There's no such thing as style points in the NFL, and the NFC East favorite Dallas Cowboys reaffirmed this notion in their 27-20 road win over the rival Washington Football Team last Sunday.
But the championship-deprived Cowboys haven't exactly resembled a true Super Bowl contender in recent weeks. They're lacking rhythm on offense, and the multifaceted struggles have hampered Dak Prescott, who's thrown four touchdowns and five picks since Week 11. They're missing firepower.
"The offense needs to get going, because the defense is actually starting to pick it up," JR said during the JR SportBrief show on Wednesday. "And even if the Cowboys pick it up, they're going to have to get back to where they were at the beginning of the season. Where they didn't just look like one of the best teams in the NFC -- they looked like one of the best teams in the NFL.
"They've got the Giants, Washington, Arizona, and Philly on deck. This is the time for the Cowboys to get hot. Because, ultimately, this might be the same-old Cowboys we see every year... Dak Prescott is the one who needs to turn it up. He's making $40 million. They go as he goes. I believe he deserves the money. Now it's time to earn every penny of it..."
Prescott, who signed a $160 million extension with Dallas back in March, isn't channeling MVP-caliber energy of late. He began the season on a torrid pace, with 16 touchdowns, four interceptions, and a 112.0 passer rating through six games. But Prescott strained his right calf entering the Week 7 bye, and in the team's six games since the injury, his passer rating has dropped down to 82.8, and his touchdown-to-interception ratio is an underwhelming 8-6.
Dallas (9-4), which owns a commanding three-game lead for first place in the NFC East, will visit the inferior New York Giants (4-9) on Sunday. According to FiveThirtyEight projections, the Cowboys currently have a 96-percent chance to win the division and a 5-percent chance to earn the NFC's first-round bye.
JR's complete thoughts on the Cowboys' playoff picture can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.