It happened so fast, so early this season that the surviving members of the 17-0 Miami Dolphins of ‘72 didn’t even have time to post pics of champagne corks popping. I found one of Larry Csonka toasting a Kansas City loss last November (remember the Chiefs won their first nine games) but that was it. And Buffalo’s unexpected loss at home to New England on Sunday night left the NFL with no undefeated teams at the end of Week 5.
Just to add to the absence of greatness in this year’s NFL, the Chiefs lost to Jacksonville on Monday night for the first time since 2009. The team that won all 11 of its close games last season and has played in five of the last six Super Bowls is 0-3 in games decided by seven or fewer points this season. And so the Chiefs’ 2-3 record after five games is worse than the Cowboys.
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Every so often there is a shakeup in the NFL when the first ones now shall later be last. Maybe you had Baker Mayfield as most likely to have the largest division lead after five weeks, but did you have Aaron Rodgers tied with him in that category? Suddenly a 2-2-1 record for Dallas looks pretty good after the Cowboys’ first clean win of the season, a 37-22 thumping of the New York Jets in New Jersey. Are we talking a return to the playoffs in Brian Schottenheimer’s first season?
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Let’s be careful here. For several reasons to be detailed here, the Cowboys are not a lock to do anything other than play a 17-game schedule this season. Begin with that one-sided win at New York. That’s an 0-5 Jets team that, with Tennessee and New Orleans sneaking into the win column, finds itself the last winless team in the league. Wins over the Jets aren’t significant of anything and, in fact, have been a springboard to disaster for some.
Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay suffered their only losses of the season while feeling high and mighty the week after beating the Jets. And Miami just followed a win over New York with a loss at Carolina, which just happens to be Dallas’ next destination Sunday at noon. So, while it’s smart not to make too much out of a win over Justin Fields at any time (he’s 14-34 as an NFL starter), it is especially true in 2025.
Beyond that, there is the matter that nothing changed Sunday in how the Cowboys stack up against the rest of the league. They remain No. 1 in total offense, almost 5 yards per game ahead of the Rams. And they remain No. 32 in defense with the Baltimore Ravens the only team that is within 100 yards of what Dallas has allowed in five games. The splash plays — five sacks and a fumble recovery — were nice enough. But Breece Hall running for 8 yards a carry has ex-Cowboy Rico Dowdle drooling for what comes next after his 209-yard game against the Dolphins.
But here’s a bigger issue. Even if the Cowboys begin to mend some of the fences on their broken defense, the crowd pushing for recognition (and eventually wild card spots) in the NFC is extraordinary. Dallas’ 2-2-1 record would have the Cowboys practically in the catbird seat in the AFC where nine teams are below the .500 mark. But the NFC has just four.
So at this very early stage, five teams just above the .500 mark (Green Bay, Washington, Minnesota, LA Rams, Seattle) are leading the charge for those three wild card entries while the Cowboys are part of a group of three more (joining Chicago and Atlanta) right at the .500 mark.
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I’d say when the Cowboys get two games over .500, that will be the proper time to begin any relevant discussion of playoff potential. For now, they are one of eight teams fighting for three spots, and both Dallas’ wins came at the expense of downtrodden New York teams. Having dispatched Gang Green rather neatly, the Cowboys don’t get another crack at Big Blue until January.
The schedule gets much more serious between now and then, which is why the perceived slight improvements on defense need to continue. The Cowboys can’t give quarterbacks of marginal offenses all day in the pocket or they end up with another Bears’ fiasco. Dallas sent a fifth pass rusher on more occasions Sunday, and dialing up more blitzes is a fine idea as long as the cornerbacks hold up. With DaRon Bland looking like he’s all the way back from injury, at least they have a chance in that department.
It’s a weird season in the NFL. Who’s up for a Tampa Bay-Jacksonville Super Bowl? That’s probably not how it’s going to play out, but as long as no one has better records in either conference, you can’t say it’s not possible. The Cowboys are hoping more improbable outcomes are on the way.
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