Jerry Jones wonder if another Cowboys team had been as dominant as Sunday’s.

“I can’t remember, I really can’t,” the owner and general manager agreed. “I can’t remember, I can go back, and we had some good games.”

Perhaps this win will reset the Cowboys’ path for the rest of the season.

At 7-2, the Cowboys have a four-game lead in the NFC East. With the Arizona Cardinals’ loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Cowboys are tied in the loss column in the home-field advantage race and will play the Cardinals in Week 17.

What happens in the next three games will go a long way toward determining what kind of season this one really could be.

In a 12-day span, the Cowboys play the Kansas City Chiefs and former NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, then the Las Vegas Raiders on Thanksgiving, followed by a Thursday night game against the New Orleans Saints.

The Chiefs may not be the best team in the AFC these days, but they still have Mahomes. The Raiders have struggled off the field, but interim coach Rich Bisaccia, a former Cowboys special teams coordinator, keeps Vegas looking ahead. New Orleans has a 5-4 record after Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans and beat the Cowboys three straight at Caesars Superdome.

“All those teams are really good,” linebacker Micah Parsons said. “And I think we had a tough stretch early in the season and we have another one now, so I mean we’re going to have to focus and get into all the little details. Obviously you’ve got a Super Bowl contender in the Chiefs, the Raiders are really good this year and obviously New Orleans is in our conference, so we’ve got to show what we’ve got and try to go 3-0 down the stretch.”

Parsons is a rookie. He’s never played three games in 12 days.

“You could play three games in one day, you do that as a kid,” Parsons said. “Think about it, when I was a kid I played from the time we got out of school until lights out. I’m sure we played more than three games. Now I’m not saying it’s the same level, but it’s already in my blood.”

Lamb, who had two touchdown receptions, is only in his second season. He already understands how the tenor of a campaign changes as it progresses.

“As we move into the home stretch of the season, I feel like every game builds a lot of anticipation,” Lamb said. “Treat it like it’s another game, but understand that it’s more than just the next game.”

Prescott, a six-year veteran, has plenty of time to keep his eye on the Chiefs. He’ll worry about the Raiders the following week and the Saints a week later.

After all, the loss to the Broncos is still a fresh memory. As a result, he doesn’t consider the win against the Falcons as any kind of statement.

“We’re just trying to get better and take it game by game,” Prescott pointed out. “When we do that, we’re able to accomplish what we want to accomplish. We’re not going to get overconfident again.”

“That’s what a game like last week does, it keeps you humble. It makes sure you stay hungry and make sure you don’t get too far ahead of yourself.”