As The Kingdom prepares for this Week 11 showdown against the Dallas Cowboys, it seems most of the experts are stumped at how to assess and pick this matchup. This is mostly because both teams have presented themselves as wildly inconsistent across the first 10 weeks. We all know the blunders the Chiefs have faced to this point, but things at least seem to be trending up for them on both sides of the ball as of late. That leaves us with the ever looming question, “How legitimate are the Dallas Cowboys?”
Yes, the Cowboys are entering this game with a 7-2 record overall. However, that comes with somewhat of an asterisk when you look at the quality of opponents they have played thus far. To start things off, CBS Sports had Dallas ranked with the 31st strength of schedule when opening up the 2021 season. Sure, they opened up the year against Tampa Bay but the Cowboys have only played two teams with an above .500 record. And that is counting Tampa Bay.
On top of all that, the Cowboys just do not putting up the offensive points needed when facing off against top-tier opponents. Yes, Dak and that coveted receiving corps get their stats but stats do not win games. The only other Dallas opponents that I consider top-tier (or at least playoff contenders) at this point in the season are the LA Chargers and the New England Patriots. The Cowboys won those games by 3 points and 6 points, needing extra time to squeak out the win in Foxborough.
Obviously a win is a win, but those games were one bad play away from going the other way. The rest of their wins come against teams like Philadelphia, Carolina, New York, Minnesota, and, wait for it … the Atlanta Falcons. I don’t know about you, but the rest of those wins do not seem to be against playoff contenders.
There are reasons to question the legitimacy of the Dallas Cowboys coming into Week 11.
And of course that leaves us with the Week 9 matchup against Denver, in Jerry’s World. I am sure just about every Chiefs fan is going to be reminding EVERY person at Arrowhead in navy and silver about the embarrassing 30-16 loss Dallas suffered at the hands of Denver—just two weeks ago. We are talking about a loss that saw Dallas surrender 190 yards on the ground and 249 through the air to the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams. All the while Dak threw for a lackluster 232 yards with a pick and Zeke mustered up a measly 51 yards on the ground. Dallas had a grand total of 290 yards and 16 points against a defense that did not include Bradley Chubb or Von Miller. That is simply just not the performance you typically see from a “legitimate team”, let alone a team currently sitting with 2 losses.
Look, do the Cowboys have plethora of talent throughout their roster? Yes. Is Dak Prescott a Top-5 QB in today’s league? Most likely. I am not denying that it could be a hard-fought and tough game for the Chiefs, but this is very much a “statement game” for both franchises. You have the hot-start Cowboys looking to right the ship, and the Chiefs looking to get back that “AFC Favorite” title after a relatively slow start. But objectively speaking, one cannot deny that the Chiefs have been “tested” more than the Cowboys at this point of the year.
At the end of the day, the answer to the legitimacy of the Dallas Cowboys solely relies on the outcome of this game. It seems “America’s Team” is an annual pick to compete for the Super Bowl. They start off relatively hot, causing a frenzy of bandwagon takes about the return of “The Cowboys,” and then it all falls drastically back down to earth about midway through the season. I see no evidence to say that we are not dealing with the very same Cowboys narrative here in 2021. There will be points scored, but at the end of the day the Chiefs can and will continue to get it right against this bizarro 7-2 NFC East opponent.
A statement will be made in K.C. this Sunday, and that will be that the Dallas Cowboys are who we thought they were. A team full of talent that year in and year out fails to get it done when the lights are shining brightest.