There is an old sports adage that says it is better to be lucky than good. Do you believe that this is true? Or is it really a mixture of both? In the 2018 National Football Season, several team used this theory to get where they are now that it is playoff time. The Kansas City Chiefs, though they hoped he would be good, did not know that Patrick Mahomes was going to be a bonafide superstar right out of the gates. They hoped, but they didn’t know. The Los Angeles Rams and their fans did not expect them to be one of the best teams in football, but here they are. It took luck and talent to get them where they are.
The team, in my opinion, that benefited from luck the most in the 2018 football season was the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys started badly, made a trade for Amari Cooper, and then went on a run where they went from laughing stock of the NFL to a playoff team. Did they know that Cooper was going to be the best thing that could happen to a team struggling to find a passing game? They did not, but they hoped that he would at least resurrect a passing game that had died. The first half of the season they were 3-5, and people were calling for the return of Tony Romo and Jason Garrett’s head. They averaged 320 total yards a game, and only 183 passing yards per game. They were also held under 100 yards rushing 4 times in the first eight games.
Fast forward to the second half of the season. The Cowboys picked up Cooper and now had a legitimate threat for the deep ball. The won seven of their last eight games. Their total yards per game in the second half of the season went up to over 370 yards per game, with the passing average now up to 254 yards per game, and they were now rushing for 116 yards per game, and they were held under 100 yards rushing just three times. Quite a difference. Did the talent improve that much in the second half of the season? I believe they were helped by players playing better as well as some serious luck. the Eagles were not the team everyone thought they would be. The Redskins lost their quarterback and were very bad. Their defense (especially Vander Esch) played out of their minds. The Saints game was the one game where talent won the day, but even there they had some luck.
The Cowboys will take all of the luck that was thrown their way in 2018. Their fans and their team hope that luck will continue though the playoffs. They play the Seahawks this coming Saturday, and the Cowboys are 2.5 point favorites as of the day I am writing this. The Cowboys are both good and lucky, but they would not be playing in the playoffs without the luck, and not many people can argue with that.
Agree? Disagree? I would love to hear from you. Is luck or talent more important? Let me know in the comment section down below or leave me a comment on Facebook or twitter. Thanks.