Plankton
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An ugly win is much preferred to a beautiful loss.
And, while the eleventh consecutive win for the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t a Rembrandt by any means, it continued to show the resilience and staying power of this team. On a night when the offense looked as cold as the Minneapolis weather, in each phase of the game, the Cowboys made just enough plays to eke out a win over a game Minnesota Viking unit.
The Cowboys were not sharp in this game, and very much looked like a team that was playing their third game in 11 days. Poor execution, untimely penalties, and a withering Viking defense caused the Cowboy offense to sputter and not produce at the levels seen all season. On this night, the Cowboy receivers had a very difficult time shaking the coverage of the Viking secondary. Minus one coverage bust that resulted in a key 56-yard pass from Dak Prescott to Dez Bryant, the Viking defense held the heretofore potent Cowboy passing game to a paltry 83 yards. Many times, Prescott was left in the pocket, waiting for the Cowboy receivers to get open, and it wasn’t happening. For the first time in 130 games, Jason Witten was held without a catch. Cole Beasley was held in check by Captain Munnerlyn. Terrance Williams was absolutely invisible.
The running game also sputtered for a good portion of the game. When good plays were made by Ezekiel Elliott, many times they were wiped out by a penalty. Gavin Escobar was particularly poor this evening in blocking, with two key penalties swinging field position in the Viking direction. A somewhat questionable hold on Doug Free nixed a 43-yard burst by Elliott that would have set the Cowboys up in the red zone. While the Viking defense did a sterling job in slowing the Cowboy juggernaut, the Cowboy offense provided an assist with their worst effort of the season.
This game was ultimately won on the defense’s ability to not allow the impotent Viking offense to convert a touchdown until the game’s end, and an absolutely brutal night by the Minnesota special teams. Jeff Locke had a horrendous night punting, averaging 32 yards net in his punts (the Cowboys only had 1 yard in returns, highlighting how awful Locke was). The most critical play of the game came on a terrific play by Vince Mayle and Kyle Wilber on punt coverage, with Mayle forcing Viking returner Adam Thielen to run laterally, and Wilber both stripped the ball and recovered it at the Viking 8. One play later, with a touchdown pass from Prescott to Bryant, the Cowboys regained the lead that they never lost.
With this season now in its thirteenth week, things become clear as far as what to expect from teams. One would expect the Vikings to play ferocious defense at home, and make things as difficult as possible for their opponents. One would expect the Cowboy offense to ultimately impose their will on the opposition.
But, two things do appear to be clear about this Cowboy team.
One is that even on a night when he is struggling, Dak Prescott will find a way to make a play to get the offense going. His scramble deep in his own territory on 3rd and 13 for a first down got the Cowboys out of a hole, and ultimately in the end zone. While he didn’t make a large amount of plays with his arm, his legs helped the Cowboy offense string some drives together. He did show some room for growth in not sliding too early as he did as the two-minute warning approached, as well as not sensing the pass rush from his right as well as he should have, resulting in a fumble recovery by the Vikings that led to a field goal. Even on a night when he wasn’t his best, Prescott made enough plays to get his team over the top.
The second is that this team will be resilient. They do not get overwhelmed by the enormity of any situation. For a team viewed as flashy and exciting, there is a real lunch pail mentality to this team, where they have a job to do, and they focus on it until its completion. This resilience has led to a franchise record 11 game winning streak, the best record in the NFL, a two-game lead going into the NFL’s Game of the Year thus far against the only team to defeat them this season, the Giants, and a high degree of confidence generated by the fact that no matter the opponent, and no matter how well they play, they will figure out a way to win.
And, with 10 days to prepare for the rematch with the Giants, the Cowboys will be able to dedicate some time to rest, heal up, and clean up some of the errors seen in tonight’s game.
Pretty it was not.
The end result, though, is anything but ugly.
Other notes on tonight’s game:
And, while the eleventh consecutive win for the Dallas Cowboys wasn’t a Rembrandt by any means, it continued to show the resilience and staying power of this team. On a night when the offense looked as cold as the Minneapolis weather, in each phase of the game, the Cowboys made just enough plays to eke out a win over a game Minnesota Viking unit.
The Cowboys were not sharp in this game, and very much looked like a team that was playing their third game in 11 days. Poor execution, untimely penalties, and a withering Viking defense caused the Cowboy offense to sputter and not produce at the levels seen all season. On this night, the Cowboy receivers had a very difficult time shaking the coverage of the Viking secondary. Minus one coverage bust that resulted in a key 56-yard pass from Dak Prescott to Dez Bryant, the Viking defense held the heretofore potent Cowboy passing game to a paltry 83 yards. Many times, Prescott was left in the pocket, waiting for the Cowboy receivers to get open, and it wasn’t happening. For the first time in 130 games, Jason Witten was held without a catch. Cole Beasley was held in check by Captain Munnerlyn. Terrance Williams was absolutely invisible.
The running game also sputtered for a good portion of the game. When good plays were made by Ezekiel Elliott, many times they were wiped out by a penalty. Gavin Escobar was particularly poor this evening in blocking, with two key penalties swinging field position in the Viking direction. A somewhat questionable hold on Doug Free nixed a 43-yard burst by Elliott that would have set the Cowboys up in the red zone. While the Viking defense did a sterling job in slowing the Cowboy juggernaut, the Cowboy offense provided an assist with their worst effort of the season.
This game was ultimately won on the defense’s ability to not allow the impotent Viking offense to convert a touchdown until the game’s end, and an absolutely brutal night by the Minnesota special teams. Jeff Locke had a horrendous night punting, averaging 32 yards net in his punts (the Cowboys only had 1 yard in returns, highlighting how awful Locke was). The most critical play of the game came on a terrific play by Vince Mayle and Kyle Wilber on punt coverage, with Mayle forcing Viking returner Adam Thielen to run laterally, and Wilber both stripped the ball and recovered it at the Viking 8. One play later, with a touchdown pass from Prescott to Bryant, the Cowboys regained the lead that they never lost.
With this season now in its thirteenth week, things become clear as far as what to expect from teams. One would expect the Vikings to play ferocious defense at home, and make things as difficult as possible for their opponents. One would expect the Cowboy offense to ultimately impose their will on the opposition.
But, two things do appear to be clear about this Cowboy team.
One is that even on a night when he is struggling, Dak Prescott will find a way to make a play to get the offense going. His scramble deep in his own territory on 3rd and 13 for a first down got the Cowboys out of a hole, and ultimately in the end zone. While he didn’t make a large amount of plays with his arm, his legs helped the Cowboy offense string some drives together. He did show some room for growth in not sliding too early as he did as the two-minute warning approached, as well as not sensing the pass rush from his right as well as he should have, resulting in a fumble recovery by the Vikings that led to a field goal. Even on a night when he wasn’t his best, Prescott made enough plays to get his team over the top.
The second is that this team will be resilient. They do not get overwhelmed by the enormity of any situation. For a team viewed as flashy and exciting, there is a real lunch pail mentality to this team, where they have a job to do, and they focus on it until its completion. This resilience has led to a franchise record 11 game winning streak, the best record in the NFL, a two-game lead going into the NFL’s Game of the Year thus far against the only team to defeat them this season, the Giants, and a high degree of confidence generated by the fact that no matter the opponent, and no matter how well they play, they will figure out a way to win.
And, with 10 days to prepare for the rematch with the Giants, the Cowboys will be able to dedicate some time to rest, heal up, and clean up some of the errors seen in tonight’s game.
Pretty it was not.
The end result, though, is anything but ugly.
Other notes on tonight’s game:
- Sloppy, sloppy play tonight. 10 penalties, three fumbles, with two of them lost, ineffective play against the Viking secondary. This team looked ragged.
- Anthony Hitchens may have played the best game of his career tonight. One interception wiped out by a suspect penalty, nearly another one late in the game and a sack on a blitz. Outstanding effort tonight, and aside from Dez Bryant, he played the best game of anyone in a Cowboy uniform tonight.
- Anthony Brown also played well tonight. His no look deflection of a deep pass to Charles Johnson was impressive.
- Questionable move by the coaching staff to not call timeout late in the first half after Prescott was sacked by Danielle Hunter. They still had time with a sideline route to give Dan Bailey a shot at a long field goal in optimum indoor conditions.
- In contrast to the disastrous night of Jeff Locke, Chris Jones was terrific for the Cowboys. 46 yards per punt net tonight, with outstanding coverage resulting in -5 yards allowed in returns.
- The good news for the Cowboys is that they will not face a better defense than what they saw tonight from the Vikings. No one on their remaining slate has the difference makers at all three levels that Minnesota enjoys. Next week’s game against the Giants will provide a challenge with their front, but the Cowboys will be able to make plays against their linebackers and secondary.
- Shades of 2014 – the Cowboys remain undefeated on the road this season, with a 6-0 mark.
- This team has earned a mini-break at this point. For a young team to run off 11 in a row, with three wins in 11 days is an impressive streak. In terms of health, going into the Giant game, everyone except for Morris Claiborne should be back.
- The Drew Pearson throwback is now 11-0. Will need an air wick in the closet now in that general area.
- It’s good to be a Cowboy fan. This season has been as enjoyable as any that I have experienced as a fan. Look forward to seeing where this ride ends up.
