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2020-2021 Regular Season: Cowboys Capitalize On
Bengals' (Largely) Unforced Errors And Head To Frisco To Face
Age-Old Terrors
December 18,
2020 At 10:02 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
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“America’s Team” – following
two consecutive defeats in which they
wore less-than-60-minute-cleats – were entering “The Jungle.” The odds
were almost even that a victory – against the host Cincinnati
Bengals – the Dallas Cowboys might find a way to bungle.
This contest represented head coach Mike McCarthy’s latest shot to
coax more from an ever-changing set of available players who have
collectively and individually struggled a lot. McCarthy’s nom de
voyage – after all – is that of “Production Whisperer,” in his
mythical ability to generate output so unexpectedly tall from the
skill sets of second-and-third-string players so seemingly small.
YES, Yes, yes, 2020 – again and again, to practically every team in
the league – has been cursed with self-destructive mental and
physical fatigue. Still, STILL, the better and best coaches know you
have no choice but to (take what is available and) find your (most
competitive) voice.
A Dandy By Andy?
“But revenge should be a dish best served cold by Andy Dalton
against a team that did not do enough to keep his career as a
starting quarterback from double-faultin’!” you say (completely
ignoring – or surprisingly ignorant – of the fact that none other
than historically deliberate Bengals team owner Mike Brown bullishly
had Dalton’s back even during his worst moments on game day).
Dalton had his (imperfect) opportunity in Cincinnati, but helping
steer the Bengals to the postseason four consecutive times without a
playoff win – and with no further “tournament” appearances since
then – eventually (for almost, ALMOST everyone involved) becomes a
near-unrecoverable sin (the longer those higher-functioning hiccups
remain unsolved). Former Cincinnati head coach Marvin Lewis (of 16
years where he – in part – led the Dalton cheers) was shown the door
(for understandably not achieving more). Enter Marvin’s successor,
the youthful Zac Taylor (a bright offensive tailor). Just one year
later, quarterback Joe Burrow (the top pick in the 2020 NFL draft)
was the day-one starter around which a new plan Taylor could craft
(towards – one day – raising the organization from the NFL’s aft).
If the prohibitively-humble Dalton was going to make a dent, it was
probably going to come from a place of efficient productivity rather
than a particularly-angry bent.
How would the Cowboys survive a third straight week of their own
mistakes (against a Cincinnati team with even less to lose and
unwilling to offer any breaks)?
Fuel From The Unusual
The Dallas Cowboy defeated the (even more) self-destructive
Cincinnati Bengals 30-7, but the final score was decidedly not
determined by their offense forcibly turning the dial to eleven.
Neither Ezekiel Elliott nor Tony Pollard individually collected more
than 48 rushing yards or 11 yards in receptions. While Pollard
managed one short touchdown catch, the counter-productive culprits
(whether the Cowboys' underpowered offensive line or determined
Cincinnati defenders) ensured there would be no backfield
exceptions.
Although a small handful of key downfield catches were in the cards,
between the aerial weaponry of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Dalton
Schultz, and Michael Gallup, their individual results were led by no
greater than Cooper's four receptions for a paltry 51 yards.
Even with the Dallas defense showing inconsistent signs of
professional football life interspersed with game after game of
helpless Peewee League strife, they miraculously generated quite the
opportunistic thrill (even though they continue struggling to impose
their competitive will). The Bengals fumbled the ball away on each
of their first three offensive possessions (producing a hattrick of
ultimate pro sports transgressions).
On 1st-and-10 from his own 31 – and less than half-a-minute in –
Cincinnati would begin the first leg of their tremendous turnover
sin. Bengals quarterback Brandon "No Burrow" Allen took the shotgun
snap for a quick handoff to running back Giovani Bernard (who ran it
up the gut for but one yard). Before he could be tackled, he
reversed course, headed right, and from the football he was abruptly
divorced. Defensive end DeMarcus "Tank" Lawrence stripped Bernard
from behind, and cornerback Jourdan Lewis was so recovery-inclined.
Dallas was granted a fantastically-short field but – as has been
their frequent habit – they would unceremoniously yield. The
Bengals' defense would force a three-and-out, leaving the Cowboys to
settle for "another Greg Zuerlein field goal to start the scoring
(typical of the Cowboys' inconsistent red zone "success" since 2017
and so utterly boring).
When the Bengals got the ball back, they appeared to be headed down
their own point-scoring pretty productive track. "But THEN" – with
just over 6:30 remaining in the first quarter from the Cowboys' 21
on 2nd-and-4 – Trayveon Williams was the second Cincinnati running
back to allow the football to hit the floor. Defensive ends Aldon
Smith and Tank Lawrence simultaneously spotted the ball, but it was
Smith who quickly scooped it up for a 78-yard touchdown-scoring
haul. Following a Zuerlein extra point, the Cowboys were suddenly
leading 10-0 in the Bengals' joint.
The third time was (ano)the(r) charm on Cincinnati's next series
when – on 4th-and-1 from the Dallas 15 to start the second quarter –
protection of the football, once again, went out of order. Brandon
Allen – from under center – would hand off to wide receiver Alex
Erickson who took flight (heading in-motion from an odd
behind-the-line position to the right). The moment he crossed the
line of scrimmage, a quickly-closing safety Darian "Popeye" Thompson
had clearly eaten his spinach. Even though the collision was more
about the angle of contact than ANY hard-hitting juice, the football
was easily jarred loose. After (laughably) slipping through Leighton
Vander Esch's legs, Jaylon Smith jumped on it like a mother hen to
her eggs.
A little over eight minutes later – following a ground-and-air mix
of Zeke, Pollard, Cooper, Lamb, Gallup, and then back to Cooper –
there was, indeed, a sighting on offensively-powered touchdown
trooper. Dalton and Co. were finally, legitimately on the board.
From there on in, all but seven (of the Bengals' ONLY) points scored
would the Cowboys hoard.
“Wait. One. Darn. Minute. WHAT happened to the breathless, feverish,
week-in and week-out play-by-play to which you were treating us?!”
you reasonably demand (after noticing a distinct difference with
what may seem like a comparatively-short-changed muss).
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At least 1,000 words less will prove not as time-consuming to
address. And if you CHOOSE to remain under duress, then GAWD bless.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
Just five seconds into the game, the Cowboys were already lowering
their defensive aim. If not for Bengals wide receiver Tee "Not
Ochocinco" Higgins going on a 10-yard glide, the easy penalty would
have been accepted for defensive tackle Antwaun Woods jumping
offside (like Randy Gregory and Tank Lawrence have semi-regularly
done over the years to fan abhorrence).
YES, Yes, yes, it DOES, in fact, continue take but one (avoidable)
mental error to unleash an opponent’s competitive terror. Outside of
thrice a timely turnover, the Bengals were arguably but a handful of
first half red zone failures from potentially telling the Cowboys
defense to bend over.
YES, Yes, yes, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan would appear to have
made progress with his turnover-centric scheme, “but it was a
victory against Cincinnati (equally battered and even more routinely
performance tattered).”
“You better WAKE UP. The world [myopic fans] live in is just a
sugar-coated topping. There is ANOTHER WORLD beneath it. The REAL
world. And if you want to survive it, you better learn to [be more
of a performance STICKLER].” – Wesley Snipes in “Blade.”
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“DUDE! Whose side are you on anyway?!” you – once again – reasonably
convey. Some (but not all) members of “Cowboys Nation” still
understandably continue to fret over how high America’s Team should
be selecting their next potential superstar during the first round
of the NFL’s 2021 draft day. It is (in turn) the reasonable
expectation of “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” that those Cowboys players
lucky (?) and healthy enough to contribute to the remaining two
regular season game days will also continue (or start?) delivering
their level-best in competitive play.
While “injuries are just part of the game,” the Dallas Cowboys –
like so many other organizations which have pulled up 2020 lame –
have sustained too many just the same. “The Waste Not Want Not Gods”
have been practically BEGGING Mike McCarthy and his (current)
coaching staff to take every chance to develop and expand the
responsibilities of their available roster (to incrementally and
better protect the team from a future performance imposter). If
McCarthy and Co. TRULY believe they can still get in (the
tournament) if they win (the final two games of their regular season
while “That Washington Team” suffers consecutive weeks of mental
adjournment), then doing anything less than preparing for ALL hands
(to be) on deck would be the ultimate sin.
Good Quote Or Garbage Bloat?
“I don’t even think about it. I take it a day at a time.” –
Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan (in response to questions about his
job security and choosing – to his credit – not to participate in
perpetuating the rumor mill crime, no matter how very real the
worst-kept secret may prove in time).
“We are not out of it, and this win is definitely gonna’ help. We
definitely built some momentum today, and we just gotta’ keep this
momentum going and do what we can to win the rest of the games this
season.” – Running back Ezekiel Elliott (sounding like a competitor
eager to pull some 2021 draft position treason).
“These are the people I care about. These are my teammates. I know
what they’re physically capable of. These guys are serious about
their craft, and we’re gonna make things happen. I’m gonna leave you
with this, sh-t happens.” – Defensive end Aldon Smith (keepin’ it
real and skippin’ the pith).
"If you look at his track record and his pedigree, he's consistently
won year in and year out. We have the utmost confidence that this
ship is going to be righted quickly, and Mike [McCarthy]'s going to
be the leader of this group." – Executive VP Stephen Jones to 105.3
FM The Fan.
"Um. I see a lot of guys, um, out there not knowing where they need
to be. Um, they're playing very, very hard, but with the pandemic
hitting, um, there wasn't an identity that was built during the
offseason when a new coach comes in. That's when you run into
problems when you're going from a 4-3 defense to more like a hybrid
3-4 defense, and guys don't know where to fit, because they didn't
get that offseason of the OTAs or mini camps or training camps of
getting that feel of different plays of how things should happen.
And you see, like, a Jaylon Smith or a Leighton Vander Esch, they're
trying to pick up the pieces for guys for guys that it might be
their first game coming in, and they're supposed to be slanting
underneath, and all of a sudden, the B-gap is wide open, but my
responsibility is the A-gap, so I gotta' play the A-gap and the
B-gap, with a running back that can go either way. And guess what?
If I pick the B-gap, and he goes to A, and you're not there, it
looks like it’s my fault." – Former Cowboys defensive end /
linebacker DeMarcus Ware (tastefully and simply stating why – from
every direction – defensive coordinator Mike Nolan increasingly
receives a nasty stare).
Misery Loves Injury
Promising Cowboys rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs has been cleared to
return to mildly replenish a Dallas secondary that largely continues
to suffer from production and injury burn. The broken bone in his
foot (suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers) nearly caused his
season to go kaput.
Cornerbacks Saivion Smith and Deante Burton – both by a combination
of injury and COVID-19 positives forced onto the field – now find
themselves on season-ending injured reserve (due to a fractured hand
and shoulder injury) that has forced them to yield.
Zeke Elliott continues to struggle through his several-week-old calf
strain. While insists on playing through pain, his near-season-long
collection of sub-100-yard results only slow the Cowboys’ offensive
train (much like cute play-calls leave their own unproductive
stain). Zeke has routinely stated (since well-before signing his
huge deal) that WINNING – more than collecting or padding his stats
– retains maximum appeal. Clearing 1,000 rushing yards is a
contractually-incentivized goal for an otherwise horrible season but
(draft position preferences completely aside) hampering the offense
should not be within reason. The Cowboys (again) have had to FINALLY
exercise the demons on their roster this year and – until the final
whistle has blown on the 2020 season – they should feel encouraged
to allow further exorcism (of who can REALLY play and who happily
collects pay) to slide.
Will They Or Won't They?
The Dallas Cowboys play host to the San Francisco 49ers, but (more
than?) recent performances by America’s Team appear to have finally
forced the NFL to (temporarily?) view them as anything but primetime
headliners. The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants have been
rewarded the NFL’s Sunday night tilt, with the Cowboys and 49ers (or
more their fans) being made to feel the sniff, sob, unfair (?)
noontime jilt. “Misgivings about Thanksgiving could be next!” you
scream (while conspiratorially perplexed).
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Whereas myopic fans (rather than discerning diehards) are vexed that
the latest edition of such a historic rivalry has been flexed, that
is (unintentionally) one of the only ways to get GM Jerry to
reconsider his reluctance to let go of his 25-year preference of
style over substance.
Check that. GM Jerry DOES, in fact, want style AND substance – the
likes of which consistently belonged to Cowboys teams of decades
past. The “(recognize) me first” methods of “Ming The Merciless,”
err, GM Jerry towards recreating that magical mix of material and
mystique (meat and potatoes?) have thus-far not been built to
succeed or to last. “But, BUT” no need to digress, as there should
be plenty of offseason – save for a semi-shocking division-winning
reason – to pick apart the Cowboys’ 2020 mess.
Though no other NFL organization can match the Cowboys’ brand
majesty, there are a number of 2020 teams which – on performance
alone – deserve at least some of the Cowboys’ “practically-promised”
primetime pageantry. Will the NFL continue to throw other,
better-performing teams a nationally-televised bone until the
Cowboys (with but two contests remaining in 2020) raise their game?
Will two (momentarily-former?) bitter postseason enemies set their
(ridiculous list of) injuries aside and collide with pride? Or will
the NFL be proven right to expect the Cowboys’ and 49ers’ collective
quality to slide?
Will one team get closer to a higher draft pick while the other team
turns the competitive trick?
We shall see. We always do.
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