Post by Matt Meyer, Sports Morning and College Football coverage producer, on Twitter @Bluto51
Cowboys win again on Sunday. A different kind of win than they’ve been this season, but a win nonetheless. Dallas 49 Chicago 29, Cowboys 6-2 on the season.
First four drives of the game were as crisp as Dallas has been on offense all season long: 11 plays 75 yards, 8 plays 69 yards, 6 plays 75 yards, and 8 plays 54 yards. Each of the first four drives went for TD’s and the Cowboys led 28-7 before your nachos were cold. Stood to reason that Dak Prescott would be sharper in his second game back from the thumb injury than in his first, and other than an interception late in the first half when the Cowboys got a little greedy, Prescott was terrific, 21-27 for 250 yards, 2 TD’s and the pick.
Play of the game was Micah Parsons’ fumble recovery and 36 yard return for a score, pushing the Dallas lead back to 19 late in the third quarter. Shows what a great athlete is capable of when he doesn’t quit on the play. Still don’t know what Justin Fields was thinking jumping over him instead of simply touching Parsons while he was on the ground. Cowboys are having to manage Parsons’ snaps a little bit as it appears to me he’s not quite healthy. Amazing what he’s capable of when he’s not even 100%. Scary for the rest of the league when he is. That play will be on highlight reels for years to come.
If you’re not a believer in Tony Pollard’s ability by now, I can’t help you. 14 carries, 131 yards, and 3 TD’s. First Cowboy in 17 years to go for more than 100 and score 3 TD’s in the same game, the last being Julius Jones during his rookie season in 2004. Pollard’s 54 yard TD early in the fourth quarter essentially salted the game away. I was asked earlier this week if Pollard should be the lead back in Dallas, which is probably the most discussed topic surrounding the team right now. I’ve said for a couple of seasons that Pollard should be getting more work, but there’s room for both him and Ezekiel Elliott to get carries. Cowboys should be a run first team anyway. Game plans, opponents’ defensive strengths and weaknesses, and game situations always dictate what plays are called, but I’d like to see Pollard get 15-20 carries a game and Elliott 10-15. Zeke can still be effective getting tough yards and he can be a quality back when he’s healthy, but Pollard gives them a home run threat that Elliott can’t. Elliott is too valuable in pass protection and in short yardage situations to give up on, but I’d like to see Pollard get the ball more.
Chicago is the best team in the NFL rushing the football and they showed it again in this game, running 43 times for 240 yards, with a long of 36, so it wasn’t as if the majority of the Bears’ rushing yards came on two or three 70 yarders. That’s still an area of concern for Dallas and probably will be all season long. Cowboys will have to rely on racking up tackles for loss to put their opponents in third and long because there’s not enough consistent resistance against the rush right now, and I don’t see that changing. I like the trade to get Johnathan Hankins from the Raiders, but Warren Sapp he’s not.
Off week before a trip to Lambeau next Sunday. Injuries piling up a little but that’s life in the NFL. Need to get Elliott, Parsons, Anthony Barr, Dalton Schultz, Donovan Wilson, and others healed up. Next three are at the Packers, at the Vikings, and the Giants at home. Get two out of three and the Cowboys should be in pretty good shape going into the stretch run. Love to get them all, and maybe they can, but I’d be pleased as punch to get two. Dallas is two games up on the first team out of the NFC playoffs right now, Washington. Tighten things up a little defensively and stay with the right approach offensively, and this team will be in the playoffs with a chance to do some damage. Lot of ball between now and then.