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2014-2015 Postseason: Dallas Wins As Tournament
Begins And Finding A Way Against Green Bay
- January 5,
2015
At 11:15 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- It was NFL Wild Card weekend . . .
and a highly anticipated Sunday night battle was right around the
bend.
“America’s Team” was playing host to the Detroit Lions at AT&T
Stadium . . . in front of another national television audience ready
to judge them. Dallas was determined to deliver their first home
playoff victory since 2009 for which Cowboys Nation had been
patiently awaiting . . . before their surprising window of
opportunity suffered any abating.
Dallas wanted very much to do it right, but “Jerry World” was the
home from which the Cowboys preferred to roam . . . as it had become
their kryptonite. They had to overcome another mental challenge –
from home crowds with no appreciable audible range – and they had to
lasso the Lions while avoiding their bite.
The pressure to produce a postseason positive was tremendous for
both previously underachieving squads. It was Deuces Wild because of
the unpredictable odds.
Would the Cowboys race out to a sizeable first half lead . . . only
to see Matthew Stafford and Calvin “Megatron” Johnson spend the
entire second half making Dallas bleed? “The Tortured Cowboys Fan”
did not plant the seed . . . as recent history – between these two
teams – is something Cowboys Nation still needed to heed.
Would the recently reinstated Ndamukong Stomp, err, Suh feel newly
empowered by his vexing vindication . . . to show his Lions
teammates how to chomp and what to do in sending the Cowboys packing
for a pre-mature vacation?
Would the contest boil down to which team wanted to protest their
late season and playoff reputation most . . . with the eventual
loser submitting to an inflexible ghost?
Would it be the visitor or the host . . . and would they be able to
stomach yet another angry fan roast?
Complete To Compete
The stage was set. Appetites were sopping wet, and Cowboys Nation
was hoping for a night they would not soon forget.
The game-to-game goal remained the same. Dallas had to play a 60-minute game to completion in order to best the competition. The
Cowboys had to play complete to compete.
“The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife” . . . with
millions of hands wringing over which team would finally end their
playoff strife.
It was like a scene out of that famous movie “Postseason Now”. Head
Coach Garrett knelt down on the locker room floor – surrounded by
his team – and said, “You smell that? You SMELL THAT? Postseason,
gentlemen. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the
smell of postseason in the evening.”
Garrett had a young team on his hands, but they made it this far and
were still breathing . . . but there was no time for tournament
teething. He expected his trackers to be ready for their latest
safari, surveying the landscape so Jerry World pretty, and dealing
with their feline foes nice and steady.
While the Dallas Cowboys won the flip of the coin – and chose to
receive – they began the game like a kick to the groin . . . again
and again and again and again, with no reprieve.
The Cowboys could not get anything going on their first FOUR
offensive drives – accumulating yardage of 2, 20, 18, and 31 – and
looking like they were already done. Dez Bryant – in nearly losing a
fumble – looked like he was ready to throw up more than the “X” . .
. making fans wonder if he was under a hex.
The Great Wall of Callahan looked weak and completely off plan. An
offensive line that “imposes its will” (like those from the most
recent Super Bowl years) . . . must be mentally tough, overcome its
fears and – if necessary – take its focus pill. While the Cowboys
(all of them) continued to take bad angles and misfire, the Lions
aimed higher.
Matthew Stafford found Golden Tate all alone in the Cowboys’ zone.
Tate nabbed his pass on a sleepy slant, gave the nearest defender a
look like “NO, YOU CAN’T,” and he rambled 51 yards for the score . .
. with a grin only his mother could adore. Revenge was promised by
Barry Church (for a three year old crack back – on Sean Lee – that
gave Cowboys Nation a heart attack) . . . but Tate was golden as he
left Marinelli’s Men in a lurch.
The Lions came right back – on their next possession – with a seven
minute dink, dunk, and run that junk obsession. Reggie Bush flew
around the left end – juking and jiving with Cowboys diving – and
scored from 18 yards out . . . causing the contingent of Detroit
fans to scream and shout. And there was Golden Tate – the player you
could live to hate – springing Bush by almost turning another
Cowboys defender into mush.
Cowboys Nation felt like THEY were the unintended targets of so many
hunting knives. Detroit meant business – stunting Tony Romo,
stuffing DeMarco Murray, and going up 14-0 in a big hurry. The Lions
were clawing the Cowboys – on offense and defense – with many a
furry flurry. The Motown Monsters felt pretty good about themselves
and were pawing, err, putting up plenty of high-fives.
Dallas finally got up the gumption to stop their own consumption
with a little over two minutes left in the second quarter. Romo –
from his 34 – finally found Terrance Williams on an intermediate
delayed slant that he turned into a 76-yard score . . . which began
the careful correction of their offensive disorder.
Detroit – with a little over a minute and a half remaining –
methodically drove from their own 20 to the Dallas 21, red zone to
red zone . . . but could not quite reach the end zone. The Lions
settled for a Matt Prater 39-yard field goal to reach halftime with
a score of 17-7 and leading. The Lions entered intermission feeling
pretty good . . . but they could not have understood or foreseen
their pending second half bleeding.
The second half was set to start . . . and the Lions were looking to
put the finishing touches on their first half work of art.
Dallas linebacker Kyle Wilber jumped to attention – to start the
third quarter – with an interception from a tipped pass by Jeremy
Mincey . . . who (with his teammates) was determined to not be
chintzy.
The Cowboys tried to get moving from the Detroit 24 to tighten the
score. DeMarco Murray rushed twice and reached the 10 and – then –
Romo took a sack at the 23 to push Dallas back. He would make the
same decision more than once on this day . . . rather than throw the
football away to save yardage for another play. They settled for a
41-yard field goal which – for Dan “Mr. Automatic” Bailey – was a
chip shot . . . but he missed wide right and looked not so hot.
The Lions came right back and added a field goal of their own for a
20-7 lead. While Marinelli’s Men continued struggling to stack stops
from 20 to 20, they seemed to be getting their act together when
gambling with their red zone money. Try as Detroit might, they would
spend the rest of the game unable to get that touchdown thing quite
right.
Dallas countered Detroit’s field goal with their own seven point
dice roll – making the score 20-14. The Cowboys’ pointed effort –
however – was made harder than it had to have been. A 43-yard pass
play from Romo to Bryant provided Murray a seven yard path to plow
for pay dirt – which was nullified by a holding call on Jason Witten
. . . that could have really hurt. Dez also got tagged with a
taunting penalty – to compound the situation – for shouting down the
Lions a plenty. Detroit stuck with the holding flag but – for Dallas
– it was only a temporary drag.
After the zebras walked off the yardage, Romo found Cole Beasley on
a 15-yard slant. The diminutive dynamo continued – in spot duty – to
surprise defenders . . . making them look like garbage and watching
them pant. Romo hit Witten for one, Murray – then – took it in, and
the scoring snafu was successfully undone. The contest was back to
20-14 . . . nice and clean.
The momentum began to shift as Marinelli’s Men held firm on
Detroit’s next possession – forcing the Lions to punt from deep in
their own territory . . . and back away from their yardage gulping
aggression. Heading into the game’s fourth stanza – however – there
was still the possibility of a scoring bonanza. Who would score
more?
The Cowboys started from their own 31 on their next offensive turn,
and they reached Detroit’s 33 before stalling. Detroit was called
for unnecessary roughness, and Dallas was allowed to continue
balling. Murray went for no gain at the Detroit 18, and Tony “Better
Safe Than Sorry” Romo took back to back sacks from Suh. What were
“Fred And The Blockheads” to do? Dallas ran Bailey back out for a 51-yard field goal to cut Detroit’s lead to 20-17 . . . with no
apparent stress or added lean. There was no evidence of mental burn
– from his previous miss . . . not even a singe. Bailey had already
proven automatic from ranges that make most other kickers cringe.
Detroit got the ball back with a little over 12 minutes left in the
fourth quarter . . . plenty of time to restore some Lions order.
This drive was critical towards eating up more clock but – almost
four minutes later – it all came crashing down on a failed third and
one . . . with a result that caused everyone in and out of the NFL
to talk.
Detroit tight end Brandon Pettigrew was running down and fading away
from the left seam . . . when it appeared to all the world that
rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens had completely blown it for his
team.
Hitchens – from almost every camera angle – was guilty of textbook
pass interference. A flag was thrown and there normally would have
been at least a 5 yard penalty and an automatic first down. And just
like that, Dez Bryant entered the field of play without his “hat” .
. . hoping – for his teammate – to go to bat.
Hitchens had his hands on Pettigrew, never looked back at the ball,
and it seemed to be the right call. If Dez had been called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as well . . . the Cowboys’
chances might have been shot to hell. After an extended discussion
amongst themselves, however, the referees – depending on your
perspective – suddenly suffered from a lack of adherence.
The flag was withdrawn, and the would-be penalty – including the one
for Dez illegally stepping on the lawn – was all gone. The zebras
explained that while Hitchens was face guarding – which is legal in
the NFL – there was no prohibitive contact . . . with Detroit’s
desperately desired penalty waving a fond farewell.
The end to end play – in less than a day – had finally been
diagnosed. While Hitchens did tug on Pettigrew’s jersey during the
initial chase, it was either simply missed . . . or considered
within five yards of the line of scrimmage and – without
acknowledgement – completely dismissed.
Pettigrew’s face mask of
Hitchens – however – seemed to count the most. When it was realized
that Hitchens could not have possibly faced the ball, because he
could not turn around . . . that detail tore the argument down to
the ground.
Regarding Dez entering the field without his fez, recently retired
NFL official Mike Carey clarified that the rule of no players being
allowed onto the field of play without wearing a helmet only applied
to those players who were on the field to begin with or who were
involved in the actual play. Thus, no penalty for Dez in this
situation or on that day.
Detroit was forced to punt, but their punter would tank – delivering
but a 10 yard shank . . . rather than a big booming kick on which
their defense could bank.
Dallas would regain possession on their own 41 and – with a little
more than eight minutes remaining – they hoped to grind a little
clock and get the job done. They made progress down to the Detroit
42 – with Murray delivering 17 yards of rushing and receiving burst
– but they were facing fourth down . . . and needed at least six
more yards to quench their drive-continuing thirst.
Garrett’s Gang could not take a chance that Detroit might be able to
run off too much clock and register another touchdown score . . .
forcing the Cowboys to overcome simply too much more. So – to a punt
he said NO and to Romo . . . he said to LET’S GO!
The play was called and Romo balled. He rolled a little to his
right, sidestepping a few paws with fatal claws, and found Jason
Witten on a sleepy curl route . . . to get ‘er done at the Detroit
21. The crowd – yes, the AT&T Stadium crowd – was flipping out . . .
with the Cowboys still needing to coax Detroit into throwing them a
bone on the way to the end zone.
Romo and Co. knew what to do and right on cue . . . the Lions were
penalized for defensive holding not once but twice – which was awful
nice. The Cowboys were reset at the Detroit 8 and in clear control
of their playoff fate.
Murray rumbled up the middle for five more yards – to the Detroit 3
– and it looked like the go-ahead touchdown was in the cards. Then,
Terrance Williams received a false start flag . . . and Cowboys
Nation nearly gagged. Romo – instead of looking like a Hell’s Angel
ready to strangle . . . it would be the Lions he would mangle.
Romo was all class as he connected with Terrance Williams – in the
back of the end zone – for the go-ahead touchdown pass. While Dez
was actually trailing (just a few feet away) – and it appeared
someone might have suffered a route runner’s failing – the result
was perfectly stout on this play.
While fans exploded, Dallas knew Matthew Stafford was itching to get
back on the field – still pissing vinegar about the Hitchens call .
. . and fully loaded. The Cowboys – for the first time all game –
were in the lead, 24-20. It was time to stop Detroit
once-and-for-all, and Marinelli’s Men had to really play ball. One
team was about to laugh or cry and wave goodbye . . . but few had a
clue or were brave enough to bet good money.
Detroit got the ball back with a little over two and half minutes
left in the game . . . and – on the visiting locker room wall was
Stafford dying to write his name. The Cowboys – however – were ready
with a different defensive flavor – unwilling to do Detroit any game
ending favor.
Detroit – starting from their 20 – went to Tate for a mere six yards
and hoping he could create. The linebacker-thin Cowboys temporarily
lost Bruce Carter to injury on the same play . . . and after losing
Rolando McClain (to concussive brain pain) in the first half – and
seeing Anthony Hitchens fight through a high ankle sprain – Rod
“Miracle Worker” Marinelli (through gritted teeth) just had to
laugh.
On the very next play, Anthony Spencer “For Hire” sacked Stafford
for a nine yard loss . . . causing him to fumble . . . and Cowboys
Nation screaming “WE FOUND A WAY!” Rookie defensive end DeMarcus
“Tank” Lawrence picked up the fumble and – instead of going down and
securing it like a veteran – he thought he would rumble . . . like a
young pup and inexplicably coughed it up. There was a mad scramble
and on the ball everyone would smother . . . with the Lions managing
to recover. “Tank” – in mere seconds – went from hero to goat as he
had drawn a poorly timed mental blank.
The two minute warning came and went – and having dodged a bullet –
Detroit understood they were on their last opportunity to make a
scoring dent . . . and they could not afford to screw with it.
Detroit made it down to the Dallas 42. Cowboys Nation could not look
. . . and – suddenly – the goat grabbed fate by the throat, giving
Stafford the defensive hook. “Tank” Lawrence had strip-sacked the
Lions’ QB and collected another fumble – and like an experienced
player, he dropped to the ground rather than try to rumble . . . not
risking another turnover-handling error.
A hero’s coat was draped over the goat . . . and a Leon Lett moment
– which had previously been far more than skirted – was thankfully
averted.
Romo took two kneel downs, the game was over . . . and – for Detroit
– it was another postgame press session with plenty of playoff
frowns.
While this win prevented vacation and gave Romo (some) playoff
vindication, the end game remains Super Bowl or bust for the entire
Cowboys organization.
It was appropriate seeing Leon Lett (one of Garrett’s former
teammates and defensive coaches) walking off the field with his arm
around Lawrence’s shoulder – probably telling him “Do as I say, not
as I do (being wiser and older)” . . . and discussing his future
defensive approaches.
More Story For Fleeting
Glory
Readers may be wondering why The Tortured Cowboys Fan has become
progressively more detailed or more play by play. The answer is
simple, and it arose on Thanksgiving Day.
The Dallas Cowboys have been locked onto a “Win Or Go Home” path. If
they did not or (now) do not continue to win, you do the math.
Every game is sacred
Every game is great
If a game is wasted
Fans get quite irate
Every game is needed
Every game can be good
If you deliver no precision
Fans will be in a bad mood
Thus, The Tortured Cowboys Fan has been providing more story for
fleeting glory.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The Dallas Cowboys are Super Bowl bound, err, winners of their first
playoff game since 2009. Against Detroit, they had a few nervous
fits and false starts, some officiating brain farts, but they
solidified their thinking parts . . . and ended up just fine.
Dallas heads to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers next
Sunday. It was 1995 when last the Cowboys played the Packers – at
famed Texas Stadium – on a postseason game day.
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- Dallas last won a road playoff game in 1992, and the Cowboys last
made it past the divisional round to play in the NFC Conference
Championship game in 1995. They won the Super Bowl that season, and
it was the last time fans witnessed Dallas really, truly thrive.
What is Cowboys Nation to do . . . but hope America’s Team can stay
alive and continue their playoff drive?
Fans and prognosticators began recalling the 1967 “Ice Bowl” (even
before Detroit was officially defeated) – between the Dallas Cowboys
and Green Bay Packers . . . hoping such a grippingly cold contest
could be repeated. The networks – in fact – were being overwhelmed
with “Ice Bowl II” concepts by their advertising backers.
Will the Green Bay cold dissuade Dallas from continuing to be bold .
. . or will the Cowboys get past their first half freeze up and
ensure the Packers get rolled?
Will the Packers put the Cowboys on ice . . . or will Dallas deliver
another road warrior victory so very nice?
Will “The Han Clan” show it can be more adroit . . . with lessons
learned against the defense of Detroit?
Will Tony “Risk-Free” Romo trust himself enough to throw the ball
away to save valuable yardage . . . or will he continue to reward
defensive linemen with sack freebee garbage?
Will DeMarco Murray – against a lesser defense – enjoy a big output
day . . . or will Dom Capers dial up nine in the box on every play?
Will Dez Bryant remain patient – under constant defensive attention
– while Terrance Williams continues his scoring laps . . . or will
“The Beast” force himself into a risky reinvention just to pick up
receiving scraps?
Will Marinelli’s Men be able to restrict a gimpy Aaron Rodgers to
the pocket . . . or will his accuracy allow him to shed being a
dodger and still rock it?
Will Ronald and Terrell McClain be able to manage their multi-part
pain . . . or – from participating on a defense that can afford no
further drain – will they be forced to abstain?
Will Anthony Hitchens – once again – be able to manage his high
ankle sprain . . . or will he finally succumb to the strain?
Will America’s Team continue their postseason dream by defeating the
Packers and making it to the NFC Conference Championship game . . .
or will Green Bay prevent Dallas from getting any closer to “Title
Town” fame?
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- Will Dallas find a way against Green
Bay?
We shall see. We always do.
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