November, 21, 2011
By Calvin Watkins
LANDOVER, Md. -- Maybe there wasn't anything to say but Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan offered few words after the Cowboys' 27-24 victory over the Washington Redskins.
"We won, so I'm fired up," Ryan said as he walked to the team bus.
When asked about Rex Grossman leading the Redskins to a game-tying drive at the end of regulation Ryan noted, "Rex is streaky and he's always been."
On the kicker, Dan Bailey who won the game with a 39-yard field goal, Ryan said, "Our kicker is great."
Ryan has to be concerned with a defense that allowed 24 points to the Redskins, who was averaging 15.1 points per game, ranked 28th in the NFL. The Redskins drove 89 yards to tie the game and rallied from a 10-point deficit. The defense played well at the start forcing four punts and a fumble on the first five possessions.
But Washington scored two touchdowns by starting drives in Cowboys territory. There were two other drives leading to field goals, a make and a miss but the last three possessions resulted in a punt, interception on a deep ball and a game-tying touchdown.
The Cowboys allowed a season-high six plays of 20 or more yards, all occurring in the second half. The Cowboys had allowed four plays of 20 or more yards the last two weeks.
"Early on in the game they really created a number of different stops," Jason Garrett said. "Then as the game wore on Washington kept plugging away, they made some throws in the passing game but I thought our guys just hung in there, kept battling and that's what you have to do. They were on the field a long time, if you think about the last part of the fourth quarter then starting overtime. To me that is a gut check, it's got to come in from deep down and they made the critical stops when we needed to, to give us the chance offensively to have that last drive that allowed us to kick the field goal."
By Calvin Watkins
LANDOVER, Md. -- Maybe there wasn't anything to say but Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan offered few words after the Cowboys' 27-24 victory over the Washington Redskins.
"We won, so I'm fired up," Ryan said as he walked to the team bus.
When asked about Rex Grossman leading the Redskins to a game-tying drive at the end of regulation Ryan noted, "Rex is streaky and he's always been."
On the kicker, Dan Bailey who won the game with a 39-yard field goal, Ryan said, "Our kicker is great."
Ryan has to be concerned with a defense that allowed 24 points to the Redskins, who was averaging 15.1 points per game, ranked 28th in the NFL. The Redskins drove 89 yards to tie the game and rallied from a 10-point deficit. The defense played well at the start forcing four punts and a fumble on the first five possessions.
But Washington scored two touchdowns by starting drives in Cowboys territory. There were two other drives leading to field goals, a make and a miss but the last three possessions resulted in a punt, interception on a deep ball and a game-tying touchdown.
The Cowboys allowed a season-high six plays of 20 or more yards, all occurring in the second half. The Cowboys had allowed four plays of 20 or more yards the last two weeks.
"Early on in the game they really created a number of different stops," Jason Garrett said. "Then as the game wore on Washington kept plugging away, they made some throws in the passing game but I thought our guys just hung in there, kept battling and that's what you have to do. They were on the field a long time, if you think about the last part of the fourth quarter then starting overtime. To me that is a gut check, it's got to come in from deep down and they made the critical stops when we needed to, to give us the chance offensively to have that last drive that allowed us to kick the field goal."
