Plankton
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Here’s a different kind of hot take.
An incomplete pass by Dak Prescott was the most important, most impressive and most defining part of his performance on Sunday.
On a day where the Cowboys got a much needed, nail biting 26-24 win over the Detroit Lions, and a day where Prescott threw for over 200 yards for the first time since December of 2017, it was an incomplete pass that was the play that made it possible for the Cowboys to escape with a win.
On second and three from the Cowboy 32, on the first play following the two-minute warning, and the Cowboys losing 24-23, Prescott needed to get his team another 40 yards or so of field position to set up a possible game winning field goal attempt. As he dropped back to pass, Prescott was hit by Lion DT Da’Shawn Hand, and fumbled the football toward his own goal line. The Prescott that we have become accustomed to seeing since the Falcon debacle from 2017 likely would have kicked the ball, dropped it, or made the situation worse.
The Prescott that we got yesterday instead looked like the Prescott from 2016 – poised, confident and decisive.
Prescott took advantage of a good bounce, and took the ball from the ground, scrambled to his right, and threw the ball out of bounds for an incomplete pass.
An incomplete pass that saved the football game, and perhaps could serve as some much needed rocket fuel for a struggling offensive football team.
That incomplete pass kept the Cowboys in a third and three situation instead of total disaster. With this second life, Prescott coolly directed the Cowboy offense downfield. He hit Allen Hurns for nine yards to convert the first down. Two plays later, it was redemption not just for Prescott, but his best friend who had the worst game of his career the previous week. Lining up in the slot, Ezekiel Elliott ran a route up the numbers, and provided the perfect amount of room to allow Prescott to drop the ball in the bucket. This attention to detail, missing a week ago, was critical to the play’s success. 34 yards later, the Cowboys were in field goal range, and the combination of Prescott to Elliott was uttered with much different tones than it had been the week prior.
It was a redemption Sunday for a few different players. Prescott threw for 255 yards, and while not perfect, was light years improved from where he was a week ago. Elliott once again proved that he’s the proverbial straw that stirs the drink (as we enter October, I’m sure that Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, won’t mind the usage of the phrase), enjoying the most productive day of his career, with 240 yards of total offense. Elliott was banged up a bit in the game, but kept plugging away, and broke big plays when they were needed.
Now, before we get carried away, this was the Lions, after all. Defensively, it was the worst rushing defense in the NFL on the field on Sunday, and they did little to dispel that notion. The Cowboy offensive line was able to crease them all day long, and Elliott was more than willing to take advantage of the holes being opened. In the passing game, the Cowboys made a concerted effort to get their most explosive player involved more, and Elliott rewarded that trust. On top of the fourth quarter dagger, Elliott turned a screen pass from Prescott into a go ahead touchdown late in the first half, showing the burst than many were questioning the whereabouts of.
What has become apparent through four games is that the Cowboys are, in all likelihood, a middle of the road team. What can’t be disputed though is, for the first time since 2016, ATT Stadium is a home field advantage for this offense, or at the very least, for the offensive coaching staff. In the two games played at home, the Cowboy offense has attacked down the field more, and has been more creative in its use of its players. Prescott threw the ball down the field more in this game than he had in the previous three combined. Some of that is due to better protection from the offensive line (only four quarterback hits allowed in 30 drop backs). A lot of it is due to a different philosophy from the coaching staff in the two home games versus being on the road. Whether it’s the climate controlled environment, or just a comfort level, the pacing of the offense, the attack philosophy, or, just the results speaking, the Cowboy offense has been much more efficient and productive in two homes games versus their sluggish, error-prone play on the road.
What this game was, as much as anything else, a return to form for the Cowboys two most important players on offense. Whether this result provides the needed confidence to continue to probe defenses down the field is debatable. Time will only tell whether this is the case or not.
But, on a day where the Cowboys had their best offensive performance of the season, the most important play for them was one that resulted in zero yards.
An incomplete pass.
Other observations from yesterday’s game:
An incomplete pass by Dak Prescott was the most important, most impressive and most defining part of his performance on Sunday.
On a day where the Cowboys got a much needed, nail biting 26-24 win over the Detroit Lions, and a day where Prescott threw for over 200 yards for the first time since December of 2017, it was an incomplete pass that was the play that made it possible for the Cowboys to escape with a win.
On second and three from the Cowboy 32, on the first play following the two-minute warning, and the Cowboys losing 24-23, Prescott needed to get his team another 40 yards or so of field position to set up a possible game winning field goal attempt. As he dropped back to pass, Prescott was hit by Lion DT Da’Shawn Hand, and fumbled the football toward his own goal line. The Prescott that we have become accustomed to seeing since the Falcon debacle from 2017 likely would have kicked the ball, dropped it, or made the situation worse.
The Prescott that we got yesterday instead looked like the Prescott from 2016 – poised, confident and decisive.
Prescott took advantage of a good bounce, and took the ball from the ground, scrambled to his right, and threw the ball out of bounds for an incomplete pass.
An incomplete pass that saved the football game, and perhaps could serve as some much needed rocket fuel for a struggling offensive football team.
That incomplete pass kept the Cowboys in a third and three situation instead of total disaster. With this second life, Prescott coolly directed the Cowboy offense downfield. He hit Allen Hurns for nine yards to convert the first down. Two plays later, it was redemption not just for Prescott, but his best friend who had the worst game of his career the previous week. Lining up in the slot, Ezekiel Elliott ran a route up the numbers, and provided the perfect amount of room to allow Prescott to drop the ball in the bucket. This attention to detail, missing a week ago, was critical to the play’s success. 34 yards later, the Cowboys were in field goal range, and the combination of Prescott to Elliott was uttered with much different tones than it had been the week prior.
It was a redemption Sunday for a few different players. Prescott threw for 255 yards, and while not perfect, was light years improved from where he was a week ago. Elliott once again proved that he’s the proverbial straw that stirs the drink (as we enter October, I’m sure that Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, won’t mind the usage of the phrase), enjoying the most productive day of his career, with 240 yards of total offense. Elliott was banged up a bit in the game, but kept plugging away, and broke big plays when they were needed.
Now, before we get carried away, this was the Lions, after all. Defensively, it was the worst rushing defense in the NFL on the field on Sunday, and they did little to dispel that notion. The Cowboy offensive line was able to crease them all day long, and Elliott was more than willing to take advantage of the holes being opened. In the passing game, the Cowboys made a concerted effort to get their most explosive player involved more, and Elliott rewarded that trust. On top of the fourth quarter dagger, Elliott turned a screen pass from Prescott into a go ahead touchdown late in the first half, showing the burst than many were questioning the whereabouts of.
What has become apparent through four games is that the Cowboys are, in all likelihood, a middle of the road team. What can’t be disputed though is, for the first time since 2016, ATT Stadium is a home field advantage for this offense, or at the very least, for the offensive coaching staff. In the two games played at home, the Cowboy offense has attacked down the field more, and has been more creative in its use of its players. Prescott threw the ball down the field more in this game than he had in the previous three combined. Some of that is due to better protection from the offensive line (only four quarterback hits allowed in 30 drop backs). A lot of it is due to a different philosophy from the coaching staff in the two home games versus being on the road. Whether it’s the climate controlled environment, or just a comfort level, the pacing of the offense, the attack philosophy, or, just the results speaking, the Cowboy offense has been much more efficient and productive in two homes games versus their sluggish, error-prone play on the road.
What this game was, as much as anything else, a return to form for the Cowboys two most important players on offense. Whether this result provides the needed confidence to continue to probe defenses down the field is debatable. Time will only tell whether this is the case or not.
But, on a day where the Cowboys had their best offensive performance of the season, the most important play for them was one that resulted in zero yards.
An incomplete pass.
Other observations from yesterday’s game:
- The planets must have been aligned yesterday – the Cowboys won a coin toss, and deferred possession to the second half. Could this be the beginning of a trend? Or, is it just an acknowledgement that the defense has been the better of the two units thus far?
- Chidobe Awuzie has been pretty sticky in coverage thus far. Rarely have we seen receivers get a good deal of separation from him in coverage. But, he has given up a good number of completions thus far. Some of it is good throws beating good coverage. Some of it, though, is not being able to recognize when the ball is in flight. As good as the addition of Kris Richard has been, this is something that he needs to address and fix, before Awuzie’s confidence gets affected.
- On the other side, Byron Jones is receiving the respect from opposing quarterbacks that is typically reserved for the best of the best in the league. Jones didn’t have a single ball thrown in his direction on Sunday. For all of the people who called him a bust, it looks like that assessment needs to be revisited, as he is finally turning his physical gifts into a terrific coverage player. All he needs now is to get his hands on some balls to finish the evolution.
- With regards to the development of Jones, people also need to take a similar tack with Taco Charlton. Written off as a bust by a segment of the fan base last season, Charlton has proven to be a real factor in the run game, and has used his length and leverage to give opposing tackles some fits. He’s not far off from rounding off into being a very solid defensive end.
- Where Travis Frederick has been missed, as much as anything else, has been in his ability to execute reach blocks in the zone running game. There is no one better in the NFL at executing these blocks. Yesterday, Joe Looney showed some serious improvement in that area, as well as some impressive wheels in leading Elliott to the end zone on his screen pass touchdown.
- Aside from a bad angle taken by Jaylon Smith on the first running play of the day, the Cowboy defense held up well against the run once again. Tyrone Crawford, in particular, was very disruptive up front and got consistent penetration against the run. If he can hold up physically, the 3T position fits him like a glove. That being said, they will gladly welcome David Irving back to provide rotational depth and pass rush on the inside.
- As effective as the Cowboy pass rush has been thus far, it seems that they have been struggling to mount pressure without the benefit of the blitz. DeMarcus Lawrence worked some twists very nicely on the way to three sacks yesterday. If there was a question as to whether he was a one year wonder, I think that can be put to bed.
- Rico Gathers showed yesterday on the goal line why he hasn’t gotten more time in the lineup. He ran his pattern to set up a jump ball without a plan, and allowed himself to get tied up. On the job training is not something that is conducive to flawless execution on offense. Gathers needs to be the hardest working man on the team right now to overcome his inexperience. There’s some question as to whether this is the case or not.
- Anthony Brown has been playing better thus far in the season. Jourdan Lewis has lost snaps as a result of this. That being said, both players were taken to school by Golden Tate yesterday. Tate beat Lewis badly on an out route, where Lewis lost his footing, and displayed his RAC skills in scoring a touchdown. Tate followed this up by catching Brown clueing in on Matthew Stafford, who threw over the top of him to a streaking Tate for a second touchdown. Tate is hated by a good amount of the Cowboy fan base for his blind side block on Sean Lee in 2012. I would take Golden Tate on my team anytime. He is a junkyard dog type of player.
- Who would have thought that this offense would have bailed out the defense for a change? Stafford was carving the Cowboy defense up pretty much at will. The Cowboy offense finally held up their end of the bargain. The Cowboys allowed points on their final two defensive series, but the offense scored on their final three possessions. There was the difference in the game.
- As much as a 255 yard start was a watershed type of game for Prescott, some of that needs to be tempered by the fact that 19 other QBs threw for as much or more than that total this week. There’s still much work to be done in the passing game for Dallas.
