NFC East Is For Losers: Cowboys Joined By Incompetence Across Division

One thing the Dallas Cowboys have struggled to do under head coach Brian Schottenheimer is string consecutive wins together. ... and to do so thanks to sound asset management.

The last time the Cowboys won back-to-back games was in Weeks 12 and 13 last season, beating the Philadelphia Eagles and then the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since then? It's been loss, win, loss, win. In fact, the three-week stretch where Dallas beat the Las Vegas Raiders, the Eagles, and the Chiefs is the only time in the Schottenheimer era that Dallas has strung consecutive wins together.

That isn't a sustainable way to live in the NFL.

It is, however, a sustainable way to survive after five weeks of NFC East play.

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Dallas, after a month of mind-cramp coaching decisions, is 2-3 - awful.

But the Eagles goofed in their bid to beat the Jags in London on Sunday thanks to the same sort of coaching malpractice - so they're 2-3 as well.

The Giants could've taken ownership of the division and moved to 4-1 on Sunday but they coughed up a chance for a game-winning field goal to settle for a tie - so they're 3-1-1.

And who did they tie? The hapless Commanders, who didn't realize that a kneel-down in OT against the Giants would've allowed for their own game-winning kick - so they're 1-3-1.

Add it up, and incredibly, all four NFC East teams played this weekend ... and they combined for zero wins!

The division remains there for the taking, but ...

Why can't the Cowboys win back-to-back games? That is one question we are all asking in the aftermath of the 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Is there a recipe for the Cowboys to find that winning form more consistently?

Our answer is for the coaching staff to manage its in-game assets on the same level of every 13-year-old kid who has mastered playing Madden.

Dak Prescott has his own answer.

"We've got to put them together, easier said than done, we've got to trust the work that we're putting in," Prescott said. "Then, more importantly, we've got to come out and just execute better.

"I think our plan, the way we practice, the way we approach things is the right way, is the correct way, we've just got to come out in the games and execute better and get it done, whatever it takes."

Now, as Dak says, easier said than done.

Against a winless Buccaneers team, with a rookie quarterback making his second start, many thought the Cowboys should take care of business and win back-to-back games for the first time.

But a horror show followed.

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Now, with a mini-bye to get their heads right and to make any adjustments needed before the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, the Cowboys will have to start that streak again.

But it's tough on the road against the Packers and then the Philadelphia Eagles, so if Dallas does get back-to-back wins, they've earned them.

Right now, all that is left to do is for Dallas to get back to the drawing board and use this mini-bye to improve in all areas of the team, in all three phases. ... including simple stuff like when to use timeouts, when to attempt kicks, when to go for it on fourth down, and the like.

The season isn't over, even if it does feel like it for Cowboys Nation right now. ... and the reason is that fans in the other NFC East cities feel the same as you do.