A lot of things happened today that didn’t matter; it’s always the conundrum of the end of the season. Some teams need to play, some teams need to rest, and some teams (see the 2007 Patriots/Giants game) don’t need to play but do anyway. It leads to a lot of weird wins that don’t actually show who is good and who is not. And it always leads to at least a little bit of controversy: this year, that was the Colts throwing away their chance at history and benching Manning (who, by sitting, showed how much he deserved the MVP; the Colts were worthless without him).
So there are quite a few games that didn’t matter, that I’m going to skip. I mean, there were some feel-good wins like the Browns, and congrats to them. There were some pathetic losses, like the Broncos, who have now failed to show up for their season finale two years in a row. But neither matter when all is said and done. The playoffs are almost upon us. All the riffraff is gone, all the losers are gone, and we can forget them until Draft Day.
So, for the things that mattered: the Cowboys won, and convincingly, against their bitter divisional rivals, the Eagles. This was a game that, I won’t lie, I though Philadelphia would take. I thought they had too much firepower and I wasn’t ready to believe that the Cowboys were ready to play despite beating New Orleans. But that’s the beauty of the NFL. The Cowboys were ready and they did come to play and they took one of the biggest games of the year, 24-0. And, maybe more importantly, it gave them that all-important momentum into the playoffs. The playoffs are about talent and coaching and match-ups, but they are almost equally as much about momentum. It’s the way Wild Card teams like the 2005 Steelers or the 1997 Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl. The Cowboys have it with the win, and they’re looking to do some damage for the first time since 1996.
What damage it would be - and what a rush for the state of Texas. It is a state that takes football seriously. They live it and breathe it right along with the dust from the deserts. It’s as much a part of the land and the culture as the coast and the rivers and the people. This year, especially, it’s big: Texas is also in the BCS National Championship game against Alabama. So football fever is in full swing and the Dallas Cowboys, having not won in so long (not having a playoff win since 1996 is just amazing when you think about it, especially for a club once known as America’s Team), are looking to take things to the next level. Wade Phillips, who is maybe saving his own neck, said: “This thing is just getting started!” It was an impassioned speech after an emotional game, and football fans all over Texas are hoping Wade is right. Hoping that, this time, the drought is really over.
Another game that may have mattered: the Vikings ran the Giants into the ground (the second week in a row for the Giants) 44-7. This isn’t so big because, let’s face it, the Giants have been awful. But the real stat that stands out is in the TD column for that ancient quarterback they have: Brett Favre. He threw four. And that was by the third quarter. Amid all the talk that Favre is too old, that he is slumping just like he has at the end of the last few years, he came out and had a great game. This not only gives the Vikings the same momentum that the Cowboys found (and that the Saints seem to have lost with wild abandon), but it also makes teams plan for the Vikings a bit differently. It makes sure that they have to take the passing game seriously and remember that the Vikings are a balanced team. It means that they will have to spend time preparing for the Favre who throws four touchdowns in three quarters, just to make sure he doesn’t beat them in the playoffs.
Will it pan out for both teams? Impossible to say. The Cowboys could fall apart: remember, they almost won that game before Romo’s infamous fumbled snap on a field goal. They’ve had bad luck and there’s no saying that will certainly change. And the Vikings may not really be a huge threat again: they may have won more on the ineptitude of the Giants than their own skill. Favre could throw three INTs in the first playoff game and send the whole things tumbling down in flames. But it certainly looks promising. It looks good. It looks, at least, like there is a very exciting playoff season coming up. It’s just around the corner and football fever is in every state, right along with Texas.
BYLINE:
Jonathan Schlosser is a writer and part-time library worker. He has published some short fiction and is working on finding a publisher for his novel. He has a B.A. in Writing, which means that, for a living, he is allowed to put away books at the library. He is also allowed to tell parents to tell their children to be quiet. He lives in Grand Rapids, MI. Email Jonathan at jonathan@zoiksonline.com.
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