Parsing out an enigmatic victory

[erod]

Last night was a mess. Two teams that couldn't get out of their own way. Referees that over-officiated at the wrong times, and under-officiated at others. Never-ending commercial breaks. Disjointed football in ugly uniforms in the middle of a work week.

There was no rhythm to the game at all. Which makes the victory that much more impressive for Dallas. That was a forgettable but important win for Dallas, which has now steamrolled into an 11-1 position in a conference that might not produce more than two or three 10-game winners.

Think about that. There very well might only be 2-3 teams this year with double-digit wins in the NFC. Dallas may win 4 more games than anyone in the conference.

Make no mistake, that Vikings defense is awesome. But make no mistake either, that Viking offense is worse than Cleveland on their worst day.

Dak struggled. Zeke couldn't get untracked. The offensive line was manhandled. And every time a glimmer of traction happened......flag. Zeke had a long one called back on a very questionable call. (There did seem to be a lot of scrutiny in Dallas' blocking, and very little on Minnesota's. How did Bradford throw it 45 times without a single holding call? That Viking offensive line has to hold to get out of their stance.)

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.

Thankfully, Kyle Wilber saved the day with the best play of his unspectacular career. Dallas couldn't drive the field without help, and that strip and recovery won a game on the brink of a loss.

I watched that game thinking about the playoffs. If that was Seattle, which has a similar defense to Minnesota, it could have been ugly the wrong way.

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

Home field is critical. Dallas needs a quiet stadium on offense come playoff time. The defense needs the opposite.

The winning is glorious, and quite obviously contagious. Analytic criticism is fine, and I do it every week, but winning the game can never be underestimated. That's what good teams do.

Ten days to soak it up, heal it up, and re-energize for the home stretch. Starting with a revenge game in The Meadowlands.

 

[ragman]

Ugly W. However a W is a W.

 

[Doomsday101]

Last night was a mess. Two teams that couldn't get out of their own way. Referees that over-officiated at the wrong times, and under-officiated at others. Never-ending commercial breaks. Disjointed football in ugly uniforms in the middle of a work week.

There was no rhythm to the game at all. Which makes the victory that much more impressive for Dallas. That was a forgettable but important win for Dallas, which has now steamrolled into an 11-1 position in a conference that might not produce more than two or three 10-game winners.

Think about that. There very well might only be 2-3 teams this year with double-digit wins in the NFC. Dallas may win 4 more games than anyone in the conference.

Make no mistake, that Vikings defense is awesome. But make no mistake either, that Viking offense is worse than Cleveland on their worst day.

Dak struggled. Zeke couldn't get untracked. The offensive line was manhandled. And every time a glimmer of traction happened......flag. Zeke had a long one called back on a very questionable call. (There did seem to be a lot of scrutiny in Dallas' blocking, and very little on Minnesota's. How did Bradford throw it 45 times without a single holding call? That Viking offensive line has to hold to get out of their stance.)

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.

Thankfully, Kyle Wilber saved the day with the best play of his unspectacular career. Dallas couldn't drive the field without help, and that strip and recovery won a game on the brink of a loss.

I watched that game thinking about the playoffs. If that was Seattle, which has a similar defense to Minnesota, it could have been ugly the wrong way.

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

Home field is critical. Dallas needs a quiet stadium on offense come playoff time. The defense needs the opposite.

The winning is glorious, and quite obviously contagious. Analytic criticism is fine, and I do it every week, but winning the game can never be underestimated. That's what good teams do.

Ten days to soak it up, heal it up, and re-energize for the home stretch. Starting with a revenge game in The Meadowlands.

Dak did have a rough game he also picked up some big time 1st downs that had he not made the plays the Cowboys would have been punting inside their own 10 yard line. Vikes threw some blitzes that fooled Dak and the OL. Hopefully he learns from it and in the meantime made enough plays to get the job done.

 

[T-RO]

Last night was a mess. Two teams that couldn't get out of their own way. Referees that over-officiated at the wrong times, and under-officiated at others. Never-ending commercial breaks. Disjointed football in ugly uniforms in the middle of a work week.

There was no rhythm to the game at all. Which makes the victory that much more impressive for Dallas. That was a forgettable but important win for Dallas, which has now steamrolled into an 11-1 position in a conference that might not produce more than two or three 10-game winners.

Think about that. There very well might only be 2-3 teams this year with double-digit wins in the NFC. Dallas may win 4 more games than anyone in the conference.

Make no mistake, that Vikings defense is awesome. But make no mistake either, that Viking offense is worse than Cleveland on their worst day.

Dak struggled. Zeke couldn't get untracked. The offensive line was manhandled. And every time a glimmer of traction happened......flag. Zeke had a long one called back on a very questionable call. (There did seem to be a lot of scrutiny in Dallas' blocking, and very little on Minnesota's. How did Bradford throw it 45 times without a single holding call? That Viking offensive line has to hold to get out of their stance.)

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.

Thankfully, Kyle Wilber saved the day with the best play of his unspectacular career. Dallas couldn't drive the field without help, and that strip and recovery won a game on the brink of a loss.

I watched that game thinking about the playoffs. If that was Seattle, which has a similar defense to Minnesota, it could have been ugly the wrong way.

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

Home field is critical. Dallas needs a quiet stadium on offense come playoff time. The defense needs the opposite.

The winning is glorious, and quite obviously contagious. Analytic criticism is fine, and I do it every week, but winning the game can never be underestimated. That's what good teams do.

Ten days to soak it up, heal it up, and re-energize for the home stretch. Starting with a revenge game in The Meadowlands.

Another brilliant summary Erod. Your writing is always top-drawer--a country mile better than anything one reads at the Dallas News.

I absolutely don't think the refs hate Dallas, but they do seem intent sometimes in helping sculpt outcomes around the league and we had four or five huge plays wiped out by penalties.

Dak was understandably cautious. The Vikings are a turnover machine and can score off those turnovers. Prescott also knew that we didn't need to score 24 or even 21 to get a W.

On the flip side we had some good fortune ourselves. Vikings receivers dropped a number of balls. That half-back pass from the Wildcat should have been a touchdown.

 

[Direwolf63]

I said it in another thread: sometimes you have to win games like this. Not every game is going to be chocolate ice cream. You have to injest broccolli too.

 

[Fletch]

I said it in another thread: sometimes you have to win games like this. Not every game is going to be chocolate ice cream. You have to injest a turd sometimes.

FIFY

 

[CapnCook]

Excellent summation, erod. I'll only add to your analysis a consideration that this was their third game in less than two weeks. I also didn't like the game plan, especially since they had a perfect game plan against the Ravens - a very similar match up.

 

[DenCWBY]

Last night was a mess. Two teams that couldn't get out of their own way. Referees that over-officiated at the wrong times, and under-officiated at others. Never-ending commercial breaks. Disjointed football in ugly uniforms in the middle of a work week.

There was no rhythm to the game at all. Which makes the victory that much more impressive for Dallas. That was a forgettable but important win for Dallas, which has now steamrolled into an 11-1 position in a conference that might not produce more than two or three 10-game winners.

Think about that. There very well might only be 2-3 teams this year with double-digit wins in the NFC. Dallas may win 4 more games than anyone in the conference.

Make no mistake, that Vikings defense is awesome. But make no mistake either, that Viking offense is worse than Cleveland on their worst day.

Dak struggled. Zeke couldn't get untracked. The offensive line was manhandled. And every time a glimmer of traction happened......flag. Zeke had a long one called back on a very questionable call. (There did seem to be a lot of scrutiny in Dallas' blocking, and very little on Minnesota's. How did Bradford throw it 45 times without a single holding call? That Viking offensive line has to hold to get out of their stance.)

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.

Thankfully, Kyle Wilber saved the day with the best play of his unspectacular career. Dallas couldn't drive the field without help, and that strip and recovery won a game on the brink of a loss.

I watched that game thinking about the playoffs. If that was Seattle, which has a similar defense to Minnesota, it could have been ugly the wrong way.

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

Home field is critical. Dallas needs a quiet stadium on offense come playoff time. The defense needs the opposite.

The winning is glorious, and quite obviously contagious. Analytic criticism is fine, and I do it every week, but winning the game can never be underestimated. That's what good teams do.

Ten days to soak it up, heal it up, and re-energize for the home stretch. Starting with a revenge game in The Meadowlands.

Excellent perspective Erod.

 

[roughneck266]

Ugly W. However a W is a W.

True, but there are no beautiful losses, so I will take it.

 

[links18]

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.
.

Sooner or later? Better hope it passes before the playoffs start when one loss sends you home and ends the season.

 

[bsbellomy]

Last night was a mess. Two teams that couldn't get out of their own way. Referees that over-officiated at the wrong times, and under-officiated at others. Never-ending commercial breaks. Disjointed football in ugly uniforms in the middle of a work week.

There was no rhythm to the game at all. Which makes the victory that much more impressive for Dallas. That was a forgettable but important win for Dallas, which has now steamrolled into an 11-1 position in a conference that might not produce more than two or three 10-game winners.

Think about that. There very well might only be 2-3 teams this year with double-digit wins in the NFC. Dallas may win 4 more games than anyone in the conference.

Make no mistake, that Vikings defense is awesome. But make no mistake either, that Viking offense is worse than Cleveland on their worst day.

Dak struggled. Zeke couldn't get untracked. The offensive line was manhandled. And every time a glimmer of traction happened......flag. Zeke had a long one called back on a very questionable call. (There did seem to be a lot of scrutiny in Dallas' blocking, and very little on Minnesota's. How did Bradford throw it 45 times without a single holding call? That Viking offensive line has to hold to get out of their stance.)

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.

Thankfully, Kyle Wilber saved the day with the best play of his unspectacular career. Dallas couldn't drive the field without help, and that strip and recovery won a game on the brink of a loss.

I watched that game thinking about the playoffs. If that was Seattle, which has a similar defense to Minnesota, it could have been ugly the wrong way.

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

Home field is critical. Dallas needs a quiet stadium on offense come playoff time. The defense needs the opposite.

The winning is glorious, and quite obviously contagious. Analytic criticism is fine, and I do it every week, but winning the game can never be underestimated. That's what good teams do.

Ten days to soak it up, heal it up, and re-energize for the home stretch. Starting with a revenge game in The Meadowlands.

Think we could handle the Falcons (on an average day), but Seattle is Minnesota with some offensive firepower. I know it's blasphemy but I still think a Tony Romo led team would stand a better chance against these defenses. They are completely selling out to stop Zeke.

 

[Clove]

Last night was a mess. Two teams that couldn't get out of their own way. Referees that over-officiated at the wrong times, and under-officiated at others. Never-ending commercial breaks. Disjointed football in ugly uniforms in the middle of a work week.

There was no rhythm to the game at all. Which makes the victory that much more impressive for Dallas. That was a forgettable but important win for Dallas, which has now steamrolled into an 11-1 position in a conference that might not produce more than two or three 10-game winners.

Think about that. There very well might only be 2-3 teams this year with double-digit wins in the NFC. Dallas may win 4 more games than anyone in the conference.

Make no mistake, that Vikings defense is awesome. But make no mistake either, that Viking offense is worse than Cleveland on their worst day.

Dak struggled. Zeke couldn't get untracked. The offensive line was manhandled. And every time a glimmer of traction happened......flag. Zeke had a long one called back on a very questionable call. (There did seem to be a lot of scrutiny in Dallas' blocking, and very little on Minnesota's. How did Bradford throw it 45 times without a single holding call? That Viking offensive line has to hold to get out of their stance.)

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.

Thankfully, Kyle Wilber saved the day with the best play of his unspectacular career. Dallas couldn't drive the field without help, and that strip and recovery won a game on the brink of a loss.

I watched that game thinking about the playoffs. If that was Seattle, which has a similar defense to Minnesota, it could have been ugly the wrong way.

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

Home field is critical. Dallas needs a quiet stadium on offense come playoff time. The defense needs the opposite.

The winning is glorious, and quite obviously contagious. Analytic criticism is fine, and I do it every week, but winning the game can never be underestimated. That's what good teams do.

Ten days to soak it up, heal it up, and re-energize for the home stretch. Starting with a revenge game in The Meadowlands.

Based on my notes, and I went back and watched all of Dak's passes, please tell me where he struggled?

 

[bsbellomy]

Based on my notes, and I went back and watched all of Dak's passes, please tell me where he struggled?

He held on to the ball way too long, trusted his feet more than his arm. Cowboys were 1 for 9 on third down of which I can only think of one that was a run. The reason he had 18 pass attempts is he couldn't keep the team on the field.

 

[THEHEREAFTER]

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

With all due respect, I really hate this sentiment. Seattle has lost to the Rams. THE RAMS. Put up stinkers to the Bucs and AZ. Seattle basically lost this same game last Sunday. This was basically our @ Tampa game and we found a way to win ugly whereas Seattle lost 5-14. Sure we match up different but my point is who the hell knows what would happen against Seattle. They certainly have their warts. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. We're 11-1. Have some pride! By the time the playoffs arrive completely different narratives will be presented. So much to uncover in the next month. I think we can improve!

 

[Clove]

He held on to the ball way too long, trusted his feet more than his arm. Cowboys were 1 for 9 on third down of which I can only think of one that was a run. The reason he had 18 pass attempts is he couldn't keep the team on the field.

Yeah, that's what I thought. You didn't go back and watch the game.

Well this is what I saw. I saw no one open, him under pressure, and taking off to get the 1st down. I saw drives that were stalled because of penalties or a fumble by Lucky. He missed on about 3 possibly 4 throws all together. But he was lethal when there were no discrepancies like penalties or fumbles. He didn't throw the ball a lot because of things I noted. He really only had the ball a hand full of times, with more than half of those under 3rd and 29, 3rd and longs, fumbles, etc.

The Vikes did a good job of causing unnecessary penalties that negated long drives by Dallas. My suggestion to you and others like you, actually rewatch the game and study the game before spouting off miss information.

Edit: Let me add something. I don't see where he held on to the ball too long. The ball he fumbled, he was hit in less than 2 seconds. That's holding on to the ball too long? He held the ball waiting for things to open, and when he felt pressure, he was usually able to escape before real trouble.

 

[MileyDancer]

Hopefully someone takes care of the falcons for us. I'm not worried about Seattle at home AT ALL.

 

[sbark]

That double A gap game they played........essentially forced cowboys to leave Free on a Island

 

[Nightman]

With all due respect, I really hate this sentiment. Seattle has lost to the Rams. THE RAMS. Put up stinkers to the Bucs and AZ. Seattle basically lost this same game last Sunday. This was basically our @ Tampa game and we found a way to win ugly whereas Seattle lost 5-14. Sure we match up different but my point is who the hell knows what would happen against Seattle. They certainly have their warts. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. We're 11-1. Have some pride! By the time the playoffs arrive completely different narratives will be presented. So much to uncover in the next month. I think we can improve!

We have not yet begun to peak and when we do we will peak all over SEA's and ATL's faces

Rock Flag and Eagle.....Making America's Team Great Again

 

[erod]

With all due respect, I really hate this sentiment. Seattle has lost to the Rams. THE RAMS. Put up stinkers to the Bucs and AZ. Seattle basically lost this same game last Sunday. This was basically our @ Tampa game and we found a way to win ugly whereas Seattle lost 5-14. Sure we match up different but my point is who the hell knows what would happen against Seattle. They certainly have their warts. We'll cross that bridge when we get there. We're 11-1. Have some pride! By the time the playoffs arrive completely different narratives will be presented. So much to uncover in the next month. I think we can improve!

They're definitely easier to beat on the road than in their stadium.

 

[black label]

Last night was a mess. Two teams that couldn't get out of their own way. Referees that over-officiated at the wrong times, and under-officiated at others. Never-ending commercial breaks. Disjointed football in ugly uniforms in the middle of a work week.

There was no rhythm to the game at all. Which makes the victory that much more impressive for Dallas. That was a forgettable but important win for Dallas, which has now steamrolled into an 11-1 position in a conference that might not produce more than two or three 10-game winners.

Think about that. There very well might only be 2-3 teams this year with double-digit wins in the NFC. Dallas may win 4 more games than anyone in the conference.

Make no mistake, that Vikings defense is awesome. But make no mistake either, that Viking offense is worse than Cleveland on their worst day.

Dak struggled. Zeke couldn't get untracked. The offensive line was manhandled. And every time a glimmer of traction happened......flag. Zeke had a long one called back on a very questionable call. (There did seem to be a lot of scrutiny in Dallas' blocking, and very little on Minnesota's. How did Bradford throw it 45 times without a single holding call? That Viking offensive line has to hold to get out of their stance.)

Speaking of Dak, criticism is just and deserved, but that doesn't mean there should be concern. He's a rookie, and games like last night, it shows. That's it. There's nothing to worry about beyond that. He was hesitant and confused as he should be at times. It'll pass in due course, sooner or later. It's OK to call it like it is, in the meantime.

Thankfully, Kyle Wilber saved the day with the best play of his unspectacular career. Dallas couldn't drive the field without help, and that strip and recovery won a game on the brink of a loss.

I watched that game thinking about the playoffs. If that was Seattle, which has a similar defense to Minnesota, it could have been ugly the wrong way.

Two games that concern me come playoff time: Atlanta and Seattle. I wonder if this offense can outscore the Falcons when they score on the Dallas defense virtually every possession. And can this offense produce enough against Seattle to win a game like last night. The Seahawks would have beaten Dallas yesterday.

Home field is critical. Dallas needs a quiet stadium on offense come playoff time. The defense needs the opposite.

The winning is glorious, and quite obviously contagious. Analytic criticism is fine, and I do it every week, but winning the game can never be underestimated. That's what good teams do.

Ten days to soak it up, heal it up, and re-energize for the home stretch. Starting with a revenge game in The Meadowlands.