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2020-2021 Regular Season: Cowboys Discover Just
Enough Gold To Force San Francisco To Fold And Hope To Edge The
Eagles Before Playoff Chances Go Cold
December 25,
2020 At 11:43 PM CST
By Eric M. Scharf-
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A week after telling
some Cincinnati cats to scat,
“America’s Team” welcomed the San Francisco 49ers to town (for a
contest that was decades-removed from when their ancestors were
routinely competing for NFC conference and Super Bowl crowns).
As has been the sad story for much of the year, both teams have been
brutally banged up and – with their available players – unable to
consistently get into a routinely-successful gear.
While myopic members of “Cowboys Nation” were incensed that GM
Jerry’s marketing mastery had seemingly failed for the second
consecutive week to fix the NFL’s (perceived) primetime leak, the
fact remained (and STILL remains) that – as much as international
NFL football fans still WANT to watch America’s Team – it must be
more dependably attached to a winning theme.
And if the Cleveland Browns and other significantly-improved 2020
teams should (seriously) nosedive, the league’s nationally-televised
vehicle could once again become the fashionable, sexy Cowboys’ to
(infrequently?) drive.
Nonetheless, the Dallas Cowboys had to focus ALL their energies on
their own mess, with a proud 49ers bunch to address.
Turnover Miners Once Again Headliners
The Cowboys and 49ers would respectively begin the latest battle in
their historic, memorable series with back-to-back, no-pulse, five
and three-yard “flurries.” Once it was the 49ers’ turn to punt, it
suddenly became time for the Cowboys’ special teams to hunt. Dallas
punter – none other than last name Niswander, first name Hunter –
let a 52-yarder set sail before 49ers kick returner Richie James
would fail. Dorance Armstrong brought the side-swiping GONG! The
ball popped free at about the San Francisco 23 and Dorance – in what
amounted to a strip-sack – would pounce and add the fumble recovery
to the Cowboys' recently, refreshingly growing stack.
Soon thereafter on 2nd-and-7 from just inside the 49ers' 20, Cowboys
quarterback Andy Dalton would hit a purposely-lingering Tony Pollard
on the right. The shifty running back would shake defensive back
Robert Sherman and slip a few other tackles to get within seven of
touchdown money, and that Marcus-Allen-like elusiveness would
foreshadow a later-game effort that nearly cemented the fight.
Moments later, Pollard – on a handoff from Dalton heading left with
tight end Sean McKeon handing the initial heft – would narrowly
break the plane to help Dallas avoid yet another
unfinished-touchdown-drive-to-start-the-game stain.
And – as delightful, new, defensive habits would have it – the
turnover-provoking Cowboys would be right back at it. The 49ers
delivered on another transgression on their very next offensive
possession. San Francisco quarterback Nick Mullens – on 3rd-and-8
from his own 26 – dropped back to pass while an edge-rushing
DeMarcus "Tank" Lawrence took offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey to
class. Tank had the reach to teach, and the next thing fans knew,
Mullens coughed up the ball, and a second-consecutive fumble
recovery by Dallas came true. Former 49er Aldon Smith would scoop
and – a few players later – Dalton (after a fake-pitch-right to
Pollard) would find wide receiver Michael Gallup in the back of the
end zone to score. It was 14-0 Dallas, but discerning members of
Cowboys Nation figured the 49ers would eventually attempt to close
their brain-bending barn door.
Following a long, sustained touchdown-scoring drive by the 49ers,
the Cowboys had a chance to (perhaps) go back up by 14, but San
Francisco’s defensive guru (and future head coach for a
particularly-needy franchise seeking the best-available guys)
Robert Saleh saw an
overpowering chance for which he was consistently, even criminally
keen. His aggressive five-man front easily-overwhelmed the Cowboys’
overachieving offensive line (for which there was no sixth man tight
end help and on which the 49ers would momentarily dine). Defensive
end Arik Armstead – on 3rd-and-6 from the 49er 21 – easily broke
through to sack Dalton, ensuring the promising touchdown opportunity
was reduced to field goal “fun.”
San Francisco’s offense would come back alive to contribute another
scoring drive – without the benefit of a single Dallas turnover gift
– leaving only a three-point halftime rift.
After the 49ers added a third quarter field goal to even the score –
and following a trade of punts along with an exchange of touchdowns
(with a hustling, tackle-breaking Dalton Schultz making scoring
sounds) – the over-under would be pushed some more. When the 49ers
got their next chance, they suffered another misstep in the
competitive dance and resumed being turnover clowns.
The 49ers were on their own 16 with 10:35 remaining in the game.
Mullens took the shotgun snap back to pass, looking for more first
down yardage to amass, "but, BUT" his eyes (locked onto tight end
Jordan Reed) deceived him, while Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson
suddenly relieved him. INTERCEPTION! Mullens' teammates then
"uttered some [School House Rock] interjections. Hey! That smarts!
Ouch! That hurts! Yow! That's not fair givin' a guy a shot [at an
interception] down there!"
For all that energy, the 49ers’ defense stiffened with the Cowboys
generating no greater than field goal synergy and yet, 27-24 was far
from the final score.
The 49ers – on 2nd-and-10 with just over eight minutes remaining –
were driven once more and figured to be gaining. Mullens – while
eyeing receiver Richie James – would loft one a little late and to
the left, NARROWLY avoiding ANOTHER Donovan Wilson theft. Mullens
would follow that up on the very next play with a deep right
sideline shot to talented rookie wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. A
perfectly-positioned Cowboys cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was NEARLY
all it took, but Aiyuk turned defender to keep Mullens from going on
a two-interception bender.
Cowboys Nation could smell that somethin' good was potentially
cookin', but Dallas still had to avoid getting’ caught lookin'. Two
of Kellen's cutesy plays later (an end-around to Amari Cooper and a
side-to-side trick from Dalton to Cedrick Wilson to Tony Pollard -
both of whom the 49ers collared) the Cowboys' lead was no safer.
"And then, AND THEN" – with less than three minutes remaining on
2nd-and-9 from their own 49 with San Francisco driving and their
multi-weapon attack reasonably thriving – Mullens took the snap from
center and into the defensive dragon he would once more enter. He
went back to pass and suffered an acute round of inaccuracy gas!
Throwing behind Aiyuk was all it took, with Cowboys cornerback
Anthony Brown picking him off to give the Dallas offense something
tastier with which to cook!
"And then, And Then, AND THEN" it happened! On 2nd-and-4 from the
San Francisco 40, Dalton would hand off to Tony Pollard, oh, Lordy,
LORDY! After spending part of the game using 11 carries to collect a
paltry 29 – and believing he might have been trapped in an old Paul
Masson commercial so inertial ("We will sell no wine before its
time.") – Pollard finally, FINALLY solved the ground game crime. He
took that handoff up the middle and suddenly cut to his right (with
nearby Dalton Schultz putting up a good blocking fight). Suddenly
surrounded by three – then FOUR – defenders, Pollard devastated them
all with the most beautiful of two-move-blenders. There was one
(more) cut to leave Richard Sherman turnin' and a dazzling,
Tony-Romo-esque head duck before accelerating like a twin-turbo
truck! Pollard quickly finished his end zone race with 49ers
defenders unable to keep pace. Suddenly, with 2:27 to go, it was a
34-24 show.
The 49ers – with time bleeding yet no sign of conceding – would come
up short on 3rd-and-10 "but, BUT" a roughing the pass call on Tank
"Mental Stank" Lawrence helped San Francisco make the first down
cut. They would make it all the way down to the Cowboys' 13 before
settling for a field goal with the remaining 40 seconds looking
extremely lean.
While 34-27 had not yet enough leaven, Dallas was seemingly prepared
for a clear-and-present onside kick (with special teams coordinator
John Fassel surely having reviewed with them every possible twisto-change-o
trick). The 49ers' Robbie Gould made his attempt but – even with
Cowboys coaches later insisting they told EVERYONE on their “good
hands” unit to secure the ball, stop, drop, and roll – CeeDee Lamb
believed he was exempt (having grabbed the squib without being glib
and easily reached the end zone after hitting a gaping special teams
hole).
And yet, AND YET, the fun was not entirely over. The 49ers would
trot out quarterback C.J. Beathard for their last possession for one
more scoring connection. On the last play of the day, Bobby
Beathard's grandson rolled right and released a hopeful Hail Mary
before the final gun. And – in an unintentional (?) effort to remind
how the Cowboys' secondary remains in a performance bind – 49ers
receiver Kendrick Bourne came down with the ball (appropriately a
49-yard touchdown haul).
The 41-33 Dallas victory was done but – if not for FOUR San
Francisco turnovers – a different team might have won.
Short Shots And Hot Spots
The last time the Cowboys delivered a kickoff score was in 2008.
Then-rookie running back Felix Jones ran one back for 98 yards
against the visiting Philadelphia Eagles, and it looked
equally-great.
While BOTH the Cowboys and 49ers entered the contest with enough
injured and walking wounded to keep them game-day-honest, the
momentarily-high-flying Dallas secondary remains an offseason target
for a significant makeover, as a San Francisco squad not forced to
play without stud tight end George Kittle and top wide receiver
Deebo Samuel (regardless of Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard) simply
would not have rolled over. Or had you neither seen nor heard?
All the still-understandable fixation on IF-rather-than-when Tank
Lawrence will again display his complete arsenal of (one-time?)
run-stopping AND sack-stacking skills – like the rest of the
Cowboys’ defensive line – has a direct correlation to the defensive
secondary’s intermittent success or continued ills (on which
resourceful opponents will always attempt to dine). That KEY
component traditionally feeds back into the linebackers and down
into the other (unless in the rare presence of a Deion Sanders or
Darren Woodson with which to relentlessly smother). While Tank’s
stats have not quite matched the financial impact of his 2019
blockbuster contract, the (artificially-slowed and) steady
development of “talented-but-troubled,” err,
“talented-but-tide-turning” (?) fifth-year defensive end Randy
Gregory (Tank’s edge-rushing brother) has helped stem the
unrelenting frenzy over whether Lawrence will ever fully recover.
Gregory has been increasingly chasing and encasing both quarterbacks
and running backs (ensuring they struggle a bit more than usual
against Dallas to get on track).
While Tank and Randy could – perhaps – become Dallas’ desired
defensive line dandy, as originally dreamt (and though Dallas'
mid-range attackers continue to be comprised of semi-healthy
linebackers), members of the Cowboys’ secondary still face a
sobering reality from which only a productive 2021 draft day may,
MAY make them somewhat exempt. The Cowboys’ defensive backfield has
shown some improvement but – in the absence of such an advancement
against consistently good, playoff-contending teams – there is
currently little (outside a select few who have proven they know
what to do) to halt the expected offseason “roster movement.”
Misery Loves Injury
All the Cowboys – or ANY NFL team being strangled by 2020’s
mass-injury theme – can do is roll with the (gut) punches and
prepare the remainder of their roster to look more like competitive
gamers than check-cashing imposters. THAT is supposed to be THE
heavily-advertised key strength of head coach Mike McCarthy, and one
he must continue to employ until “That Washington Team” wins just
one more game . . . or the Cowboys discover (in winning out) that
they are, in fact, playoff worthy.
The overperforming Cowboys secondary continued functioning without
reserve cornerback Rashard Robinson (who was lost to a hand injury
bungle during last week’s visit to Cincinnati’s “Jungle”).
Star running back Ezekiel Elliott was forced to sit out with (as of
yet) little absolution of his nagging calf contusion, but he and
EVERYONE ELSE (from coaches to prognosticators to fans) know the
Dallas running game is better with a healthy Zeke AND Pollard in the
Cowboys’ plans. Minus that reasonable health, however and again, an
overachieving offensive line WILL get exposed (more often than not
against a contending team so increasingly hot) without its long-lost
(Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and La’el Collins for the season) talent
wealth. Even with the potential of Zeke’s return (of which everyone
will soon learn), McCarthy’s and Moore’s collective willingness (?)
to give Pollard more receiving opportunities out in space may yet
help Dallas in what is now a two-game, season-ending (or
continuing?) race.
Star linebacker Leighton Vander Esch – with whom long-time veteran
Sean Lee is seemingly sharing a growing injury history – will be out
for at least the next week after a play (against the 49ers) where he
was rolled up on, resulting in a “bend but don’t break” ankle tweak.
Defensive tackle Antwaun Woods also sustained an injury to his
cankle, err, ankle against the 49ers. That momentarily (?) means
more (precious chances) in store for journeyman Justin Hamilton
promising rookie Neville Gallimore.
Safety Xavier “Not Out Of The” Woods will be out for at least the
next week after injuring his ribs against the 49ers (reducing him to
another of the Cowboys encouraging, applauding sideliners).
Good Quote Or Garbage Bloat?
“Honestly, it all happened so fast. It was just a split-second
decision. You know, I heard it from the [coaching staff and]
defensive guys after, knowing I should have taken a knee. But it was
too open, know what I’m saying?” – Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
CeeDee Lamb (happily, sheepishly acknowledging what could have
occurred – during his late-game kickoff score – had he suffered a
mental turd and allowed the 49ers to re-open the game-winning door).
“I’ll tell you I was standing right there. It’s almost like you
can’t blame him. When he caught it on the high bounce, you could see
that he was going to go down. But he just saw this HUGE hole in
front of him, so it was more of a natural reaction." – Dallas
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy (being able to somewhat
uncomfortably laugh about Lamb's risky-yet-resoundingly-successful
scoring action).
Pro Bowl Ain’t Nothin’ But DULL
The last time America’s Team went without a single being selected to
the Pro Bowl was 1989 but – if you ask “The Tortured Cowboys Fan” –
that is just FINE. The Pro Bowl (the NFL’s once-a-year-version of
pro-wrestling’s Battle Royale escapist diversion) has always been a
fan attracting gimmick, but it has increasingly become an
unnecessary eyesore with so many voted-in stars (legitimately)
preferring to receive offseason healing assistance from their team’s
medic.
Long gone are the days of a cataclysmic Pro Bowl collision by former
Washington safety Sean “Meast” Taylor. Watching that poor
“pretzelized” Buffalo punter nearly caused fans everywhere to suffer
heart failure. The rules have significantly changed, leaving events
like the Pro Bowl practically pattycake estranged. Other pro sports
leagues – like the NBA, MLB, and MLS – are able to more seriously
pull off such a mixed-team game, as well as believable,
in-game-style skills competitions, without the result appearing so
comparatively lame.
“In 1989 we had about 12 Pro Bowlers but they weren’t Pro Bowlers
that year. They became Pro Bowlers & we won 3 championships.
Availability is a big deal.” – GM Jerry (confirming the reality that
2020 is not the year that Pro Bowl grease will reach the Cowboys’
squeaky, banged-up wheel).
“But, BUT, the fine folks over at Pro Football Focus said that Tank
Lawrence is the NFC’s highest-graded defensive end this season!” you
angrily profess (seeing the selections of Washington’s rookie Chase
Young and Philadelphia’s Brandon Graham as none-too-pleasin’).
Are the Pro Bowl voters (spilt three ways among myopic fans,
semi-objective coaches, and bonus-collecting players) zeroing in –
once again – on Tank’s lack of tall enough sack stack? Are at least
two of those voting groups judging Tank’s lack of QB-puncturing
pocket pressure impact against his MASSIVE 2019 contract? Have
yearly career totals of 0, 8, 1, 14.5, 10.5, 5, and currently 6
sacks come unfairly under attack?
The Tortured Cowboys Fan might otherwise bring up “That Other
DeMarcus,” who spent most of his Cowboys career routinely delivering
without a consistently healthy, talented, or perfect teammate
partnering. And “D-Ware” never received the same “fair market value”
that keeps Lawrence happily-counting (but that is another story for
any fan, prognosticator or – GASP – player focused more on money
over grid iron glory).
The Tortured Cowboys Fan will always, ALWAYS rather see the Cowboys’
top players snub the Pro Bowl, because of a playoff game in which
they have a collectively-significant participation role.
Will They Or Won't They?
The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in the highly-suggested but
not-entirely-believable position of potentially having survived
their season-long mental and physical attrition to complete the
first leg of their 2020 mission. It is frankly inconceivable
considering how often Dallas has – in part or in whole – played
pretty horrible.
America’s Team (somewhat-impressively) survived the 49ers only to
host a suddenly-surging Philadelphia Eagles team with a brand
spankin’ new quarterback now RUNNING head coach Doug Pederson’s
scheme. During their first encounter of the year, the Cowboys put
forth the necessary defensive effort to win, but Dallas having to
rely too heavily on super-green rookie quarterback Ben DeNucci
became a victory-denying sin.
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Will Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts be able continue sidestepping
the mental dents that took down Carson Wentz?
Will Hurts be able continue apply point-scoring pain or will Mike
Nolan’s improved-but-still-embattled defensive unit be the first
(GULP) to cause Jalen’s shorts to stain?
Will a Dalton-powered Dallas offense make any difference or will an
Eagles defense (that gave the New Orleans Saints’ offense the
business) just bring more QB dizziness?
Will a healthier (but not 100%) Zeke be able to help the Cowboys’
running game build a greater peak, or will his and Pollard’s
(rushing) results be expectedly weak?
Will the Dallas Cowboys end the day one step closer to (laughably)
winning the NFC East, or will a victory by That Washington Team
ensure the Cowboys’ 2021 NFL Draft planning has officially and
unabashedly increased?
We shall see. We always do.
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