Ripping Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott became a trendy thing to do in recent years – their inability to win big games in Dallas the focal point of it all.

The reality is McCarthy was always a better coach than given credit for by the social-media football cult. That’s showing up in a big way as he now calls plays for the 10-3 Cowboys, who are tied for the NFC East lead. The Cowboys beat up the Eagles, 33-13, on Sunday night in a game that saw them finally defeat a team with a winning record, proving many of the skeptics wrong and putting a lot of fan fears to rest.

McCarthy coached days after having an appendectomy, which shows his passion and toughness, the latter something most don’t know about him. But the biggest change about the Cowboys offense this season isn’t McCarthy’s play calling, but rather the guy who is making it all work.

Prescott has been sensational, and might end up being the league MVP. He leads the NFL with 28 touchdown passes and has thrown 23 and just two picks since the Cowboys were blown out by the 49ers on Oct. 8. Dallas has won seven of eight in that span, and maybe it should have been eight of eight were it not for a few late-game mishaps in the loss to the Eagles in early November.

When McCarthy took over as the play-caller this year, there was a lot of thinking that he would lead more of a run-heavy offense. When I talked to McCarthy about that at the league meetings last March, he flat out said that wasn’t going to be the case and laughed about it. Anybody who has followed McCarthy’s history knows that wouldn’t be his style, yet the narrative went viral. We now know any idea of the Cowboys being a run-heavy team has long been ditched.

Early this season, the offense indeed looked disjointed. But then things changed. Prescott got into a zone as the line got healthy and receiver CeeDee Lamb emerged as a true star outside. The Cowboys are flying high as an offense right now. It all seems to be clicking.That blowout of the Eagles has Dallas up to No. 2 in my Power Rankings this week as it heads into a big game against the Buffalo Bills on the road.

With an offense that can score and a pass rush that can make life hell for opposing quarterbacks when playing with the lead, the Cowboys are sitting pretty in terms of making a real Super Bowl push.

The Cowboys still need the Eagles to lose at least one more to have a chance to win the division. But even if they are forced to go out on the road in the playoffs, they will be a team to watch as Prescott has more than shown this season that he is playing at an elite level.

McCarthy and Prescott are proving the doubters wrong. Of course when it comes to the Cowboys, none of this will matter if they lose in the playoffs. That’s part of being the Dallas Cowboys.