The Dallas Cowboys have had their fair share of playoff appearances over the last decade.
They have made the postseason four times and won two out of six games.
Last season, they enjoyed home-field advantage during the Wild Card Round after winning the NFC East.
However, the San Francisco 49ers had other plans and made the Cowboys one-and-done again.
It’s not the kind of fate they envisioned, especially because they haven’t made it to the NFC Championship Game since 1995 when they won Super Bowl XXX.
Fast forward to 2022 and they have started their preseason with 17 penalties against the Denver Broncos.
That result prompted Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Cowboy Michael Irvin to call out the squad in hopes of playing more disciplined football.
Michael Irvin on @FirstTake: “If the Dallas Cowboys clean up these penalties, they will be chasing the (undefeated) 1972 Miami Dolphins. When you got the No. 1 offense, clean up these penalties, they will be chasing the 1972 Dolphins. Did I say something crazy?”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 15, 2022
The Athletic’s Jon Machota tweeted, “Michael Irvin on @FirstTake: ‘If the Dallas Cowboys clean up these penalties, they will be chasing the (undefeated) 1972 Miami Dolphins. When you got the No. 1 offense, clean up these penalties, they will be chasing the 1972 Dolphins. Did I say something crazy?’”
The Cowboys do have the capability to turn their game up a notch and stay toe-to-toe with the best.
Sadly, they always shoot themselves in the foot by committing those infractions.
Cowboys Should Clean Up Their Game
Their 17 penalties against the Broncos aren’t an anomaly because they led the league in that category last season.
In 2021, the Cowboys received the most flags with 168, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders with 149.
It’s hard to expect success if they are not playing efficiently.
Therefore, Irvin’s statement has some ring of truth to it.
But chasing the 1972 Miami Dolphins is an entirely different discourse that could last for hours.