The Season Ends on a Winning Note

It was an ugly game. The Eagles sat most of their key starters. And the defense still struggled to stop Kevin Kolb and his cast of backups. Stephen McGee was terrible until the Cowboys needed him the most. But in the end...a win is a win and I'll take it. How can you complain about a victory after the way this season has gone?

Demarcus Ware was clearly too good for the Eagles to block. Of course he was going against backups, but the three sacks he got in the game count just as much as the rest he got this season. He is the best player on what was a horrible defense. But at least the Cowboys know they have the best pass rusher in the NFL to rebuild the defense around.

Jason Witten came up with the big plays on the winning drive after being shut out up to that point. He ended the season with 94 catches and over 1000 yards. Great numbers under any circumstances but even better when you take into account that he played with three different quarterbacks this season.

Stephen McGee was awful. But you have to give him credit for making the big play in the big moment for the second week in a row. McGee was terrible against the blitz for the majority of the game but he at least scrambled well and didn't turn the ball over. And making the passes in the last two minutes count for a lot when you try to decide if he is worth keeping around long term.

Jason Garrett finished the season 5-3 as the interim head coach. And many reports have stated that he will be named the permanent head coach some time this week. He has earned the job with the way he pulled the team together after their 1-7 start. He didn't completely transform the team but he did start the process of getting back to fundamental football and the team is learning how to win again. Hopefully this win will help propel the Cowboys into the offseason.

I think it is pretty obvious that the defense needs a major overhaul. The offensive line will have to be addressed. David Buehler is going to be forced to win the kicking job this offseason now that Kris Brown is on the roster. Jerry Jones, the rest of the front office and the coaches will have their work cut out for them to get this team back to the playoffs next season.

But Jason Garrett has proven to us that there is still enough talent on this roster to win. With a second and then even a third string quarterback the Cowboys have battled and won a lot of games people picked them to lose during the second half of the season. With some roster improvements this offseason we should be expecting to see the Cowboys in the playoffs next year.