Cowboys owner Jerry Jones initially called Sunday’s 51-48 loss to the Broncos a “moral victory.” His son, Stephen, has since said there are no moral victories.
Jerry has no opted for an alternative explanation.
“I want to say it a different way,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “The promise of things to come was brighter when that game was finished the other day than when it started. We see a lot coming together with our offense, with Tony [Romo]. . . . I think you can have ultimately a zero day, which a loss is, but by the same token have improved the promise ahead.”
The promise ahead is aided by the reality that no one defeat in the early months of a regular season can kill a team’s chances.
“We all want to not be good losers,” Jones said. “Once you have accepted that it could be OK to have a loss, once you’ve accepted that, something mentally -- something happens to your will. Well, that’s just not the way it is in the NFL. You’re going to have losses in the NFL. And you’re going to have setbacks in the NFL during the course. But because it is the NFL, it’s not like college football, where you can have one big loss or two big losses and your chances for the national championship are over. That’s not the way it is in the NFL. . . . Do .500 teams have a chance to get in the tournament and be world champions? Absolutely.”
He’s right. The Cowboys remain tied for first place in the NFC East, regardless of their record or the outcome of their most recent game. Playing the Broncos down to the wire gives the Cowboys extra confidence moving forward, especially since the Eagles and Giants were each blown out by Peyton Manning and company.
Sunday’s loss doesn’t matter if the Cowboys don’t win the division. If they do, the Denver game will help the Cowboys when the time comes to operate in a single-elimination setting.