Brought to you by: Big Shucks
The Dallas Cowboys have secured their 12th win with a hard-fought 26-20 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unfortunately, Dallas hasn’t secured the NFC East title due to the New York Giants beating the Detroit Lions. They’re still two games ahead with two games left. You do the math…
A Look at the Cowboys Performance
Offense: Dak Prescott went 32-for-36 for 279 yards. He did not throw a touchdown nor an interception. This is his third game without a touchdown or an interception. Prescott’s 88.9 completion percentage is the second highest in the NFL by a quarterback that has attempted at least 30 passes in one game. Prescott threw for at least 200 yards for the first time since the game against the Baltimore Ravens last month. Dez Bryant bounced back and finished with eight catches for 82 yards. Jason Witten caught ten passes for 51 yards and he passed Terrell Owens for 7th place in career receptions with 1,079. Witten is also less than 100 yards away from passing Michael Irvin to become the Cowboys’ all-time leader in receiving yards. Cole Beasley, Brice Butler and Terrance Williams combined for eight catches for 99 yards. Lance Dunbar caught an additional two passes for 20 yards.
Ezekiel Elliott had 23 carries for a season and career-high of 159 yards and a touchdown. Elliott broke Tony Dorsett’s record of most touchdown runs by a rookie in Dallas history. Darren McFadden made his return and finished with just three carries for ten yards.
Offense had a total of about 450 yards. They committed one turnover and they were able to have possession of the ball longer than Tampa. However, there were several holding penalties that slowed Dallas down. One even nullified a touchdown. Dallas needs to work on avoiding committing costly fouls. But they really outplayed a tough Tampa defense.
Offense deserves a B+
Defense: Allowed about 280 yards of total offense. Forced four turnovers and made crucial stops at crucial times. They sacked the quarterback four times. Defense came into this game going against a very tough Tampa offense, but they were able to stay focused and slowed down Jameis Winston and company. Excellent performance by the defense.
They deserve an A+.
Next Monday, Dallas will take on Detroit at home. New York will take on Philadelphia this Thursday. If New York loses, Dallas will be crowned NFC East Champions. Dallas will have another tough test when Detroit comes to Arlington.
