Post by: Matt Meyer | Sports Morning & Sports Animal College Football Gameday Producer | @bluto51 on Twitter
Good thing I turned on CBS at 3:25 last Sunday. Lot of people told me that the Dallas Cowboys’ season was over. Not that it’s going anywhere. Too much ball left to know that, which was my point last week. But, the Cowboys won a game that I didn’t expect them to win before the season with their starting QB, let alone without him. Cowboys 20 Bengals 17.
Cooper Rush played about like I expected. Not fabulous, not lousy, not great, not poor. He took care of the football and made a couple of throws. Seemed to me the gameplan early was to establish the run and put the team in as many manageable third downs as possible. Converting 3-10 on third down isn’t great or really even good, but considering a backup QB with limited options at WR, the offense played decent. Would’ve loved to have seen them do more after the first two drives because it was pulling teeth for much of the game.
Back to the gameplan. What a novel concept. Take as much pressure off of the QB as you can and set yourself up for success. There’s room for both Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard to run the ball. Different styles, and they complement each other well. Elliott brings the physicality, and Pollard has the better big play ability. Need to do more of that when the starter is back. As Dak Prescott has improved and gotten more comfortable, the coaches and organization have tried to lean on him more and in the process, they’ve a) gotten away from their identity and b) asked Prescott to do a little more than he’s really capable of, in my opinion anyway. I know that this offensive line isn’t as good as it was a few years ago, but third and 3 or third and 6 beats third and 9 or third and 11 every time.
Thrilled for Noah Brown. 5 for 91 and a score, plus the biggest play of the game, catching the tipped pass on the last drive. He’s everything you want in a football player intangibly. Great effort, blocks well, knows his role, accepts it, and performs. He’s not an elite WR and never will be, but he might have been the player of the game the other day.
Second straight game the Cowboys’ defense has held an opponent under 20 points. Do that, and more often than not, you’ll have a chance to win. They didn’t against Tampa Bay, and they did against Cincinnati. Second biggest play of the game was Diggs’ tackle on the Bengals’ last third down of the game. I asked Diggs to be more physical. He was on that play.
Micah Parsons, lifetime Cowboy sounds great to me. Hope they’re already budgeting for him as such.
Great for Brett Maher too. Game winning 50 yarder after hitting one from 54 earlier. Lack of consistency ran him out of town in 2019. Didn’t play in ’20. Good eight games for the Saints last year, back in Dallas now.
This game with the Giants looks tougher than what I thought just three weeks ago. Giants are 2-0 with a win over last season’s top seed in the AFC on a late two point conversion. Only two games, but it sure looks like Brian Daboll has made a difference with the attitude of this team if nothing else. Through two weeks, Giants are 5th in the league in rushing, 31st in passing, only ahead of the awful Bears who in fairness have played two good defenses and one game in a monsoon. Stack the box and force Daniel Jones to prove he can beat you. Especially with a lack of great WR’s, and especially this Cowboys’ run defense, which worries me.
Michael Gallup might play but won’t play much. I’ll take as much of him as I can get. Giants have been solid defensively so far even though they haven’t faced an elite offense. They won’t on Monday night either. Tough one for me to pick. Not quite ready to believe in the Giants, but the Cowboys are very average themselves right now. New York is a little better than I thought they would be at this point; Dallas isn’t as good without Prescott. Changing my pick from the preseason.
Giants 20 Cowboys 17