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- 2018-2019
Regular Season: Cowboys Make The Eagles Cluck And Next Head To
Atlanta Seeking More Feathers To Pluck
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November 18, 2018 At 1:03 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
- “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .”
“America’s Team” was – once again – on the brink of (complete)
irrelevance and in dire need of some game-winning elegance. The
Dallas Cowboys (at 3-5) were just trying to keep their faint playoff
hopes alive within their collision of a division. They had an
improbable chance to show a competitive stance within the NFC East
(undergoing its near-annual transition from beast to least).
While practically everyone expected Dallas to leave some serious
Sunday night stink at “The Linc,” anyone thinking otherwise (from
the morbidly myopic to those with slightly arguable logic) would
have been introduced to a shrink.
Sure, the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the seemingly
superiorly-planned and well-manned Philadelphia Eagles had been
displaying their warts (at 4-4), but they were still potent enough
to show Dallas the door. Sure, the Eagles had their injuries, but
the Cowboys had their own with double the number in the “ruled out”
zone. Sure, Doug Pederson and his staff were more creative and
proactive than (Jason) “Garrett’s Gang,” and to suggest otherwise
would trigger an uproarious laugh.
And just as a merciless cheese steak chop was expected to take hold,
the national television audience was treated to an entirely
different story than Las Vegas sports books had sold. The Cowboys
not only went toe to toe with their age-old foe, but they won in
convincing fashion while giving their opponent an intermittent
lashin’. The 27-20 final score required a total team effort, giving
Dallas an opportunity – with their sinking season suddenly saved –
to potentially achieve more.
Newly-acquired Amari Cooper (entering only his second Cowboys game)
was already having some of the immediate impact for which Cowboys
Nation had hoped in providing Dak Prescott with a wider set of
better-spaced options within his passing frame. Amari’s workmanlike
six catches for 75 yards were a relatively quiet night until you see
the projected effect his participation brings to the game day fight.
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- Cooper’s receiving presence is also positively impacting the
success of Ezekiel Elliott, and there is no short-selling it. Dak
can potentially elevate his passing results to 240-280 yards per
contest, as long as the Cowboys (can) continue to feed Zeke 25+
touches, whether as a receiver (for 36 yards and one touchdown) or
rushing (with 151 yards and another touchdown as a result of some
major mushing). The one remaining deficient area ironically involves
the very faint pulse of Dallas’ vertical airways, through which big,
deep, and accurate plays are still not gushing. Cooper – like
Michael Gallup and Cole Beasley – is ready and waiting for Prescott
to develop the confidence and overcome Dakuracy to do more than hit
the first read that goes hot.
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- Before fans can or should become too greedy at seeing the
Cowboys’ quarterback slowly steer back onto his 2016 track, Prescott
needs to reverse his trend of staring down (some of his) receivers
and hesitating on throws that (send wide open targets sailing out of
bounds or) nearly result in a pick six heart attack. He can CHOOSE
to hold the football less and even throw it away to avoid the minus
play (rather than allow a team like the Eagles to stack four
avoidable sacks). Dak may not (ever?) develop accurate and
consistent enough skills to regularly connect on downfield thrills,
but he can better prevent his mental errors from becoming untimely
terrors.
While “Marinelli’s Men” expected to have their hands full on all
fronts, they took (most of) the right steps to stop the Eagles’
multifaceted offense from playing them like mental runts. The “Hot
Boyz” had but half of their defensive line and – normally – that
would be a deficiency on which Carson Wentz would be expected to
dine.
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- While Dallas safety Jeff Heath got caught out of position on a
deep pass play to Eagle’s wide receiver Nelson Agholor, the Cowboys’
other starting safety Xavier made sure Philadelphia’s receivers
understood they were never quite out of the Woods.
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- The Dallas defense was able to defy their dangerously thin depth
by remaining end-to-end alert. They generated two sacks of their
own, and the already injury-affected Eagles really began to hurt.
After Philly running back Josh Adams’ 29-yard run, the Cowboys said
“ENOUGH!” preventing Philly from enjoying any further ground game
fun.
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- Philly’s own newly-added receiver (the ever-crafty Golden Tate)
had enjoyed regular success against Dallas and has been an opposing
player whom Cowboys Nation loves to hate. This time, however,
Golden’s aerial opportunities would barely get off the ground.
Leighton Vander Esch – with an early game interception – continues
to make the Cowboys’ brain trust look brilliant for fighting the
temptation of a first round wide receiver invention.
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- Again and again, as much as Dallas needed a new number one wide
receiver (prior to the procurement of Cooper), their dreadful
defensive depth prevented them from ever escaping yet another Sean
Lee injury. The Cowboys’ linebacking future looks unbelievably set
between Jaylon Smith and LVE, and if Jaylon also starts putting
himself in the right place at the right time with the right hands,
he and Leighton could spend the next several years putting
well-rounded dents into Carson Wentz.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
Just when Cowboys Nation thought Dallas was really, truly ready to
quit on Jason Garrett (after performing like a team that easily
frightens against the Tennessee Titans), they pushed back (hard)
against an early season vacation.
Defensive passing game coordinator Kris Richard is clearly his own
man and (from all accounts) he would be the first person to speak up
when play calls or player execution is not going according to plan.
Richard (perhaps in a calculated move to pump Dallas’ emotional
groove) led a minor pre-game scuffle between the two teams. The
Cowboys needed to get their minds right and Richard’s revival showed
they still had the nerve to continue to their 2018 fight.
The Cowboys pulled a rare special teams stunt (relatively deep in
their own territory) and successfully executed a fake punt. Jeff
Heath clearly ate his spinach, as he took the snap and forced his
way just far enough past the line of scrimmage.
Brett Maher – “he who was asked to replace Dan Bailey (who – for the
longest time – had been makin’ ‘em daily)” – is struggling. Until a
definitive reason is identified (like poor mechanics or a growing
case of the panics), it will be anyone’s guess as to what is causing
Maher’s execution juggling.
Connor Williams may be the future at left guard, but the more
filled-out fill-in Xavier Su’a-Filo played hard. The NFL journeyman
(demonstrated some solid blocks, especially against the Eagles’
Fletcher Cox) showed – for at least one game – it was not because of
their seemingly perpetual post-Leary problem at guard that the
Cowboys’ offense would have continued to be slowed.
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- Travis “Fredbeard” Frederick shared a wonderful update. He has
finally regained feeling in his hands, and that is absolutely great.
People (from prognosticators to fans) cannot underestimate how
devastating his condition is to both his professional and after
football plans. While “the pro football world” waits to see how long
it will be before Guillain-Barré syndrome sets his nervous system
reasonably free, he will continue to be valued as an assistant
offensive line coach beyond reproach. And – as (rare) luck would
have it – right guard Zack Martin was spared from joining the
walking wounded club after sustaining (and returning from) a knee
injury the trainers are going to have to seriously rub.
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- Yes, YES, the officials seemingly treated the Eagles like
royalty . . . allowing them to play through the entire game with not
a single, well-earned penalty. “Inconsistent” officiating can
certainly be performance-degrading, but whether or not “what goes
around, comes around,” the Cowboys can only try harder to ensure
their own execution is ever-more sound.
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- An abnormally healthy Atlanta has declared but one player (star
linebacker Deion Jones) out. Dallas has a much longer list of lame
unavailable for the game. Tavon Austin, Taco Charlton, David Irving,
and Sean Lee remain out with Daniel Ross joining the disabled fray .
. . and Antwaun Woods also potentially doubtful on the day). Connor
Williams, Maliek Collins, and (thankfully) Zack Martin are “only”
questionable . . . and that is far from objectionable. There is even
a sign of life from the foot of linebacker Joe Thomas and – for the
remainder of the season – that holds excellent promise.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The Eagles “merely” represented the first contest of an (extremely?)
unfavorable five-game make-or-break stretch that could trigger some
serious holiday cheer or make Cowboys Nation wretch.
Dallas next heads to the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta, Georgia to
face a Falcons team that (in the rather unclean 2017) helped kick
off the downward spiral of the Cowboys’ “consecutive postseasons”
theme. An improved but still (fatally?) flawed Dallas team returns
to the scene of the brutal crime to face an equally-inconsistent
Atlanta team still capable of dropping many a dime.
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- Will Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan and his three-headed
vertical game monster (of Julio Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Calvin
Ridley) make Marinelli’s Men resemble a defensive imposter?
Will “Kris’s Kids” – and particularly the safeties – be ready with
aggressive triangulation to avoid self-strangulation or will they be
made to look like johnny-come-latelies?
Will the (healthy contingent of the) Hot Boyz and their dynamic duo
of Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch bring enough heat and keep
it fresh for the second game in a row?
Will Linehan’s Clan show up reasonably prepared or revert to playing
scared? Will the presence of Zeke solve any residual fear of a
repeat of last year? Can they achieve greater success on first down
to prevent defenders from going to town?
With no Chaz Green to kick around and (for at least one more play,
series, quarter, or game) no undersized Connor Williams for
defenders to toss to the ground . . . will Atlanta still hound or
will Dak and Co. be able to let loose and severely pound?
We shall see. We always do.
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