Took a little break for the holidays but we’re back! The Southwest remains the league’s most competitive division, being the only division in the league with each team above .500 going into Saturday. The Mavs still lead the division, but the Spurs are making their and it should be an entertaining battle the rest of the season in the division race.
The Cowboys finally did something they haven’t done since I was a senior in high school, win a playoff. The 34-14 win over the Eagles was the first playoff win for the Cowboys since 1996. It would seem that, for the most part, the demons of the past are going away from this team.
Congratulations are in order for the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys. After posting consecutive shutouts for the first time in franchise history in a 24-0 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cowboys claimed their second division title in three years. The reward: a rematch against the one and same Eagles.
The Cowboys went to Washington and got themselves a shutout, beating the Redskins 17-0. In the process, they snatched up the last available playoff spot in the NFC (thanks Giants!).If the Cowboys are going to advance in the playoffs, there are some issues that need to be ironed out in the run game.
Swoon over? For one week, at least, you bet! The Cowboys stunned everyone but themselves by taking down the previously unbeaten New Orleans Saints at the Superdome, 24-17.
For the first time in a while, the Monster, two-thirds of it at least, played a significant part in the win, totaling 32 carries for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as 2 catches for 21 yards.
A special two-week edition of the NBA’s most competitive division, where the Mavs still rule the roost. Just how competitive is this division? Going into this weekend, the Southwest Division is the only one in which each team has reached double-digits in victories (each team has at least 11) and has seen each team play at least .500 ball for their past 10 games.
Standings
Dallas 19-8 (5-2)
Houston 15-11 (4-3)
San Antonio 13-10 (4-3)
New Orleans 12-13 (4-2)
Memphis 11-15 (3-3)
OOPS! The worst case scenario for the Cowboys is in full effect as Dallas fell to the Giants 31-24 at the Meadowlands Sunday evening. Along with that, the Eagles won Sunday, which puts them in a tie for first in the NFC East with the Cowboys with the Giants a game behind and holding the tie-breaker with the Cowboys. There are several area to look at in this loss and the ground game is one of them, as the “Monster” finished with 23 carries for 45 yards and 6 receptions for 20 yards. I think its safe to say you’re not gonna win many games averaging less than 2 yards a carry.
Not much change in the standings as the Mavs continue to lead the division while the Rockets overtook the Spurs for 2nd place.
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WOW! For one week at least, the Monster got its groove back, finishing with 24 carries for 194 yards and one touchdown to go along with 4 receptions for 42 yards in the Cowboys’ 24-7 Thanksgiving Day thumping of the Oakland Raiders. The Monster was responsible for two of the biggest plays of the game and and had a much bigger impact on this game than in previous weeks.
Not much change in the standings as the Mavs continue to lead the division while the Spurs overtook the Rockets for 2nd place.
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We got our wish this week as extra emphasis was placed on the run game against the Redskins. What did we get for having our wish fulfilled? A lot of yards on the ground (149 total) but not much scoring. In fact, the once-vaunted Cowboys offense was once again held to a single touchdown on the day. Thankfully, Washington’s offense has been pathetic all year and that continued in a 7-6 Cowboys victory at the Death Star Sunday afternoon.
In this space each week will be a report on the goings on in the NBA’s Southwest Division.
Standings W-L
Dallas 10-3
Houston 7-6
San Antonio 4-6
New Orleans 5-8
Memphis 4-8