News: Cowboys show again that only perfect game will beat them

[Doomsday101]

Cowboys show again that only perfect game will beat them
http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/...-that-only-perfect-performance-will-beat-them





MINNEAPOLIS -- Context is everything, in football and in life, and so it was fascinating Thursday night to hear two entirely different perspectives on the events at U.S. Bank Stadium.

In the winning team's locker room, the Dallas Cowboys were celebrating the return of their defense and the emerging grittiness of their competitive spirit.

"We were able to execute our game plan perfectly," Cowboys safety Barry Church said. "Once we got them bogged down, we had them."

In the losing team's locker room, the Minnesota Vikings were lamenting another punchless offensive performance and suggesting the outcome would have been different were it not for any one of a series of errors.

"That was a game we should have won," Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said. "We fought and it was self-inflicted."

So which was it? Did the Cowboys take another step on their march to the Super Bowl in a 17-15 victory over the Vikings? Or were they simply fortunate to have faced a flawed team that was playing without the head coach, offensive coordinator, quarterback, running back and offensive tackles with which it opened training camp?...

I think Minn played their hearts out and made some mistakes. I also think Cowboys did what they had to do to pull out a win when they were not playing at their best. Turnovers, penalties will kill you yet the Boys found a way to pull off the win. I know I like the Cowboys being on that end of it as opposed to past season where we would lose and lament how we should have won if only we had done this or that. Great teams find ways to win.

 

[tyke1doe]

Everyone has amnesia about the past. we think every Super Bowl team was a juggernaut. Forgotten are all the "breaks", "lucky" bounces, fortunate calls, and mistakes by opponents that contributed to victories.

Brees required a pick 6 when the other team was driving for the winning TD to get his ring. Brady has had too many crazy things happen in their super bowl runs to even chronicle. Even our beloved early 90s teams had their share of close calls.

We're 11-1. Drink it in

Actually, the Colts and Peyton were driving to tie the game.

 

[Go Big D!]

"That was a game we should have won," Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen said. "We fought and it was self-inflicted."

That's what they all say

 

[DandyDon52]

What killed me last night was the obvious agenda by the refs to keep the game close. Every time we had a big play, it was called back due to some phantom penalty: 42 yard run, INT, etc, etc. It was a bad joke. We not only had to deal with the Vikings but had to fight the refs as well.

I've never seen such an agenda by the referees before last night's game.

yeah it did seem like that.
luckily no call on the dez td's

 

[tyke1doe]

That's what they all say

How many times could we have said that last year.

 

[MRV52]

The iffy penalties really kept Minnesota in this game. Could have been a walk for the Cowboys if they weren't called. Dak fumble on 3rd and 1 lead to a Minnesota TD. The game should have been over then. We didn't play our best game but the game was not as close as the score indicates.

 

[Go Big D!]

How many times could we have said that last year.

Not many

 

[tyke1doe]

Not many

Oh, we were close in at least 7 games.

 

[Go Big D!]

Oh, we were close in at least 7 games.

I guess I just don't think that way. If we lose, I never claim we should have won unless its an outrageous extenuating circumstance involved. My original comment was in response to the several times other teams have had players state they should have won, after we beat them, this season. In my opinion, it's just loser speak. But whatever.

 

[waving monkey]

What killed me last night was the obvious agenda by the refs to keep the game close. Every time we had a big play, it was called back due to some phantom penalty: 42 yard run, INT, etc, etc. It was a bad joke. We not only had to deal with the Vikings but had to fight the refs as well.

I've never seen such an agenda by the referees before last night's game.

 

[CCBoy]

http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2...beautiful-ugly-lawrence’s-play-among-thoughts

...There were three players who really stood out for me: DeMarcus Lawrence, Anthony Hitchens and Dez Bryant. Before delving into that trio, though, it should be mentioned that the offensive line has been brilliant since Week 2. Like, playing as well as any unit ever has in the 32 years I’ve been watching football. Like, comparable to the pass rush of the 1985 Chicago Bears.

• Lawrence, who still has just one sack this season, finished the game with nine QB pressures. For comparison, he entered the game with 11 on the year. This goes back to my longstanding theory on statistics for defensive players being ridiculously overrated. Go look at the box score. It says that Lawrence finished with zero tackles and two QB hits. That’s the official NFL box score, which will more or less serve as the historic barometer going forward for how Lawrence played in this game. When in reality, he dominated. He was the MVP of the game, on either side of the ball, for either team.

• That’s the best all-around game Hitchens has played in his three-year NFL career and should have been even better if not for his instinctive, athletic, sensational interception being overturned on one of many ridiculous calls by the officiating crew. I should stress it was fairly brutal for both sides, the Cowboys weren’t cheated or anything. As for Hitchens, wow, he looked like Zach Thomas out there, just everywhere. He was like Bugs Bunny in that baseball game, playing all three linebacker positions at once. Finished with 10 tackles, two QB hurries, a sack and a pass defensed...

...Orlando Scandrick, after losing his starting gig to rookie Anthony Brown – at least for the night – played easily his best game since 2014. Lot of folks don’t appreciate how much he brings to this secondary, to this defense. And if he’s angry at the world, all the better. He didn’t allow a catch longer than 5 yards and was really in the zone, hitting with attitude and force. If he plays like this down the stretch, it’s different defense altogether. There are like a handful of people in this world who realize how good Scandrick was from 2012-14. Should have made two Pro Bowls...

 

[CCBoy]

Stephen Jones: "Not Likely" That Morris Claiborne Is Ready For Giants Game
December 2, 2016 By David Helman


FRISCO, Texas – Fresh off a big win in Minnesota, the Cowboys have a long weekend to rest up before they begin preparations for the New York Giants. Read

The added time off is bound to help a team that just played three games in 12 days – but it can only do so much in regard to some injuries. During his weekly interview with 105.3 FM The Fan on Friday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked about Morris Claiborne’s availability for the Dec. 11 game against the Giants. Read

Even with the time off, Jones said he wouldn’t expect to see Claiborne back that soon. Read

“I think it's probably not likely,” he said. “You never rule anybody out. But I still think Mo is still several weeks out. The likelihood of him returning are probably closer to being more toward the last two games of the season rather than these two.” Read

Claiborne severely injured his groin during the Cowboys’ overtime win against Philadelphia on Oct. 30. There was some speculation the fifth-year corner would undergo surgery on the injury, but Claiborne said last week they had opted to allow the injury to heal on his own. Read

There’s definitely been some progress in the month since the injury. Claiborne said last week that he had started to do light resistance and conditioning work. Team owner/general manager Jerry Jones also said he “absolutely” expects Claiborne back before the end of the regular season. Read

With just four games remaining on the schedule, though, it certainly seems like the hope is to ease Claiborne back with the hope that he can contribute to a playoff run. Read

His return would certainly be a boost for the Cowboys’ secondary. Before he got hurt, Claiborne was arguably the Cowboys’ best defender, as he tallied 26 tackles, five passes defensed, an interception and a fumble recovery in seven started.

http://www.dallascowboys.com/extrapoints

 

[DeaconMoss]

These were the plays that decided the game in no order. On any given Sunday, you have to get a few of these to go your way to win a close one.

OPI on Patterson on opening drive
Zeke's long run called back for holding
Wittens 3rd down catch being negated
Bomb to Dez
Hitchens interception negated
Zeke's fumble but IR overturned
Punt fumble strip by Wilbur IR awards ball to Dallas
Hands to the face on 2 point try/False start not called