News: BTB: Cowboys News: Ezekiel Elliott and defense step up in pivotal divisional game

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All of the news from the Cowboys’ big rivalry win gathered for your Monday reading!

Cowboys @ Washington: Blocked field goal saves the day in 33-19 win for Dallas - Tom Ryle, Blogging The Boys

Our own Tom Ryle recaps the Cowboys’ ugly win over the Commanders.


They say you can never be too sure what is going to happen when divisional rivals play each other in the NFL, and the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington was clearly evidence of this. A battered but game opponent kept it closer than it should have been, but Dallas managed to hang on to a sloppy, wet 33-19 win in pretty bad weather. It was not truly decided until David Irving got a hand on a pass with under a minute left in the game, and Byron Jones picked the ball off and ran it in to pad the score.

It was not the beatdown so many were hoping for from the Cowboys, but it was a crucial win they really needed to keep pace behind the surging Philadelphia Eagles. There were frequent miscues, but also big plays by all three units for the Cowboys. You just cannot predict things when Dallas and Washington get together - and it is still a win. Sometimes, that is all you can really hope for.

Tyrone Crawford blocks field goal try to spark Cowboys victory - Todd Archer, ESPN

Archer’s recap.


When the Dallas Cowboys are at their best, they like to say they play complimentary football in which all three phases contribute.

Sunday's 33-19 win against the Washington Commanders was the perfect example.

Ezekiel Elliott finished with 150 yards on a career-high 33 carries and had two more rushing touchdowns as the Cowboys' offensive line controlled the tempo so well Dak Prescott did not need to do much with his arm (143 passing yards).

Cowboys Beat Washington - Jean-Jacques Taylor, NBC DFW

JJT proved his instant analysis following Sunday’s win.


WHAT IT MEANS: The Cowboys have surged over .500 with consecutive wins and Ezekiel Elliott just surpassed the 100-yard mark for the third consecutive game. Now, we have to see if Elliott is going to have to serve his six-game NFL suspension or whether he’ll continue to play, while the courts hear his case. The decision will have a significant impact on the Cowboys’ season.

Field goals, defense carry Cowboys past injury-riddled Commanders - Clarence Hill, The Star-Telegram

Special teams and the defense saved the day for Dallas.


Normally carried by running back Ezekiel Elliott, quarterback Dak Prescott and its star-studded offensive line, the Cowboys can thank the special teams and defense for Sunday’s victory against the Commanders.

The Cowboys got four field goals from the newly-signed Mike Nugent, four sacks, three fumbles and a game-sealing interception return for a touchdown by safety Byron Jones.

Despite Conditions, Cowboys Get Tough Road Win Over Commanders, 33-19 - Kurt Daniels, The Mothership

Kurt Daniels writes his recap of Sunday’s win in D.C.


It was wet, it was sloppy, it was a win. In other words, it was a good day.

On a rainy afternoon in Washington D.C., the Dallas Cowboys earned a division win on the road, always a tough task, with a 33-19 victory over the rival Commanders.

5 thoughts from Cowboys’ 33-19 win over Commanders: These are best rushers Rod Marinelli’s ever had in Dallas - Jon Machota, SportsDay

Machota writes his weekly five thoughts piece following the game. The Cowboys definitely fed Zeke!


3) Feed Zeke

Ezekiel Elliott started out with his third fumble in five quarters at FedEx Field. It was no reflection on how he played the rest of the day. Elliott carried a career-high 33 times for 150 yards and scored two touchdowns. It was Elliott's seventh two-touchdown rushing game of his career. The Cowboys improved to 7-0 in those contests. Elliott has a hearing Monday in New York City that will determine whether he has to start serving his six-game suspension or can continue to play while his legal team fights the NFL's decision. Losing Zeke would be a huge blow at any time, but especially when it appears he's starting to take his game to another level this season.

DLaw continues to come up big!


4) Tank Lawrence, double-digit sacks

The talk entering the season was DeMarcus Lawrence could be ready to have his first double-digit sack year of his career. Well, that's done. Lawrence recorded his 10th sack Sunday. But who expected the Cowboys to have two players in double digits? David Irving looks like he's on his way. Irving had two more sacks Sunday to go along with a big tipped pass in the fourth-quarter, setting up Byron Jones' pick-six. This is clearly the best group of rushmen Rod Marinelli has had since becoming Cowboys defensive coordinator. It'll be interesting to see if they'll continue to produce the way they have so far this season.

Six winners and five losers from the Cowboys 33-19 win over Washington - Dave Halprin, BTB

Dave gives his weekly winners and losers from the Cowboys’ victory over Washington.

Tyrone Crawford is a BIG winner.


Tyrone Crawford - Tyrone Crawford is having a good stretch. Today he had what was the biggest play of the game. Washington was getting ready to put a nine-point lead on the board when Crawford blocked a FG. Orlando Scandrick would return it to around the five and Ezekiel Elliott then cashed it in for a touchdown. To add to his day, Crawford had a strip-sack which Dallas recovered and hit the QB four times. That’s three straight games with a sack for Crawford.

Holding penalties, though, definitely makes the losers list.


Holding penalties - The Cowboys couldn’t get out of their own way in this game. Holding calls on Jonathan Cooper and Jason Witten killed an early potential scoring drive, then on the next series La’el Collins killed a drive at its start. Tyron Smith had two holding calls, one that took a Zeke touchdown off the board.

Here are the top playmakers from the Cowboys’ 33-19 win over the Commanders - Stefan Stevenson, The Star-Telegram

Stevenson gives his top playmakers from Sunday’s win.


Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick provided the biggest momentum shift in the game when he returned Crawford’s blocked field goal 85 yards to set up the Cowboys’ go-ahead touchdown late in the first half.

10 thoughts on the Cowboys victory over the Commanders - DannyPhantom, BTB

DannyPhantom gives his ten thoughts following the big win!


6. The big three on the defensive line were at it again

Everyone knows how great DeMarcus Lawrence has been playing this season. His sack streak continues as he’s had a sack in each of the first seven games of the season. He now leads the league with 10.5 sacks on the year. And David Irving continues to be a mad force in the middle as he had two sacks and now has a total of five after just three games. He’s actually sacking the quarterback at a higher rate than Lawrence so far. He also had a nice pass deflection that led to the pick six by Byron Jones. These two together are beasts.

Then there’s Tyrone Crawford. He doesn’t get a lot of love, but it’s important to mention that he’s now had four sacks over the last five games. On Sunday his sack would come with a strip that gave the defense a big takeaway. And we can’t forget that it was his outreached hand that blocked the field goal that led to the game’s biggest turning point.

Elliott grinds down Washington's defense - ESPN (VIDEO)

The ESPN crew breaks down Zeke’s performance.

Ezekiel Elliott powers Cowboys past Commanders in rain - Nick Shook, NFL.com

It was the Zeke show on Sunday!


3. Speaking of Elliott, all that talk about the running back looking slow and perhaps out of shape (I was admittedly very vocal on this) can be tossed aside. Zeke is in shape and running as well as ever, totaling 150 yards and two touchdowns (should have been three) on 33 carries. Every time Elliott touched the ball, it was realistic to think a big play was coming. That wasn't true earlier in the season for Dallas, and it's incredibly encouraging for the Cowboys as they hit the second half of the season (as long as he's available to play).

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott will attend hearing Monday, confident he will play rest of year - SportsDay

Zeke is “confident” that he will be able to finish out the 2017 season.


"We're confident in our argument," Elliott told reporters in Washington on Sunday after the Cowboys' 33-19 win over the Commanders. "We're confident that I'll be on the field for the rest of the year."

Jerry continues to stand by his star, too:


Jerry Jones: "Zeke has in no way, by any standard in this country, done anything wrong. He’s done nothing wrong. The league has tried to say that he’s done something that we disagree with. We all don’t agree with that. I want him to get a fair shot and he deserves that. "

— Brandon George (@DMN_George) October 30, 2017

Highlights!


#FeedZeke pic.twitter.com/vi49epmCRw

— ✭Cowboys News✭ (@DemBoyz_News) October 29, 2017

The @dallascowboys BLOCK the FG… and nearly take it to the house! #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/ZvfS29RDwi

— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2017

The pick that sealed the win! #DALvsWAS pic.twitter.com/HkknM6s7R6

— ✭Cowboys News✭ (@DemBoyz_News) October 30, 2017

YOU LIKE DAK?!? #DALvsWAS pic.twitter.com/j72L6vfk72

— ✭Cowboys News✭ (@DemBoyz_News) October 29, 2017

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