Eight, Eight, and One: The Most Cowboys Ending Possible | Just Wondering with Norm Hitzges

It’s the day after Christmas, and while the wrapping paper is still on the floor, Norm is already wondering about the one gift Cowboys fans didn’t ask for: finishing the season 8-8-1.
After questioning why the NFL insists on hijacking Christmas Day (nothing says “holiday spirit” like wall-to-wall broadcasts), Norm dives into a Cowboys win that somehow felt like every other Cowboys game. A fast start, long scoring droughts, penalty problems, defensive issues, and just enough competence to keep everyone arguing about whether this team is “close.”
Dallas beats a battered Washington team, but not convincingly enough to feel good about it. Dak shines. The running game shows promise. Penalties pile up. The defense remains allergic to takeaways. And the big question lingers: if the offense is elite and the defense is awful… isn’t .500 exactly where you’d expect to land?
Norm breaks it all down with stats, context, and his usual brand of dry realism—then wraps things up with the truth Cowboys fans may not want to hear, but probably already know.
Chapters
00:00:00 – Merry Christmas… Now About That 8-8-1 Record
00:01:24 – Can the NFL Leave Christmas Alone for One Day?
00:01:57 – A Familiar Cowboys Script (This Time With a Win)
00:02:32 – Fast Start, Then the Scoring Vanishes Again
00:03:47 – Dallas Finally Bows Its Neck Late
00:04:22 – Dominating the Stats, Confusing the Result
00:05:04 – Six Sacks, Eleven Penalties, and Self-Inflicted Wounds
00:06:27 – Takeaways? Still Missing in Action
00:07:08 – Dak Prescott Continues His Excellent Season
00:07:40 – Malik Davis Steps Up in the Run Game
00:08:11 – Young Defenders Show Flashes
00:08:36 – Free Agents, Futures, and Tough Decisions
00:09:15 – George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, and Offensive Reality
00:09:45 – Are the Cowboys Underachievers… or Exactly What They Are?
00:10:26 – A Quick Word From Our Sponsors
00:12:02 – Final Thoughts on a Perfectly Average Season
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