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2014-2015 Regular Season: Cowboys
Clip Philly's Feathers
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- December 16,
2014
At 11:08 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- “America’s Team” sent the Chicago
Bears further into hibernation to reclaim their gleam . . . and keep
their postseason drive alive.
While it was a great and timely victory, the Cowboys knew they would
have to bring even more to Philadelphia to prevent their playoff
dream from becoming history.
Dallas knew an “improbable” win at the Linc would be the only way to
truly remove their Thanksgiving Day stink.
The Eagles may have been coming off a loss of their own . . . but
they were ready to bare their talons, remind the Cowboys who was
boss, and give Cowboys Nation another late season reason to groan.
The Seattle Seahawks had conveniently established a blueprint for
how to clip Philly’s fast-break feathers . . . and it involved
nothing like whips, chains, or even racing leathers.
The Seahawks were in far better physical condition earlier in the
year when they lost to the Cowboys . . . and Seattle STILL handled
Philly. Dallas had a full week to study plenty of tape. Fashioning
any other approach would have made Cowboys Nation go ape . . . and –
with familiar results – Dallas would have looked extremely silly.
Would the Cowboys personnel be able to quell the Eagles with the
same Pacific Northwest spell?
Would America’s Team – unlike on Turkey Day – be able to find their
way and finally answer the bell?
Test In The Nest
The coin toss – for years – always seemed to land the way the Dallas
Cowboys wanted . . . and the same would have been preferable against
an Eagles offense so vaunted.
While the Eagles won the toss, the kickoff they immediately muffed,
and it was their loss – as the Cowboys ultimately ran it in from 1
yard out on the back of DeMarco Murray . . . their league-leading
ground game hoss.
The Eagles’ second official possession was a complete and utter
stall . . . and to the Cowboys 15 yard line would they punt the
ball. The Cowboys went the length of the field with barely a yield.
Tony Romo found Dez Bryant – who was all class – as he ate up the
Eagles’ Bradley Fletcher on a 4 yard touchdown pass. Dez threw up
the X and – having just finished a whopping 8-minute scoring drive –
the Cowboys seemed ready to shed their now-traditional late-season,
big game hex.
The Eagles were granted their third shot at jump-starting their high
octane offensive machine, but their production continued to be less
than zero . . . extra lean.
After getting the ball back with excellent field position – at their
own 43 – the Cowboys drove right back down the field . . . with
Fletcher being gobbled up on a 26 yard scoring pass from Romo to Dez
“The Touchdown Catcher”.
It was 21-0 – with the Cowboys running on all cylinders – and the
Eagles in search of a game-changing hero. And – right on cue –
Marinelli’s Men backed off every-so-slightly. The Eagles knew
exactly what to do – hitting turbo boost . . . and scrambling to
prevent their earlier effort from coming home to roost.
21-7 was the score, but Cowboys Nation hoped Dallas remained focused
instead of nodding towards a suddenly overconfident snore. The
Cowboys would gain little on either of their next two cracks . . .
while allowing the Eagles to three more points in-between for a
halftime mark of 21-10. The Cowboys seemed to understand if they
continued making Mark Sanchez miserable – with more long drives by
The Han Clan and steady swarms by Marinelli’s Men – they could stop
the Eagles dead in their tracks.
The Cowboys – to start the second half – knew they had to rebuild
their momentum, negate Philadelphia’s expected adjustments, and
prevent the City of Brotherly Hate from having the last laugh.
Cowboys Nation knew – all too well – even the best laid plans can go
to hell. The Cowboys – like clockwork – came out flat to begin the
third quarter with a quick three-and-out. Terrance “Fractured
Finger” Williams did not help – with a rare offensive pass
interference call – on his sideline pass route.
Philadelphia – on their next possession – went no-huddle in the hope
of getting their high-speed offense back on track, but big plays
they could not immediately stack. Marinellis’ Men bailed them out on
back to back third downs not once, but twice. Cowboys Nation – as
has occurred throughout the year – endured another S3 (Sensational
Secondary Sacrifice). It was not very nice, and the impact was
clear.
Barry Church could not keep his hands off Jeremy Maclin on the
initial third down. Brandon Carr – on the second one – whiffed on a
near-pick, allowing Maclin to take off for a 72 yard ramble . . .
with no one but J.J. Wilcox left for tacklin’ after Carr’s fruitless
gamble. The Eagles ran it in from the Dallas 1, and it appeared the
Cowboys were on the verge being done. 21-17 made the Dallas lead
pretty lean.
The Cowboys continued their “reversal of fortune” on their next
offensive series with a Romo sack-stripped fumble. The Eagles
recovered at the Dallas 14 and went in for a touchdown score.
Philadelphia assumed the lead at 24-21 and were looking for more.
Cowboys Nation was beginning to mumble.
Past Cowboys teams – of the 8-8 variety – would have succumbed to
high anxiety, but Dallas would not bow to their distinctive deity .
. . on this critical day. No way.
The Cowboys came alive on their next offensive drive – with a
quality mix of dazzle by Dez, wily by Witten, and muscle by Murray –
regaining the lead 28-24 in a hurry. Bryant nabbed a nifty 22 yard
pass – looking every bit one of the greats against the Eagles’
featherweights. Witten wormed his way to an 11 yard grab. Murray
took a stab – joining in the fun with a 21 yard run. Dez delivered
another 22 yards in the clutch and – from 2 yards out for the
go-ahead touchdown – Murray was not required to do too much.
Dallas was determined to retake command in Eagles Land and – on
Philly’s very next series – Marinelli’s Men offered a near-ideal
helping hand. The Eagles had progressed all of 3 yards – from their
own 24 – before discovering another comeback was no longer in the
cards. Wilcox arrived at the Eagles’ 42 and – instead of (typically)
blasting through . . . he bypassed his blunt intervention by
treating Sanchez to a more refined interception. The game was headed
back into proper (Cowboys) order to end the third quarter.
Romo and Co. made quick work of an Eagles defense that had gone into
full knee-jerk. Murray dashed for 14 more yards – mixing in a short
reception – and Bryant dashed for another 25-yard touchdown catch to
reinforce the devastation.
The Eagles would score only once more on a field goal that was too
little to close their deficit hole.
The Cowboys would dodge an ill-timed kickoff muff – with Dwayne
“Temporarily Lost His Brain” Harris smartly recovering rather than
looking to thoroughly embarrass . . . and being able to spare
themselves any more of that game-losing stuff.
Dallas would cause and recover another fumble – from the Eagles’
Brent Celek – leaving Philly feeling pretty humble. Wilcox was back
to bestowing the big knock – making Celek look like a relic – and
teammate Kyle Wilbur conveniently collected the rock.
Dan Bailey would add another successful field goal kick . . . and
Bruce Carter’s interception of Sanchez on Philly’s final offensive
series would do the trick. Romo would take a few knees (not in the
back) . . . and Cowboys Nation no longer had to talk to their
televisions saying “Please, PLEASE, PLEASE!”
Romo – the King of QBR – would end the contest with three more
touchdowns and zero interceptions. While Murray would come up a bit
short on his personal numbers, he ensured the rock was properly
hauled when – in critical situations – his name was called . . . and
– once again – avoided being labeled as “one of those fumblers”. Dez,
Witten, Beasley, and Williams had Philly’s secondary flying in
circles while delivering dynamite receptions.
Marinelli’s Men learned from their mistakes and played a rowdy
rooster to Philly’s hen. They kept LeSean “Shady” McCoy in check
enough to prevent Cowboys Nation from saying “OY!” They controlled
the line of scrimmage – sacking Sanchez an unreal four times –
showing that even an undermanned unit eats its spinach. They added
two more rare interceptions to complete their redemptions.
The Cowboys – at any time – could have made the same old mindless
mistakes and undergone another forgettable collapse . . . but they
remained refreshingly confident and never allowed their
concentration to lapse.
Not only did Dallas withstand and come back from 24 consecutive
Philly points . . . but the Cowboys also ruled time of possession by
an unbelievable 41:55 minutes to 18:05 minutes. The final score
masks how much the Cowboys actually ran the joint . . . no matter
how haters or prognosticators may attempt to spin it.
The Cowboys passed their test in the nest – beating the Eagles 38-27
in front of another national television crowd – showing everyone who
was the NFC East’s best . . . loud and proud.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The Cowboys (10-4) leave Philadelphia (9-5) victorious for their
next contest back home . . . even though they have been far more
successful when scheduled to roam.
Dallas controls their own destiny . . . for the fourth season in a
row. Will they stay home for the postseason or will they win the NFC
East crown and go?
If they win their last two regular season games – or if the Eagles
lose their next game to the Washington Redskins and the Cowboys beat
their next opponent – their failures of the past three seasons will
occupy a “slightly” less painful spot in NFL history.
The Indianapolis Colts are next on the agenda . . . with just as
many weapons as Dallas to make life tough on almost any defenda’.
Andrew Luck – unlike his contemporary, RGIII – remains a rapidly
rising star with years of potential untapped offensive pluck.
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- Indianapolis also just won the AFC South for the second straight
year, but they may not play all of their starters – or play with
absolute determination – due to injury fear . . . and the potential
for lingering problems which could cause an early postseason
elimination.
The Colts’ offensive line has been anything but fine. Then, again,
Indianapolis’ running game has spent so much time stuck in the muck,
they have found better results when pass protection breaks down and
leave the rushing yards up to Luck. Trent Richardson? The former
Cleveland Browns number one pick has rarely been able to run and –
for the Colts who (painfully) gave up a valuable pick for someone
they thought would do the trick – it has simply been no fun.
While T.Y. Hilton is suffering from a hamstring booboo, a familiar
face – in Hakeem Nicks – might still perform well enough in his
place to make Marinelli’s Men look like doo doo. Nicks has had his
own career-long issues staying healthy but – as a former member of
the New York Giants – he used to terrorize Dallas with untimely
defiance.
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- Reggie Wayne – Andrew's other "Lucky
Strike" – has been suffering through a torn triceps injury . . . but
– for the greater goal – continues to play through pain.
Prognosticators seem to think the Colts – even with certain star
players possibly missing in action – will be more than enough to put
the Cowboys in traction.
Will Dallas acquiesce or will they simply continue shocking the NFL
world and kick ass?
Will Romo’s back tighten up . . . or will he light the Colts up?
Will Jermey Parnell – once again – step in for not-so-footloose Doug
Free . . . and play his role to a T?
Will Marinelli’s Men be able to dine on the Colts’ porous offensive
line?
Will America’s Team – once again – become the “Beast of the NFC
East?”
We shall see. We always do.
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