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- 2018-2019
Regular Season: Sluggish Cowboys Awaken To Stop
Eagles From Stealing Their Bacon
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December 15, 2018 At 1:47 AM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
- After magically dispatching the Saints, “America’s Team” had won
four in a row, and there seemed plenty of areas in which the Dallas
Cowboys could still grow. For the second time in three weeks, Dallas
was hosting a bitter division rival. Neither the Cowboys nor the
visiting Philadelphia Eagles could afford to lose their (latest)
game of survival. The winner would command a key divisional
tiebreaker, and (barring a complete-and-sudden collapse over the
remaining three regular season games) the NFC East crown would be
there for the most earnest taker.
Philadelphia, nonetheless, had limped into AT&T Stadium as an
injured-but-perpetually-prideful mess. One would innocently think
this iteration of the Eagles (who were punished like a Pennsylvania
piñata 48-7 by the same Saints team successfully suppressed by the
Cowboys) would truly stink. Logic further dictated that Dallas could
dispatch the “Philly Pheasants” on comparatively better health
alone, but the Eagles raised a wounded wing in protest and squawked,
“Not so fast! Hold the phone!”
While the Cowboys would dominate time of possession (45:33 to
22:32), yardage gained (576 to 256), and first downs (32 to 16),
they alternatively cornered the market on penalties (11 to 5),
turnovers (3 to 1), and red zone deficiency (1-4 to 3-4). It was
that last critical detail (and failure to regularly make touchdown
monies inside the 20’s) that kept Dallas from definitively slamming
the door.
Significant scoring was not in the immediate offing but – after a
62-yard field goal to end the first half – about inconsistent
Cowboys’ kicker Brett Maher no one was scoffing.
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- After watching “Linehan’s Clan” generate yards but deliver a mere
6-0 halftime score, Cowboys Nation was preparing for another 30
minutes of defense galore. The third and fourth quarters, however,
revealed an Eagles team no longer interested in following their
“just quit already” orders.
“The Tortured Cowboys Fan” continues to side with the (small?)
contingent of prognosticators who have repeatedly warned of moment(s)
when “Marinelli’s Men” might just show a little slippage . . . and
make a desperate-yet-undermanned opponent suddenly look like they
have been eating their spinach. If, IF Linehan’s Clan could clean up
(most but not all of) their mistakes, actually create some (more)
breaks, and really heed the warning, the Cowboys would not have to
watch themselves (potentially) waste a golden opportunity and be in
mourning.
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- After spending the first 45 minutes throwing two (avoidable)
interceptions yet creating 212 reasonable yards (on 25-34 passing
attempts) with zero touchdown petards, Dak Prescott would
specifically and suddenly awaken in the fourth quarter, just in time
to prevent the Eagles from benefiting from a self-inflicted crime.
Prescott – primarily in partnership with Amari Cooper – broke out of
their scoring stupor. Dak inconceivably delivered no less than three
touchdowns on 243 MORE yards (on an incredible 17-20 ADDITIONAL
passing attempts) with a little over seven minutes remaining in
regulation and into overtime to the absolute delight of Cowboys
Nation.
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- While the Cowboys would finish off Philly with an anxiety-filled
29-23 win, their victory was not without collective bag of badly
executed and poorly officiated sin.
A Possibility Is Not Reality
If the officiating crew had viewed (or been able to view?) the
Eagles’ clear recovery of Jourdan Lewis' kickoff fumble on the very
first play of the game, would the final score have been the same? A
possibility.
If Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones had turned around before
Prescott’s first quarter pass hit him squarely in the back, would he
have had an easy pick-6 to get Philly on track? A possibility.
If Eagles' tight end Dallas Goedert had not been called for
offensive pass interference and had his long touchdown catch been
allowed to stand, would the game have gone as the Eagles had
planned? A possibility.
If Marinelli's Men had played better in the second half, would the
Eagles still have even been in a fourth quarter position to have the
last laugh? A possibility.
If the Eagles had not missed an extra point, would there have been a
new NFC East leader to anoint? A possibility.
If the Eagles’ secondary had paid closer attention (with over three
minutes to go in the fourth quarter) to Dak’s underthrown pass to
Amari Cooper (to which he easily adjusted like a touchdown trooper),
might Philly have become a party pooper? A possibility.
If Joe Looney had not twice snapped the football to Dak so
dangerously, would Prescott have been able to execute those plays
more easily? A possibility.
If Dak had not intermittently held onto the football so long, would
the Eagles' defensive front still have looked momentarily strong? A
possibility.
If Jason Garrett had not gone for it on fourth down in overtime,
would the Eagles still have still been in position to pull off the
ultimate win-stealing crime? A possibility.
If the Eagles had a healthier secondary, would Dak’s passing stats
have gone from potently positive to particularly scary? A
possibility.
If Amari Cooper (on the game-winning play) had mistakenly allowed
the defender to get further in front of his inside shoulder to make
it three Prescott interception tricks, would the defender have
collected a contest-concluding pick-6? A possibility.
The Dallas Cowboys – in theory – were expected to potentially take
the next step on the improvement ladder, rather than expose a
still-leaky kill instinct bladder. Dak’s sudden (and improbable?)
passing explosion did not (and does not) excuse the equally-sudden
(or expected) defensive implosion.
A possibility is not reality especially when dealing in abnormality.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
“Remember how the Eagles received ZERO penalties in the first game
of this season’s series?! Now, their constituents are roaring about
bad officiating!” you defiantly exclaim. Instead of habitually
looking for penalty markers, NFL teams – absolutely including the
Dallas Cowboys – should be doing all they can to regularly and
reliably extinguish the (growing) poor execution flame. Approach
evolved and problem (significantly) solved.
The Cowboys had a 400-yard passer, 200-yard receiver, and 100-yard
rusher in a single game for the first time in franchise history.
Zeke, in fact, had 192 total yards on 40 all-purpose touches and
pulled no punches.
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- The last collection of Cowboys to come close to
such a feat was in a 34-27 loss in 2010 to Tennessee when Tony Romo
threw for 406, Felix Jones ran for 109, and Miles Austin caught for
166.
The Tortured Cowboys Fan would not-so-gently (and once again) remind
Cowboys Nation that such an embarrassment of riches was amassed
against a pride-fueled but otherwise broken Eagles defense that only
an offseason of recovery and draft picks can fix.
“You can only play who is on your schedule when they are on your
schedule” you retort? And yet, teams should also have limited
excuses for flat performances against historically familiar,
physically inferior, and (perhaps not?) mentally weaker opponents so
eventual in this or any squad-based sport.
Zeke was penalized for “lowering the head to initiate contact” with
an oncoming defender who also appeared on his way to being a hardhat
offender. While Zeke felt the (understandable) need to protect
himself, The Tortured Cowboys Fan continues to (foolishly?) look
forward to a possible NFL future built on superior leverage
techniques, proper form wrap-up tackling, and, AND helmet-to-helmet
laziness that has found a permanent place on the shelf.
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- It was good to see (a clearly struggling yet mightily hustling) Tyron Smith back in the fold but – more than
anyone else in the organization – he will tell you this injury stuff
has gotten infuriatingly old. Wearing a knee brace on his
troublesome right elbow may have seemed rather bold until curious
minds discovered that large enough models simply are not yet sold.
Nonetheless, the Cowboys continue to have no choice but to monitor
Smith from play to play and practice to practice with “hopes and
prayers” that they can still manage his back condition (the
consistent source of his multi-boo-boo attrition) and avoid a
further offensive line mess.
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- While Zack Martin has been tough as nails in playing through
what has surely been significant (and reaggravated) knee pain, he
has (for at least one week) been kicked off the Cowboys' win streak
train. None other than Connor Williams will try to fill in without
being a highly-penalized villain. He subbed surprisingly well
against Philly’s Fletcher Cox, but he must prove to himself and the
team that he can stop being so criminally bad on certain blocks.
Xavier Su'a-Filo remains the extent of (currently) reliable depth at
guard, and if he should go down, Adam Redmond (Indy insight or not)
may just drown.
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- Dallas is the only NFL team in 2018 to have not allowed an opponent
to score more than 30 points in a single game. Marinelli’s Men have
also only allowed one touchdown on an opponent’s first possession,
which is the fewest in the NFL. Regardless of these fantastic facts,
seeing Dak and Co. continue to improve on their own early-game red
zone opportunities would be rather swell.
Will They Or Won’t They?
For the first time in weeks, the Dallas Cowboys are returning to
their road show act and – against the equally-hot Indianapolis Colts
– they will be challenged to keep their winning streak intact.
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- The Colts’ star quarterback (and candidate for both 2018 MVP and
“Comeback Player Of The Year”) Andrew Luck and Cowboys’ quarterback
Dak Prescott have one key similarity that could lead to a similar
injury history if not curbed habitually. While they have
collectively amassed humongous stacks of sacks, it is a trend (in
2018) that the fearlessly-mobile Luck has been better able to buck
(with improved decision-making and an offensive line that better
protects him from one too many a defensive truck).
With three games still to go before potential playoff teams can
officially enter the big show, Prescott has withstood a remarkable
sack attack of 48, second only to Houston’s Deshaun Watson’s 52 (who
– after the incredible beating he has taken this year – should have
already been through).
While Luck is holding steady with a sack total of 16, will the “Hot
Boyz” be able to cause and sustain enough of a pass-pressured scene
. . . or will vertical vectors to the speedy and sure-handed T.Y.
Hilton keep the Colts’ QB particularly clean?
Will the return of a (completely?) healthy Sean Lee be off-the-bench
fine after being out since week 9?
Will “Kris’s Kids” be able to smother the Colts’ passing attack,
making Indianapolis rue their offensive imbalance and the
significant ground game they lack? Will Anthony Brown (rather than
Byron Jones) be the key to preventing Hilton from enjoying (too)
much success downtown?
Will Matt Eberflus (former Rob Ryan devotee) have the Colts’ defense
ready to successfully demonstrate what the Cowboys might have had
instead of remaining with Marinelli . . . or will another steady
dose of Zeke with a potentially potent assist from Prescott (hitting
his peak?) perhaps turn another opposing defense into jelly?
Will Zeke be the only Cowboy holding the football too long as more
within the (increasingly depth-challenged) offensive line could go
wrong . . . or will Dak better utilize his mobility out of
(well-prepared) necessity and continue growing his aerial
partnership with Amari Cooper (AND Michael Gallup) at greater
velocity?
Will Dallas see an end to their current winning streak theme or will
a sixth straight victory be achieved by America’s Team?
We shall see. We always do.
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