Hello! Greetings to all of the people whose minds we live in rent free.
For those of you unaware my name is RJ Ochoa and I am the Manager and Editor-in-Chief for SB Nation’s Dallas Cowboys website Blogging The Boys. From a TL;DR standpoint I am the BLG of BTB.
I recognize that it is strange to see my byline here across enemy lines, but we are trying something new and fun across SB Nation this week and this means that you will be hearing from me on your favorite place as the week unfolds. If there are any thoughts or specific questions you want to hear more expansion on in this capacity then either I or someone from the BTB staff will parachute in to handle it here.
As we begin our time together allow me to say offer what I believe to be the most common sentiment from Cowboys fans these days and ahead of this game that you all care about way more than we do (annually, not just in this moment… Brandon Graham wearing that silly hat was so embarrassing for you all). There are fans who feel different ways and I am certain that you can find one to prove your claim of “I saw Cowboys fans saying X!”, but again I believe this to be the disposition that most hold.
We are down bad. We are hopeful. But we are tired.
It is universally understood that the Eagles take NFL matters way more seriously than the Cowboys from a leadership standpoint. This may change in the future, but right now the proof is pretty obvious. I could go on and on about how the Cowboys delay things like contract extensions that serve only to hurt them in the long game, I could obviously reference the Micah Parsons trade, there are a number of examples that run counter to Howie Roseman’s “nothing is ever enough” mentality that we all respect (even if we hate the Eagles) so much.
The Cowboys trading for Quinnen Williams (and Logan Wilson, he gets lost in these discussions so I am trying to show him some love) definitely excited people, but more so with regards to 2026 and 2027. It isn’t out of the question to say that 3-5-1 (their record when they made the trade) was too deep of a hole to climb out of, but with a win on Monday night in Las Vegas they took the first step. We will certainly see there.
As noted 2026 and 2027 are where excitement lies as those years line up with the primes and majority of windows for players like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, the young offensive line, George Pickens (please), you get the picture. Nobody would turn down a playoff appearance or magical run if it came to be here in 2025, but we are all mostly understanding that this is too much of an ask.
It is a bummer how some Cowboys/Eagles games have been weighed down by this kind of energy in recent seasons (not to mention the injuries to starting quarterbacks on either side) because it is certainly true that it is more fun for us to hate one another and let those emotions fly during this specific week. The Eagles are reigning Super Bowl Champions though, I was unfortunately in the Superdome to watch it all unfold, and the Cowboys are only just now starting to put their franchise back together after the Green Bay Packers broke it in the 2023 Wild Card Round. Dallas has been a shell of any NFL franchise since then, largely due to willful negligence and sabotage, and that has placed a ceiling on how excited we can get for any game, if that makes sense.
Also I think you all recognize that Marshawn Kneeland’s death rocked the team and franchise as a whole and obviously the fanbase as well. There are no good or proper things to say in terms of segues. It was a tragedy that is still very fresh. This week’s game will be the first one at home that Dallas is playing since it happened and they have several tribute elements planned that I am sure the broadcast will cover.
I felt it necessary to start our experience together this week with this context and hope that it found you well. I’ll be checking the comments to interact with you all and as mentioned we’ll have some other things drop in from fellow BTBers as the week progresses.
Health, wealth, and happiness to you all. But pure and utter sports misery as well.
Dez Caught It.
[BLG Note: Here’s a link to my article on Blogging The Boys. Also, Dez Dropped It. And even if he didn’t, Aaron Rodgers was going to drive and beat the Cowboys anyway.]
For more Eagles-Cowboys conversation, check out the latest volume of The NFC East Mixtape (YouTube exclusive):
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