Well now it’s time to play for pride.
While the Los Angeles team is preparing for another postseason in the fight against the Broncos (12-2) for the division championship, those dressed in silver blue face elimination from the tournament in a decisive manner, where only a victory would leave the candle burning for another week.
This Justin Herbert team has won six of its last seven, where the defeat was a true ambush in Jacksonville (10-4) at the sound of 35-6 against a surprising Jaguar. Trevor Lawrence used a running game for 192 yards, while Herbert was held back with a poor 10-of-18 line for just 81 yards and one pass interception.
His own running game was forgettable, where Kimani Vidal had five carries for 13 yards, and now he has a total of 147 carries for 620 yards with three touchdowns per leg. In fact, the Charger quarterback himself has his own 69 carries for 419 yards and a touchdown on a personal play.
So for practical purposes it is for the Cowboys to say goodbye to the public in their own AT&T Stadium, leaving them two on the road against divisional rivals whose own elimination puts the end of the regular season in an almost preseason atmosphere, with nothing more involved than being able to say that one of the battles was won where there were more disappointments than celebrations.
The Cowboys remain the number one offense with 396.9 yards per game, rushing for 120.8 yards per game, 15th best in the league. When passing, they are still number one overall with 276.1 yards per game. The defense is 29th, allowing a total of 374.9 total yards per game; 18th in rushing at 120.1 yards per game and back in the 32nd in pass defense, allowing 254.8 yards per game.
For the pupils of the peppery Jim Harbaugh, they have the offense fifteenth in total yards with 337.9 per game, eleventh with the run, tabulating 123.4 average yards, and 19th in throwing the ball, 214.5 average yards. The powder blue defense is number two in the league, allowing 279.1 yards per game; eleven against the run with 104.7 yards and the third best against the passing attack, allowing 174.4 average yards.
The all-time mark is 8-5 in favor of the Cowboys, where the last one was 20-17 at their Sofi Stadium on October 16, 2023, thus achieving a streak of two consecutive victories.
But let’s go to the five keys to another meeting of the Cowboys against a rival from the Western Division of the American Conference (AFC), along with the loss against the Broncos, the victories against the Raiders (2-12) and the Chiefs (6-8), with the Chargers’ visit to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas remaining pending.
Key 1. Pride with intensity.
Two teams arrive on this Sunday from opposite directions. While the Chargers can secure their place in the big game with a victory, the Cowboys could be sent into the void with still two empty dates in between. In the rough sport of tackling, these types of games are played with the purpose not to prepare for the next game, but to sink the opponent, taking into account that they are two teams whose immediate futures will end with one sitting in their favorite chair. Even though there is nothing to brag about for Brian Schottenheimer’s disappointed team, what remains for them is to play knowing that closing the doors of the arena in Arlington would be less painful with a victory.
Key 2. Thinking about the future.
Even though these last three games seem inconsequential, the profile of each player continues to increase with each offensive or defensive series, with each play, with each opportunity to execute the task. The video keeps running and the Cowboys themselves know it, because after these next three weeks, each of the players will have to be accountable towards a 2026 season that will be here in a heartbeat, and their letter of introduction includes these last three games, where the sins in Chicago (10-4), against Arizona (3-11) and these last two against Detroit (8-6) and Minnesota (6-8) are being paid dearly.
Key 3. Let go of your arm.
Throughout the season, the executioner was the deplorable defense that week after week carried the slogan of simply not knowing who they were going to defend. Dak Prescott has personal numbers that are the envy of other quarterbacks in the league, and his comments after the loss at the hands of JJ McCarthy and company and his expected elimination focused on showing that they can win in this league. Beating the Chargers would put the visitors still waiting to advance to the postseason, another incentive for a Cowboys that has nowhere to go. With all this, we will surely see a cowboy offense eager to show that they can move the ball and enter the diagonals.
Key 4. There is gunpowder involved.
Taking into account his own current situation, Justin Herbert could be rubbing his hands against a Cowboy defense that suddenly lost the angel. The arrival of reinforcements and a streak of three victories did not have the continuity that seemed to suddenly appear only to fade again. Rookie Omarion Hampton’s running game with Kimani Vidal is sure to be an active part, but the question is how aggressive they will be in uncovering Keenan Allen, Ladd McConkey and tight end Oronde Gadsden II against the spaces that have been created week after week with this cowboy defense. On defense they have linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu with his twelve sacks, Odafe Owen, who will be dealing blows, and safety Derwin James Jr., who is the pearl of defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s defense.
Key 5. Well, let the party begin.
Last call for the Cowboy Nation, where the reaction of the respectable to the current situation of the team will be of special interest. Already the past, past; The only thing left is to arrive early and enjoy the show once again in the hope of pleasing a leading team. The Chargers are not a team that travels to their fans, like the Bears, Packers or the Chiefs themselves; So, instead of selling their season tickets at exorbitant prices, thus making a killing, here they are actually giving the tickets to those who normally would not go to a game under the current circumstances. The electricity that was felt in that game against the Commanders is not expected, but there is some intensity to get this donkey out of the ravine this week.
