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And the fairy tale season continues. Tough, hard fought victory over a quality defensive team playing in their stadium. 11-1 is beyond unbelievable IMO. Never, ever even in my most homeristic optimism expected it or saw it coming. Almost all the cabal at DCU is going to hate it, but Jason Garrett is almost certainly going to win coach of the year and probably going to win in a landslide. Jones wins exec of Yr in 2014 and Garrett probably going to win coach of yr in 2016. The apocalypse is surely drawing near.
1) Obviously last night is the purest example there is of an "ugly win" The offense wasn't on. The team had fumbles (I think 4 on the ground). The team had a multitude of penalties (albeit some undeserved). But for the first time this year we won a game because of something other than the offense being outstanding, which is probably important in the grand scheme of things. There were a couple bad series defensively but for the most part they controlled the game, and Kyle Wilbur made the game changing ST play to get us a lead in the 4th qtr.
2) I do believe our team is tired and some of the problems from last night could quite possibly be attributed to that. 3 wins in 12 days is a tremendous accomplishment for any team, but especially a team like ours led by a rookie 4th rd pick at QB and pretty young group overall. This "mini bye" I think is going to do wonders for some of our guys and hopefully we see a more energized team that is back to its normal offensive efficiency at NYG. The NYG game is the game of the regular season IMO.
3) On defense, we forced a season high 7 punts last night. This is quite an accomplishment for this group (even if it was just the Vikes offense) as we've seen over the season that sometimes getting 3 or 4 punts forced is about as good as we do. A few times (2 or 3) we've forced only 1 punt in a game. I'm reasonably sure last nights 9 QB knockdowns were a season high too. Marinelli definitely seemed to call a more aggressive game (I read a blurb that said after he watched our tape again of the Washington game that he decided we were doing too much 3 man rush stuff and we still did it a few times last night, but nothing like last week or the previous few games)
4) Demarcus Lawrence came into the game unofficially with 11 QB pressures (credited from coaches). Last night ALONE he got 9 (NINE) He was pretty much unblockable wherever they lined him up. I think a 2 or 3 sack game for him is getting near and I wont be surprised if he ends the season with 5 or 6 or so. (And we NEED it). Maliek Collins had some more good rushes up the middle and got another sack and is proving to be really good draft pick. Anthony Hitchens had a potential DPOW type game if he could have kept that outstanding interception he had of Bradford (IMO, probably the best play on the ball our no play D has made all yr, and it was wasted). Hitchens was everywhere last night. Solid games for Damian Wilson, Byron Jones, Anthony Brown and Sean Lee too. We gave up a ton of short completions, but they averaged only 7.7 yds per reception and just 5.4 yds per attempt, both those numbers are outstanding.
5) All the above said, I still kinda get the 1991 Cowboys kinda vibe to how this season may end. We weren't 11-1 that yr (we were 7-5 after having just pulled the upset of Washington I think) but everyone could see the offense was building towards greatness with the QB, RB, WR, TE and OL we had in place. The season came to a screeching end in Detroit when we couldn't stop the pass or rush the passer (as had been the case all yr). That offseason Jimmy added Charles Haley & Thomas Everett via trades and Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson and Robert Jones via the draft. The defense went onto mammoth success and along with the offense produced one of the dominant seasons in team (if not league) history. I could see us taking a similar path this offseason, dedicating a ton of resources to mostly that side of the ball. As much as I want us to win it all this year, realistically we are probably a year away.
6) Elliott ended the night with 86 yds on 20 carries, but those were mostly hard yards against a good defense that loaded up bigtime to stop him. Unlike many of the teams we've played, they had enough speed to cut off some of those perimeter runs that have been so successful other games. Then they could run a couple blitzers into the interior to help bottle up inside runs and cover gaps. He got hosed losing 50+ yards of gains on penalties, but the Vikes otherwise did a good job of limiting the lanes. I do think the Giants can do some similar things but for the most part, we shouldn't face anyone else like the Vikes the remainder of the yr and into the postseason (unless we face the Giants again, I don't think the Vikes are making the postseason)
7) Prescott now has a 100+ rating in a rookie record 10 games, and he's done that just 12 games into the season. Just how good is this in more perspective? Tony Romo's best season here is considered by many to be 2014 and he had ten (10) 100+ QB rating games for the SEASON. (He also had 10 such games in 2007, and had 9 such games two other seasons). Just spectacular season by Prescott. Last night he did lose the fumble (and he had a guy WIDE open too, was just starting to deliver the ball just a second too late) and then had the mishap with the center exchange late in the game, but otherwise against a defense that feasts off turnovers made no other bad decisions. I was worried going in they'd throw some really exotic coverages at him and trap him into some forced throws, but he didn't appear to force anything.
8) I totally get people whining about the no call on the 2 pt conversion, but I'd like for someone, ANYONE to explain to me how that "cost the Vikes the game" (which is the narrative many fans and even more in the media are running with today). First off, the Vikes got away with a blatant false start, which should have ended the play there. Second, even IF Corrente had flagged the hit to the facemask, the Vikes didnt automatically get the 2 pts, they got another CHANCE to get the 2pt conversion (which they may or may not have gotten and ironically had they called what happened first with the false start, they would have gotten another try) if the hit to head/facemask were called, it would have been a half the distance to the goal penalty from the 6 yd line (because they had false started the prior try). Bill Polian correctly noted today on ESPN that Corrente had no angle that would allow him to SEE what happened and that is HIS call to make. He also said Vikes people should be more upset with the fact that Thornton just destroyed the OL trying to block him, and that messed up the throw. The non call had no impact on the throw itself. And even IF the Vikes had got the 2pt conversion, the game is tied. We probably go to OT, or maybe Prescott leads us down for a long Bailey FG before regulation is over. Who knows. Lastly, I don't hear any "outrage" by the folks complaining about this one non call over the help the Vikes got the rest of the game, and they got A LOT of help.
9) So Orlando Scandrick is "mad" over being benched for Anthony Brown. Good grief man, just play better. He (Scandrick) was better last night than the rest of the season, but other than 2 or 3 plays Anthony Brown has been pretty damn good at CB all year and IMO CLEARLY better than Scandrick all year. He earned the right to be the starter. I like the fact that for the first time in forever, somebody's pay grade isn't dictating who sees the field more here (Same applies to QB, same applies to DT with Collins over Thornton, they benched Mayowa for a few games etc etc)
10) Its really too bad Chaz Green cant stay healthy. He showed he could legitimately play when he had to fill in for Tyron Smith for 2 1/2 games early in the year and I am 100% convinced he'd be starting over the one weak link on offense we have, Doug Free now if he were healthy. Maybe he can get back out there on the practice field next week and start getting reps in the games and move to replace him later this month. Free had a really bad game last night it appeared and I suspect he is going to struggle mightily at NYG next week. I also think it might be time to end the Lucky Whitehead era here. He had another knucklehead decision on a punt return (running backwards) and then had a terrible fumble that cost us points. If you are a niche offensive player with just borderline return skills, these are mistakes you cant make. I think at the least he should be benched and if it were me, I'd just release him. I also still think they should be scouring practice squads looking for a potential DE to rotate in. Mayowa had another sack and a couple other pressures, but he is roadkill vs the run. Jack Crawford is the epitome of a jag and Tyrone Crawford hasn't done much. I keep wondering why they don't bring up DE Zach Moore, but at the least look around the other 31 teams to maybe add a guy. Lastly, Escobar probably wont be getting any attaboys from the coaches when they watch the film (even though I think he got kinda hosed on one call) but overall he seemed to have a bad game. Finding another 2nd blocking TE option before the playoffs would seem to be a must to me. If Chaz Green could get healthy, he could potentially help in that role (they've been using Looney some as an extra blocker, but Green is bigger, more athletic and a better player) but otherwise, I think they need to look elsewhere.
11) Saw where Jones said it was likely Lael Collins would be returning from IR before the end of the season, and also believes Claiborne will be back for either Detroit or Philly. Collins could also potentially fill that extra blocker/blocking TE type role I mentioned above and obviously getting Claiborne back would be huge if he is fairly healthy.
12) I hate the Vikes, but I really like the looks of that new stadium. Also while I hated Zimmer as a coach here in Dallas, I do hope everything goes well with his eye surgery. Had no idea that had happened a few weeks back and sounds like its a really serious deal. Best wishes for him.
13) If we finish 2-2 we'll tie the franchise record for most wins in a season (13-3 twice). 3-1 would set the franchise record at 14-2. 2-2 will probably assure us of HFA as the Giants would have to win out to prevent that from happening.
1) Obviously last night is the purest example there is of an "ugly win" The offense wasn't on. The team had fumbles (I think 4 on the ground). The team had a multitude of penalties (albeit some undeserved). But for the first time this year we won a game because of something other than the offense being outstanding, which is probably important in the grand scheme of things. There were a couple bad series defensively but for the most part they controlled the game, and Kyle Wilbur made the game changing ST play to get us a lead in the 4th qtr.
2) I do believe our team is tired and some of the problems from last night could quite possibly be attributed to that. 3 wins in 12 days is a tremendous accomplishment for any team, but especially a team like ours led by a rookie 4th rd pick at QB and pretty young group overall. This "mini bye" I think is going to do wonders for some of our guys and hopefully we see a more energized team that is back to its normal offensive efficiency at NYG. The NYG game is the game of the regular season IMO.
3) On defense, we forced a season high 7 punts last night. This is quite an accomplishment for this group (even if it was just the Vikes offense) as we've seen over the season that sometimes getting 3 or 4 punts forced is about as good as we do. A few times (2 or 3) we've forced only 1 punt in a game. I'm reasonably sure last nights 9 QB knockdowns were a season high too. Marinelli definitely seemed to call a more aggressive game (I read a blurb that said after he watched our tape again of the Washington game that he decided we were doing too much 3 man rush stuff and we still did it a few times last night, but nothing like last week or the previous few games)
4) Demarcus Lawrence came into the game unofficially with 11 QB pressures (credited from coaches). Last night ALONE he got 9 (NINE) He was pretty much unblockable wherever they lined him up. I think a 2 or 3 sack game for him is getting near and I wont be surprised if he ends the season with 5 or 6 or so. (And we NEED it). Maliek Collins had some more good rushes up the middle and got another sack and is proving to be really good draft pick. Anthony Hitchens had a potential DPOW type game if he could have kept that outstanding interception he had of Bradford (IMO, probably the best play on the ball our no play D has made all yr, and it was wasted). Hitchens was everywhere last night. Solid games for Damian Wilson, Byron Jones, Anthony Brown and Sean Lee too. We gave up a ton of short completions, but they averaged only 7.7 yds per reception and just 5.4 yds per attempt, both those numbers are outstanding.
5) All the above said, I still kinda get the 1991 Cowboys kinda vibe to how this season may end. We weren't 11-1 that yr (we were 7-5 after having just pulled the upset of Washington I think) but everyone could see the offense was building towards greatness with the QB, RB, WR, TE and OL we had in place. The season came to a screeching end in Detroit when we couldn't stop the pass or rush the passer (as had been the case all yr). That offseason Jimmy added Charles Haley & Thomas Everett via trades and Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson and Robert Jones via the draft. The defense went onto mammoth success and along with the offense produced one of the dominant seasons in team (if not league) history. I could see us taking a similar path this offseason, dedicating a ton of resources to mostly that side of the ball. As much as I want us to win it all this year, realistically we are probably a year away.
6) Elliott ended the night with 86 yds on 20 carries, but those were mostly hard yards against a good defense that loaded up bigtime to stop him. Unlike many of the teams we've played, they had enough speed to cut off some of those perimeter runs that have been so successful other games. Then they could run a couple blitzers into the interior to help bottle up inside runs and cover gaps. He got hosed losing 50+ yards of gains on penalties, but the Vikes otherwise did a good job of limiting the lanes. I do think the Giants can do some similar things but for the most part, we shouldn't face anyone else like the Vikes the remainder of the yr and into the postseason (unless we face the Giants again, I don't think the Vikes are making the postseason)
7) Prescott now has a 100+ rating in a rookie record 10 games, and he's done that just 12 games into the season. Just how good is this in more perspective? Tony Romo's best season here is considered by many to be 2014 and he had ten (10) 100+ QB rating games for the SEASON. (He also had 10 such games in 2007, and had 9 such games two other seasons). Just spectacular season by Prescott. Last night he did lose the fumble (and he had a guy WIDE open too, was just starting to deliver the ball just a second too late) and then had the mishap with the center exchange late in the game, but otherwise against a defense that feasts off turnovers made no other bad decisions. I was worried going in they'd throw some really exotic coverages at him and trap him into some forced throws, but he didn't appear to force anything.
8) I totally get people whining about the no call on the 2 pt conversion, but I'd like for someone, ANYONE to explain to me how that "cost the Vikes the game" (which is the narrative many fans and even more in the media are running with today). First off, the Vikes got away with a blatant false start, which should have ended the play there. Second, even IF Corrente had flagged the hit to the facemask, the Vikes didnt automatically get the 2 pts, they got another CHANCE to get the 2pt conversion (which they may or may not have gotten and ironically had they called what happened first with the false start, they would have gotten another try) if the hit to head/facemask were called, it would have been a half the distance to the goal penalty from the 6 yd line (because they had false started the prior try). Bill Polian correctly noted today on ESPN that Corrente had no angle that would allow him to SEE what happened and that is HIS call to make. He also said Vikes people should be more upset with the fact that Thornton just destroyed the OL trying to block him, and that messed up the throw. The non call had no impact on the throw itself. And even IF the Vikes had got the 2pt conversion, the game is tied. We probably go to OT, or maybe Prescott leads us down for a long Bailey FG before regulation is over. Who knows. Lastly, I don't hear any "outrage" by the folks complaining about this one non call over the help the Vikes got the rest of the game, and they got A LOT of help.
9) So Orlando Scandrick is "mad" over being benched for Anthony Brown. Good grief man, just play better. He (Scandrick) was better last night than the rest of the season, but other than 2 or 3 plays Anthony Brown has been pretty damn good at CB all year and IMO CLEARLY better than Scandrick all year. He earned the right to be the starter. I like the fact that for the first time in forever, somebody's pay grade isn't dictating who sees the field more here (Same applies to QB, same applies to DT with Collins over Thornton, they benched Mayowa for a few games etc etc)
10) Its really too bad Chaz Green cant stay healthy. He showed he could legitimately play when he had to fill in for Tyron Smith for 2 1/2 games early in the year and I am 100% convinced he'd be starting over the one weak link on offense we have, Doug Free now if he were healthy. Maybe he can get back out there on the practice field next week and start getting reps in the games and move to replace him later this month. Free had a really bad game last night it appeared and I suspect he is going to struggle mightily at NYG next week. I also think it might be time to end the Lucky Whitehead era here. He had another knucklehead decision on a punt return (running backwards) and then had a terrible fumble that cost us points. If you are a niche offensive player with just borderline return skills, these are mistakes you cant make. I think at the least he should be benched and if it were me, I'd just release him. I also still think they should be scouring practice squads looking for a potential DE to rotate in. Mayowa had another sack and a couple other pressures, but he is roadkill vs the run. Jack Crawford is the epitome of a jag and Tyrone Crawford hasn't done much. I keep wondering why they don't bring up DE Zach Moore, but at the least look around the other 31 teams to maybe add a guy. Lastly, Escobar probably wont be getting any attaboys from the coaches when they watch the film (even though I think he got kinda hosed on one call) but overall he seemed to have a bad game. Finding another 2nd blocking TE option before the playoffs would seem to be a must to me. If Chaz Green could get healthy, he could potentially help in that role (they've been using Looney some as an extra blocker, but Green is bigger, more athletic and a better player) but otherwise, I think they need to look elsewhere.
11) Saw where Jones said it was likely Lael Collins would be returning from IR before the end of the season, and also believes Claiborne will be back for either Detroit or Philly. Collins could also potentially fill that extra blocker/blocking TE type role I mentioned above and obviously getting Claiborne back would be huge if he is fairly healthy.
12) I hate the Vikes, but I really like the looks of that new stadium. Also while I hated Zimmer as a coach here in Dallas, I do hope everything goes well with his eye surgery. Had no idea that had happened a few weeks back and sounds like its a really serious deal. Best wishes for him.
13) If we finish 2-2 we'll tie the franchise record for most wins in a season (13-3 twice). 3-1 would set the franchise record at 14-2. 2-2 will probably assure us of HFA as the Giants would have to win out to prevent that from happening.
