November 21, 2011
The Cowboys spent much of last week trying to convince themselves the Redskins weren't as dreadful as they appeared on film. Well, it didn't work.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first half, but they should've put the Redskins away while they had a chance. Dallas won't apologize for Sunday's 27-24 win in overtime at FedEx Field, but there are valuable lessons to be learned.
First and foremost, this team isn't good enough to take anyone lightly the rest of the way. The Cowboys (6-4) are now tied with the New York Giants (6-4) for first place in the NFC East, although Dallas has the better division record. The Giants suffered an embarrassing home loss to the Vince Young-led Eagles, as they now prepare for games against the Saints and undefeated Packers.
The Cowboys should be 8-4 when they host the Giants on Dec. 11, but after Sunday's performance against the Redskins on Sunday, that doesn't look a sure thing. Dallas was bailed out Sunday by a quarterback who appears to have eyes in the back of his head.
Time and time again, Tony Romo spun away from Redskins defenders to make plays downfield. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has performed admirably for much of the season, but his awareness in the pocket isn't anywhere close to Romo's, as evidenced by his late fumble in Sunday's night's loss to the Eagles.
With the Cowboys trailing the Redskins, 17-10, Romo scrambled to his left on third-and-goal and fired a perfect pass to Laurent Robinson for a 7-yard touchdown.
And in the fourth quarter, Romo used his patented spin move to escape pressure and give tight end Jason Witten time to adjust his route on a 59-yard touchdown pass. It was another reminder that the Cowboys' best hope of making the playoffs rests on Romo's shoulders. The emergence of rookie running back DeMarco Murray has been a remarkable story, but he couldn't find any room against the Redskins' front seven Sunday.
You have to credit head coach Jason Garrett for continuing to run the ball in an attempt to keep the Redskins honest. And as crazy as it sounds, it was important to keep Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman off the field as much as possible.
It appeared early in Sunday's game that everything would be a struggle for the Redskins' offense. But a rare shank from Cowboys punter Mat McBriar (22 yards) set the Redskins up with great field position midway through the second quarter.
Grossman capped a short drive with a 4-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal that completely caught the Cowboys by surprise. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff appeared to be dropping back in coverage, which made the quarterback draw the perfect call. From that point on, Grossman was remarkably accurate in throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys didn't have an answer for veteran wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, who finished with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. He was the first opposing receiver to have a 100-yard game this season.
Outside of kicker Dan Bailey extending his impressive streak, the Cowboys' special teams were pitiful. When they weren't being penalized on returns, they were giving up huge chunks of yardage to Skins return specialist Brandon Banks. The former Kansas State player averaged 32 yards on his three punt returns. McBriar had to make a touchdown-saving tackle in the third quarter following Banks' 55-yard return. Redskins kicker Graham Gano ended up missing a 49-yard attempt that would've given his team a 20-10 lead.
The Cowboys will pretty much let anyone try their hand returning kicks (AOA?), so it's no surprise they don't get anything there. But they normally cover kicks a lot better than they did Sunday.
The bottom line was the Cowboys getting another win in November, but you can't gloss over the negatives. There's really no reason Grossman should light up your defense when he's not aided at all by a running game.
The Cowboys survived his onslaught Sunday, but they better address their issues in a hurry because Matt Moore and the Miami Dolphins are headed to town Thursday.
And if you thought Grossman was impressive, take a peek at what Moore, a former Cowboys, has done the past three games. Seriously.
The Cowboys spent much of last week trying to convince themselves the Redskins weren't as dreadful as they appeared on film. Well, it didn't work.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first half, but they should've put the Redskins away while they had a chance. Dallas won't apologize for Sunday's 27-24 win in overtime at FedEx Field, but there are valuable lessons to be learned.
First and foremost, this team isn't good enough to take anyone lightly the rest of the way. The Cowboys (6-4) are now tied with the New York Giants (6-4) for first place in the NFC East, although Dallas has the better division record. The Giants suffered an embarrassing home loss to the Vince Young-led Eagles, as they now prepare for games against the Saints and undefeated Packers.
The Cowboys should be 8-4 when they host the Giants on Dec. 11, but after Sunday's performance against the Redskins on Sunday, that doesn't look a sure thing. Dallas was bailed out Sunday by a quarterback who appears to have eyes in the back of his head.
Time and time again, Tony Romo spun away from Redskins defenders to make plays downfield. Giants quarterback Eli Manning has performed admirably for much of the season, but his awareness in the pocket isn't anywhere close to Romo's, as evidenced by his late fumble in Sunday's night's loss to the Eagles.
With the Cowboys trailing the Redskins, 17-10, Romo scrambled to his left on third-and-goal and fired a perfect pass to Laurent Robinson for a 7-yard touchdown.
And in the fourth quarter, Romo used his patented spin move to escape pressure and give tight end Jason Witten time to adjust his route on a 59-yard touchdown pass. It was another reminder that the Cowboys' best hope of making the playoffs rests on Romo's shoulders. The emergence of rookie running back DeMarco Murray has been a remarkable story, but he couldn't find any room against the Redskins' front seven Sunday.
You have to credit head coach Jason Garrett for continuing to run the ball in an attempt to keep the Redskins honest. And as crazy as it sounds, it was important to keep Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman off the field as much as possible.
It appeared early in Sunday's game that everything would be a struggle for the Redskins' offense. But a rare shank from Cowboys punter Mat McBriar (22 yards) set the Redskins up with great field position midway through the second quarter.
Grossman capped a short drive with a 4-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal that completely caught the Cowboys by surprise. Nose tackle Jay Ratliff appeared to be dropping back in coverage, which made the quarterback draw the perfect call. From that point on, Grossman was remarkably accurate in throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys didn't have an answer for veteran wide receiver Jabar Gaffney, who finished with seven catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. He was the first opposing receiver to have a 100-yard game this season.
Outside of kicker Dan Bailey extending his impressive streak, the Cowboys' special teams were pitiful. When they weren't being penalized on returns, they were giving up huge chunks of yardage to Skins return specialist Brandon Banks. The former Kansas State player averaged 32 yards on his three punt returns. McBriar had to make a touchdown-saving tackle in the third quarter following Banks' 55-yard return. Redskins kicker Graham Gano ended up missing a 49-yard attempt that would've given his team a 20-10 lead.
The Cowboys will pretty much let anyone try their hand returning kicks (AOA?), so it's no surprise they don't get anything there. But they normally cover kicks a lot better than they did Sunday.
The bottom line was the Cowboys getting another win in November, but you can't gloss over the negatives. There's really no reason Grossman should light up your defense when he's not aided at all by a running game.
The Cowboys survived his onslaught Sunday, but they better address their issues in a hurry because Matt Moore and the Miami Dolphins are headed to town Thursday.
And if you thought Grossman was impressive, take a peek at what Moore, a former Cowboys, has done the past three games. Seriously.