A Must Win Game ...

... for Dallas.

I'm not quite ready to close the book on the Rams game yet, but 1) there are two Monday night games tonight and 2) I'm contributing to the FO game charting project this year, which means I definitely have to wait until the game sheets go out Tuesday if I want to avoid re-watching the game twice. 

Not that this one would get worse under repeat viewing.  But I do have other things to do.  Occasionally.

And since it's Dallas week, no one really cares if we start looking ahead anyway. 

The opening lines are out for next week's game.  At +7 for the Eagles, Vegas certainly seems to think highly of the Cowboys.  Or rather, Vegas seems to think that everyone else thinks rather highly of the Cowboys. 

I don't just think it's the professional money men either.  There's plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest the Cowboys' bandwagon hasn't been this full in a long, long time.  Just here on this blog, I might have gotten one comment from mouth-breathing, chest-beating Cowboys fans all last year.  Now it's running like one a day. 

The team itself also seems raaaaaaather confident as well.  (I covered this in detail a few weeks ago.  I'm not nauseating myself by doing it again.)  It's as if that whole organization, the local media ("Dallas Cowboys' greatest obstacles are history, high expectations"), its true fans, and all those wannabe front-runners across the nation believe Dallas' appearance in the NFC Championship Game is simply a matter of scheduling ("That third Sunday of January good for you?") rather that a goal to be achieved.

All of which makes next Monday's game very, very important for the Cowboys. 

After all, if the Eagles lose, what do we care?  It's a tough game against a divisional opponent on the road.  We may still be missing both starting wide receivers.  There are young players all over the lineup, many of whom won't be peaking for at least a couple more months.  Heck, the Eagles are supposed to lose this game.  As long as McNabb, Westbrook and Jack-- (ok, not quite yet) stay healthy, a loss in Dallas is in no way crushing.

But what if the Eagles don't lose?  What if the Cowboys go down in flames?  In their home opener.  On national television.  As prohibitive favorites.  Against a team that should only be getting better as the year goes on and -- unlike Dallas -- actually seems to know how to win in December and January (if not, perhaps, February).

Well folks, then you're going to see the Metroplex convulse in a massive avalanche of recriminations and finger-pointing.  Heck, if it's a really bad loss, we might even see the local economy dip a bit (watch for higher gas prices). 

That's when the Big D will make its triumphant 2008-2009 return.  Doubt.  Everyone in Dallas will feel it.  And -- having been there ourselves -- we know full well that it will take more than just a couple of months beating up on cupcakes to lock those bad boys away again.

After all, if you lose at home to the hated Philadelphia Eagles when they're not even at full strength, how's that playoff run gonna work out exactly?