The Dallas Cowboys are generating excitement, and the boldest prediction still stands: “They're going to win their division”
Dallas erased another late deficit against Houston, giving Mike Greenberg fresh reason to believe his preseason NFC East prediction can become reality
Mike Greenberg is refusing to abandon his preseason prediction about the Dallas Cowboys .
After a turbulent opening month, Dallas finally produced the type of late-game response that could make Greenberg's prediction look considerably less ambitious.
The Cowboys rallied from behind to defeat the Houston Texans 34-30 on Sunday, improving to 2-2 and keeping themselves firmly within the NFC East race.
Greenberg , the ESPN "Get Up!" host who backed Dallas to win the division before the season, immediately doubled down following the dramatic victory.
“This time Dak throws the touchdown and the defense gets the stop at the end. What a difference a week makes. #Cowboys are gonna win that division,” he shared.
The comment referenced the Cowboys' previous game, a 30-27 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Brazil, when Dallas had a chance to close out the game but ultimately watched its lead disappear. Against Houston, the ending was very different.
Dak Prescott engineered an 11-play, 74-yard drive in just one minute and 43 seconds before connecting with CeeDee Lamb for the decisive 12-yard touchdown. It was Prescott's 27th career game-winning drive, and the victory prevented Dallas from slipping below .500 after four games.
Lamb was extraordinary throughout the afternoon. He finished with a career-high 17 receptions for 189 yards and the game-winning touchdown, repeatedly giving Prescott a reliable target when Dallas desperately needed to move the football.
The Cowboys also received a major contribution from Javonte Williams , who scored three rushing touchdowns after halftime as Dallas overcame a 10-point deficit.
Dallas still has plenty of work to do in the NFC East
Greenberg's prediction remains far from a certainty, however.
The Cowboys currently sit behind the New York Giants , who are 3-1, while Dallas and the Philadelphia Eagles are both 2-2. Washington is 1-3. That leaves the NFC East unusually open after four weeks, with Dallas only one game behind first place.
The victory over Houston was especially important because the Cowboys had to demonstrate that they could finish a close game after last week's collapse against Baltimore.
Prescott did exactly that, although the quarterback was quick to caution against interpreting one victory as proof that every problem has disappeared.
"There's nothing like winning," Prescott said. "I want to say it fixes all the problems, but it doesn't. It makes you feel good at least for a day or so. But at this point, we got to turn the page and get ready for Thursday. We can't sit here and have some winning hangover so early in the season."
That mindset could be crucial because Dallas has almost no time to enjoy the victory.
The Cowboys return to action Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET, giving Dallas only a few days to recover from the trip to Houston.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer nevertheless believes the way his players responded says something significant about the group.
“Speaks to the type of young men we have in that room,” Schottenheimer said of his team’s effort. “These guys are a special group of young men that truly do love each other. The brotherhood is real. There was never finger pointing one way or the other. They just went back to work. We’re going to do it again in however many days… Can’t wait.”
Schottenheimer also pushed back against the idea that Sunday's game was a must-win, particularly given the circumstances surrounding the schedule.
“I wanted this game. I didn’t think we needed this game. Rio doesn’t define us as a football team…” Schottenheimer said.
“But I wanted this game. Why? Because these guys came back off a ten hour trip, the Ravens I think played at home today, we played on the road. We play Thursday night. We’ll play anybody anywhere. And we’re looking forward to that. But Rio had nothing to do with this game, this game stood by itself.”
The Cowboys ' comeback does not eliminate their defensive concerns. Houston still produced 30 points, and the Cowboys surrendered several big plays before tightening up late.
Dallas will need considerably more consistency if it wants to turn a 2-2 start into a division title. Still, the NFC East is hardly running away from them.
The Giants currently have the best record, but Dallas has Prescott , Lamb and an offense capable of producing explosive stretches. The win in Houston also demonstrated something the Cowboys desperately needed after their loss in Brazil: they can make the final drive count.
For Greenberg, that may be enough to keep the preseason prediction alive.
There are 13 games still remaining, beginning with Thursday's matchup against Tampa Bay. If Dallas continues finding ways to win close games, the prediction that initially looked bold could become increasingly realistic as the season develops.
