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2017-2018 Regular Season: Dallas In The Big Apple
Drops A Late Game Hammer . . . And Heads To Oakland Hoping To Make
The Raiders Stammer
- December 13, 2017 At 7:14 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf
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- “The future's not set. There's no fate but what we make for
ourselves.” – actor Edward Furlong as John Connor in “Terminator 2.”
“The Tortured Cowboys Fan” finds this statement true . . . whether
regarding the still-postseason-possible Dallas Cowboys or the
besieged New York Giants with Eli Manning wondering what the heck to
do.
“America’s Team” entered MetLife Stadium with the faintest of shots
. . . towards finishing their regular season owning one of the
still-available NFC wild card playoff slots.
The Giants were practically missing the better half of their
offensive and defensive starters . . . but New York – earlier than
anyone could have imagined in their (now) dismal season – knew they
could still sign onto one o’ them season spoiling charters.
The Cowboys were 6-6 . . . and trying desperately – in the painful
absence of suspended star running back Ezekiel Elliott – to succeed
with greater roster participation and a wider range of play call and
play execution tricks. “Marinelli’s Men” were also without a few key
injured members . . . forcing the Cowboys to rebuild their defensive
fire with more youthful, rookie embers. The Cowboys might not have
had superior coaching, but their opponent had an inferior roster
which – on a potential Dallas two-game winning streak – would surely
keep the Giants from encroaching.
Following a (but not the only) missed field by both teams and two
makes that failed to elicit many fan screams, the game was a slog
through still-wet execution mortar. The Giants went up 10-3 deep in
the second quarter . . . and it seemed the game-winning chances of
the production-challenged Dallas were going out of order. Then –
with just under two minutes remaining and the Cowboys’ hurry up
offense suddenly gaining – Dak Prescott hit Dez Bryant on a short
pass on which he delivered a touchdown with 45 more YAC (Yards After
Catch) . . . preventing (many within) Cowboys Nation from
prematurely abandoning all hope and blowing the hatch.
Yet, with less than eight minutes left in their contest with Dallas,
the Giants seemed to have a good-if-not-great opportunity . . . to
show they could still overcome the label of “a mentally and
physically broken team that – with a roster of many an imposter –
caused the dismissal of their GM and head coach through mutiny.”
The score was 10-10, and Prescott connected on an intermediate pass
to “Lump Of” Cole Beasley who – through speedy separation left his
defender all wet, err, suffering from severe irrigation – and
delivered 54 yards rather easily. Then, Dak found Jason Witten – in
a (frustratingly) rare opening down the seam – for a 20-yard score
to put Dallas back up . . . “But WAIT!” the Cowboys said.
“There’s MORE!”
Dak – minutes later – would hit Rod “Brother Of The Other” Smith on
another short pass which he turned into an 81-yard score of his own,
running by New York defenders who could only groan and seemingly
wanted nothing to do with him. The Giants had exhausted their
emotional charge and had nothing left to keep the Cowboys’ 23-10
lead from getting too large.
A little over four minutes remained. Eli Manning through an
interception and looked rather pained . . . as the aerial
gift-grabber was none other than a healthy Sean Lee, having finely
overcome his hamstring so unreasonably strained. The Cowboys were
set up nicely just beyond the Giants’ red zone . . . with Rod Smith
– on a 15-yard run – eventually-and-once-more reaching the end zone.
The score was 30-10, and the fun appeared all done in the Giants’
den.
In the last minute-and-a-half (with the Giants at mid-field),
Manning threw another interception (to Jeff Heath) and gave Dallas
and Cowboys Nation the last laugh.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
Dak’s accuracy was pleasantly back on-point in helping the Cowboys
defeat the Giants in their own joint.
Going long to the always-demanding Dez Bryant – right in his
ball-dropping mitts – notwithstanding . . . it remains quite a leap to expect Dak to go deep. While no one can
fault Prescott for taking what defenses and – particularly – his
receivers give him . . . “everyone knows” having at least ONE
legitimate and reliable deep threat helps discourage a given defense
from wanting to tear the Cowboys’ running game limb from limb.
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- The absence of Brice (The) Butler (Did It) further impacts that
deep ball limitation . . . as the inability to stretch the field
could, may, might (also) contribute to the Cowboys going on a(n
earlier than desired) season-ending
vacation.
Still – if “five yards and a cloud of dust” allows Dak and Co. to do
what they must . . . the Cowboys’ offense is far from a
creatively-challenged bust.
While “The Great Wall Of Dallas” remains THE core roster component
that stirs Dallas’ drink . . . there remains another component that
– even when performing at less than 100% - helps keep the Cowboys
from leaving a stink. Where would America’s Team be without the
combined rushing-and-receiving output of Alfred “A-Train” Morris and
Rod Smith? They – albeit through inconsistent-yet-timely
spots over the past two games – have helped to temporarily dampen
(but not dismiss) the “No
Zeke? No Running Game” myth.
It is nice to see one of two former Seattle Seahawks running backs –
in Christine Michael (currently of the Indianapolis Colts) and Rod
Smith – having a significant impact on the Cowboys’ ground game
attack.
Cowboys Nation has been spoiled by Dan Bailey . . . who used to make
‘em daily. It certainly could have been the weather. He may have
returned from injury one game too prematurely. Either way,
“everyone” has faith he will eventually (and sooner than later) get
it together.
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- Orlando "Sore Back On The Rack" Scandrick, Justin "With A
Concussion Just Can't" Durant, and David "No QB To Maul In
Concussion Protocol" Irving will most-likely miss the Cowboys' next
game . . . and Dallas has to hope the remainder of Marinelli's Men –
especially their young-but-competitive secondary – can continue to keep opposing offense's in a no-big-play frame.
Will They Or Won’t They?
The Dallas Cowboys are 7-6 and still (barely) in the upcoming
season-ending NFC playoff mix. The Cowboys must, MUST win out and
reach 10-6 . . . but – without help from other teams – they will
have to put off (for another year) their unfulfilled playoff dreams.
Even reasonable fans would say, um, “Fiddlesticks!”
The capabilities of America’s Team (realistically) cannot
currently be
overestimated. Their remaining (spoiler-focused) opponents cannot be underestimated.
If “Garrett’s Gang” makes either mistake, they will leave
themselves and Cowboys Nation – for an entire offseason – feeling constipated.
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- The Cowboys are headed out west to face the
equally-talented-and-injury-challenged Oakland Raiders . . . and –
in entering the Raiders’ age-old pen with the perpetually
short-handed Marinelli’s Men – it remains no synch to completely
stop a misfiring Derek “Not David” Carr and Marshawn “Money” Lynch .
. . even without an ankle-injured Amari Cooper being a deep
threat party pooper.
With one game remaining before the return of Zeke, will Dallas once
more – within faint sight of the tournament entry door – be able to
do everything they can to avoid enough bad-play taters and fend off
the haters?
We shall see. We always do.
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