Tag: 2021 season week 11

Dak Prescott ‘pissed off, for sure’ over Cowboys’ pitiful performance in KC

The Arrowhead crowd and decimated roster were no excuse; the Cowboys’ offense “wasn’t clicking” in Kansas City; they play again Thursday. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Though the players themselves were reluctant to use the phrase, it was hard to see the Cowboys’ Week 11 showdown in Kansas City against the AFC representative in the last two Super Bowls as anything less than a measuring-stick kind of game.

The Chiefs, as it turned out, used a big, professional, contractor-grade tape measure; the Cowboys had one of those flimsy plastic rulers that fit inside a kindergartner’s pencil pouch.

For the second time in three weeks, the Cowboys’ high-powered offense found themselves stuck in neutral, and though the final deficit was just 10 points, quarterback Dak Prescott and Co. never seemed to be a real threat to the home team.

“It was tough to get in a rhythm throwing the ball, running the ball,” Prescott told reporters in his postgame press conference. “Neither were working for us early, or really, at any point of the night. When you’re playing on the road and you’re struggling to do that, it’s tough to win.”

The 73,000-plus in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium created a raucous atmosphere, but Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy chose to put the offense on the field first. He had hoped it would set a tone.

Unfortunately, it did.

“We knew the environment was going to be a challenge,” McCarthy explained after the 19-9 loss. “Arrowhead was rocking, just like I remembered it. I thought our offense took a while to get settled in.”

That’s an understatement. Prescott, working without wide receiver Amari Cooper or left tackle Tyron Smith and with Connor McGovern making his first start at left guard, went three-and-out to start, then fumbled away their next possession on their sixth offensive snap of the game.

By the time seven minutes of game time had elapsed, Dallas was behind by more than a touchdown and trying to play catch-up.

Of the Cowboys’ 12 offensive drives, three ended in a turnover, three ended with a field goal, and none got into the end zone.

“Never discouraged, but pissed off, for sure,” said Prescott, who ended the day 28-of-43 for just 216 yards and two interceptions. “I’m pissed when I don’t play well or the team doesn’t play well, or the offense doesn’t play well… especially when you have the chance to come out and play against a team that’s been in the Super Bowl the last two years and really prove to ourselves and prove to one another what we’re capable of.”

McCarthy maintains that the anemic performance from the vaunted Cowboys offense doesn’t change the way they view their own identity.

“We didn’t win the game, but we don’t feel any less about who we are as a football team by no means; let’s make that clear,” the coach explained. “We didn’t play as well as we’d like up front. I think a healthy dose of the run-pass was the goal coming in here. We didn’t achieve that.”

Dallas attempted 16 rushing plays overall, compared to 43 passes. Tony Pollard recorded 50 yards on the ground; Ezekiel Elliott managed just 32 as the Cowboys played all day like a team that was down by a lot more than they ever were.

“You don’t ever want to play from behind, obviously, with the environment,” McCarthy said. “We were in striking distance. I never felt like we were out of the game. We just didn’t play as well as we’d have liked.”

“Our offense didn’t hold up our end of the bargain,” said right guard Zack Martin, who gave up his first sack in over a year. “I think if you would have told us that our defense would hold them to 19 points, we would have felt pretty damn good about that. We’ve got to do a better job.”

“A lot of stuff wasn’t clicking for us,” wideout Michael Gallup added. “That’s the best way I can put it.”

Gallup led the team in receiving targets with 10. Cooper’s absence due to COVID-19 certainly affected the Cowboys’ air attack, and the loss of CeeDee Lamb for the second half only made matters worse. Backups Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, and Malik Turner combined to make just 5 of 11 catches for 47 yards.

“This is a total team. We have no excuses,” said McCarthy. “We had a healthy 48, and the 48 players were ready to play. We had a number of guys that didn’t play in the game; that’s the NFL, and that’s the course of the season. We all understand the challenges that, frankly, are going to pick up as we move forward. We’ve got a quick turnaround. We have to go to a Thursday game. We’ll take that experience and grow from it.”

That quick turnaround is about the only silver lining that Cowboys fans can take from Sunday’s dreadful showing. With the 5-5 Raiders set to invade AT&T Stadium on Thursday afternoon, there will be no time for the Cowboys to wallow in Sunday’s outcome.

“I don’t think this affects our confidence,” Elliott said of the Chiefs loss. “The beauty of it is we get to go play in four days. We’ve got to get back to Dallas, we’ve got to make corrections, and get ready for Thanksgiving.”

“It’s a short week, and we’ve got to put it past us,” Prescott offered. “We know the stretch ahead. There’s a lot that we can learn from tonight, and this is a resilient team that is going to continue to fight and get better, I can promise you that.”

“I think a chance to get out and get going again is preferred anytime you don’t play as well as you like,” McCarthy said.

The last time the Cowboys were embarrassed, in Week 9’s blowout loss to Denver, the team followed it up with a 40-point smackdown of Atlanta in as complete a game as many around Dallas could recall.

But now they’ve suffered two ugly losses in a three-week span. Cooper will still be out, Lamb’s status is very much a question mark, Elliott got dinged up in Kansas City, and there’s no telling if Smith will be back on the offensive line.

The explosive offense that fizzled out with a nine-point effort at Arrowhead on Sunday may be the exact bunch that tries to light it up again on Thursday.

“We’ve got to turn the page, and we would’ve done this, win or loss,” Prescott reiterated. “We’ve got to turn it quick. We’ve got a good team coming in Thursday. We’ve got to make sure we’re getting our bodies and our minds rested and in the right spot to go out there and to bounce back.

“I’m never worried about how this team is going to respond. As long as I’m a part of this team, quarterback of this offense, that’s the least of my worries is how we’re going to respond. We’re a resilient bunch.”

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Amari Cooper out; Could another Cowboys WR have a Miles Austin moment vs Chiefs?

In 2009, a bench WR stepped up in Kansas City and became a superstar; which current Cowboys player could repeat the feat this Sunday? | From @ToddBrock24f7

In the final hours leading up to an away game at Arrowhead Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys lose their biggest name at wide receiver. Winning on the road in Kansas City is a challenge for a team at full strength, but depending on a little-known depth player to step up at a key playmaking position in the notoriously-hostile environment puts the Cowboys at a distinct disadvantage.

Yes, that is the scenario enveloping the Cowboys this week as four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper has been declared out of Sunday’s matchup after being placed on the Reserve/COVID list.

But that opening premise is actually describing the 2009 season, when Dallas and Kansas City were set to square off in a Week 5 meeting. By the time the dust had settled that day, a 25-year-old Cowboys benchwarmer named Miles Austin had become an instant celebrity.

Could history repeat itself this weekend to produce a new Cowboys legend? Who in the current Dallas locker room is best-suited to play the role of Austin in the 2021 reboot?

The Cowboys were 2-2 coming into that October contest 12 years ago. It was the third year on the job for head coach Wade Phillips. Wide receiver Roy Williams, in his first full season in Dallas after being acquired by trade from Detroit the previous October, was to become the team’s top pass-catching threat after the release of Terrell Owens. But a ribs injury suffered against Denver caused Williams to miss several days of practice the following week. On Saturday, the day before their game versus the Chiefs, Williams was not on board the team plane to Kansas City. Someone named Miles Austin was to get his first NFL start.

Most Cowboys fans know the rest of the story. Austin absolutely exploded that day, hauling in ten catches from quarterback Tony Romo for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the 60-yard walkoff game-winner in overtime.

A star was born.

Williams was never again the undisputed WR1 for the rest of his short Dallas tenure. Austin, though, went on to lead the NFL in receiving yards that year and earned a Pro Bowl nod, the first of two straight. His 250-yard day at Arrowhead still stands as the franchise record for a receiver.

Austin was not a total unknown on his breakout day, though. He was officially listed as the team’s third receiving option after Owens’s release. The undrafted free agent was in his fourth season as a Cowboy, having seen action in 41 games. He had logged 23 catches on 45 targets for 435 yards and four touchdowns.

Clearly, though, Phillips and Romo and the rest of the offense thought enough of Austin to give him the opportunity when Williams was suddenly declared out.

So who is the under-the-mainstream-radar guy that the 2021 Cowboys might turn to for an Austinesque coming-out party in Kansas City? A look at the career stats of the current depth chart shows three players who all have not-dissimilar bodies of work coming into Sunday’s game.

Name Gms Tgts Recs Yds TDs
Miles Austin (entering 2009 KC game) 41 45 23 435 4
Cedrick Wilson 31 63 41 515 5
Noah Brown 45 52 31 358 0
Malik Turner 33 34 23 305 3

Wilson is the best-known of the bunch, both for his recent fill-in receiver work during Michael Gallup’s injury and for his current usage in many of the Cowboys’ gadget plays under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Turner just made a minor splash with two late scores in Week 9 to make the 30-16 loss to Denver seem less horrific than it actually was. And Brown has seen more playing time than any of them, although he hasn’t yet done anything that would light up a box score.

Wilson looks to be the primary beneficiary of Cooper’s COVID absence, but Dallas has shown a willingness to ride the guy with the hot hand. Should Brown or Turner catch fire by catching a few Dak Prescott passes in what promises to be a shootout, either could just as easily get their Miles Austin Mojo Moment this Sunday and provide the Cowboys with another weapon in the arsenal for when Cooper returns.

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Cowboys DBs aim to stop big plays from Chiefs’ Mahomes in battle of elite QBs

Trevon Diggs & Co. are focused on containing the damage Sunday. Dak Prescott, meanwhile, won’t be imitating those crazy throws from Mahomes. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Kansas City Chiefs currently throw the ball more than anyone else. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads the league in passing attempts, and by a lot; he has 50 more attempts than any other quarterback who’s played 10 games. Kansas City also leads the NFL in completions and passing yards. And while their offense has undoubtedly had to adjust their game planning with the absence of main rusher Clyde-Edwards Helaire over the past five games, the Chiefs rely on the passing game over a ground attack at a 64-to-36% clip.

So for the Cowboys to leave Arrowhead Stadium with a win on Sunday, it will require their defense to shut down- or at least effectively contain- one of the sport’s most prolific passers.

To a man, they’re well aware of the challenge that faces them.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, the league interception leader said. “Can make all the throws, mobile. Can do it all.”

“You’ve just got to try to eliminate the big plays, for sure,” explained fellow corner Anthony Brown. “That’s how they get their offense going. They like to go deep, more a passing team. So try to stay on top of everything, make them check it down.”

“I watched a lot of football, unfortunately, last year,” quarterback Dak Prescott said when asked to break down his Chiefs counterpart. “His competitiveness. He never believes he’s out of the game, thinks he can make every throw. That’s huge at that position, just to have that confidence. I think it goes a long way in bleeding to your other teammates, those guys feeding off that as well. It’s huge. And he’s a big-time playmaker. He’s a great player. MVP, obviously. Super Bowl MVP. Special talent.”

Sunday’s game is being billed largely as a showdown between the two elite quarterbacks. Prescott has played in 21 more games at the pro level than Mahomes, but Mahomes has the lead in most statistical categories. He certainly leads in hardware, as Prescott noted.

But the Dallas signal-caller is suddenly in the MVP conversation for 2021 and has a slight edge over Mahomes in several key areas this season (completion percentage, touchdown percentage, interception percentage, quarterback rating), proving that Prescott is capable of holding his own in a head-to-head showdown.

“He’s looking forward to it,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said of his passer this week. “This is a big challenge. We look at this as two excellent teams coming together. If I was a fan, this is a game I’d watch on Sunday, especially with both quarterbacks. He is down into the game plan part of it today. This is our heavy lifting day. I know come Sunday, he’ll be excited to get out there and compete.”

Prescott will personally play no role in minimizing the damage Mahomes does, and vice versa. But both top-tier passers putting their talents and high-octane offenses on display should make for quite a show.

McCarthy has been on the sidelines for several such QB battles over nearly three decades on NFL sidelines, including during his mid-’90s stint on Kansas City’s staff.

“Being Captain Obvious, they don’t compete against each other,” McCarthy shared. “But it also brings a ton of excitement to the game. I go back to my first experience, I can remember when the 49ers came to Arrowhead, and it was Joe Montana versus Steve Young- I want to say it was ’94- and just the atmosphere that it created. I think the media credentials for that game exceeded the Super Bowl credentials of the prior year. I heard that; don’t quote me. I just remember them taking all of the normal chairs out of the press box, because the press box was right by our office. But just the excitement that the game creates, I think, is awesome for the fans.”

What will be even more awesome for Cowboys fans is if the Dallas secondary is able to snuff out any fireworks from Mahomes before they do real damage on the scoreboard. Much of that will come down to how well they react when Mahomes starts to improvise.

Operating on the premise that most sacks in the NFL occur 2.3 seconds after the ball is snapped, Cowboys defenders have been focusing all week on how to maintain coverage when Mahomes extends that time by scrambling.

“That’s something that we’ve been on that since OTAs,” safety Jayron Kearse explained, “just worried about playing beyond the 2.3 and just making sure we’re staying solid and staying on top of our work. It’s really no different than it would be if we were playing against a Jalen Hurts, a guy that can move. It’s always those type of things where you have a quarterback that’s mobile, you have to be able to play further than that 2.3 to make sure you give yourself the best chance.”

It takes a steady and exhausting diet of scramble drills in practice to prepare for the real thing on game day. And not getting lured into watching what the quarterback is doing back behind the line of scrimmage.

“Just keep your eyes on your work,” Kearse elaborated. “When you got guys moving around like that, you turn around and peek at the quarterback that’s [when he’s] shooting up the field and he’s putting the ball where it needs to be.”

Mahomes will have his moments. And when he does, the second part of the defensive backs’ collective mission will be to not let the occasional schoolyard play turn into a game-breaking score.

“Catch, tackle,” Brown explained. “No run after catch. No big play. No explosives. So we’re trying to keep everything in front of us, tackle it real quick, and move on to the next play.”

But as he’s waiting on the sideline, trying to draw up his own explosive plays, don’t blame Prescott if he takes in just a bit of the Mahomes Magic Show.

“As I said, he’s a great player. I give him all the respect,” Prescott said. “A guy I’ve watched over the past few years. [I] try to take some from all the great quarterbacks’ games. He’s somebody that when you’re on the move and all the passes he does, I think everyone tries to incorporate that.”

Just don’t expect No. 4 to break out any of the no-look passes that Mahomes has made famous.

“Have I tried it? Maybe a time or two,” Prescott admitted. “A lot of times I catch my receivers off-guard with it, so I’m not that big of a fan of it.”

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Cowboys WR Amari Cooper placed on COVID list, will miss Week 11 game vs Chiefs

The Cowboys’ WR1 could also miss the Thanksgiving rematch against his old Raiders team. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott will be without one of their most lethal weapons when they travel to Kansas City for their Week 11 game. Wide receiver Amari Cooper has been placed on the team’s Reserve/COVID list, according to the team website.

The timing of the roster move means he will definitely be ineligible to play Sunday. And due to the short week before the Thanksgiving Day game, Cooper is in serious jeopardy of also missing that contest, in which he was to face his old Raiders team. Cooper’s vaccinations status, which is not known, could even impact his availability for the Cowboys’ Week 13 game in New Orleans.

Cooper is currently second on the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. As one of the few current Cowboys players who has experienced a game at Arrowhead Stadium, Cooper had just this week shared with his teammates some tips for dealing with the challenging and noisy environment.

“It is different than other spots. It gets pretty loud there,” Cooper said. “It is going to be a challenge for us, definitely with the noise.”

“It just depends on how well you can handle it as a team. I think we’ve been handling it pretty well as a team, especially with Dak recognizing the blitz, being able to get into the right situations and get the ball off on-time and stuff. We’ve been handling it well. I don’t think we’ve played a team that’s just blitzed as much as they do, so again, it’s going to be another challenge for us from that aspect as well.”

CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and Cedrick Wilson will now be the top three pass-catching targets for Prescott in what is expected to be a high-scoring affair.

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Connor McGovern to start at LG per owner, Cowboys HC McCarthy hopeful for Tyron Smith return

Jerry Jones confirmed a switch at left guard. Mike McCarthy said only, “both Connors will play,” and is hopeful that Tyron Smith will go. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys have yet to see their “best five” offensive linemen take the field together in the starting lineup in 2021. With left tackle Tyron Smith trending in the right direction after a two-game absence, it could finally happen in Kansas City on Sunday.

It just may not be the five everyone thought it was going to be.

While head coach Mike McCarthy sounds optimistic that Smith could be back for the Week 11 game versus the Chiefs, another piece on the left side of the offensive line could also be changing as well. It’s a change many within the fanbase have been clamoring for.

Owner Jerry Jones confirmed on Dallas radio that third-year player Connor McGovern will be getting the start at left guard against the Chiefs, replacing Connor Williams. Williams has started at that spot in every game this season for the Cowboys.

“I think he’s basically earned [it],” Jones said, per 105.3 The Fan.

McGovern has seen plenty of snaps in 2021, but at various other positions in the offense, lining up in special formations as a blocking back, a tight end, and even split out as a wide receiver. Now he appears set to step in at left guard, despite playing right guard for most of his career.

“The issue with him is playing left guard,” Jones continued. “He has really sold the staff and sold the team on what he can do at right guard. So he’s doing two things. He’s not only going to have that role, but he’s going to be doing it at left guard.”

McGovern started nine games at right guard last season after Zack Martin suffered a concussion and then returned to the lineup as a fill-in right tackle.

Williams has been plagued by penalties this season, drawing a league-most 13 flags in nine outings. Asked about it earlier in the week, McCarthy hinted that swapping one Connor for another might be an option.

McCarthy said Williams “clearly understands the way he performed. We have a very competitive offensive line room. We’ll see what the future brings.”

It seems the future is now here at left guard. McCarthy wouldn’t confirm a change to the starting lineup, only revealing to 105.3 The Fan that “both Connors will play in the game.”

The coach did, however, express optimism that left tackle Tyron Smith could be making his return to the left side of the line for Sunday’s interconference showdown in Kansas City.

“We’re hopeful he can go on Sunday,” the coach said of Smith at The Star in Frisco on Friday. The 30-year-old was limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, with the team working him back gradually from a bone spur issue in his ankle. Friday is traditionally the team’s mock game day; Smith was scheduled to participate.

That would have him meeting the three-game threshold that McCarthy and the training staff had laid out for Smith’s week and leaves one last hurdle for the Week 11 showdown. If Smith practices Saturday, the plan is for him to take the field on Sunday.

“He looks good,” McCarthy offered. “He felt good about his work.”

And Cowboys fans have cause to feel good, too, with the team’s seven-time Pro Bowler returning to his customary spot at left tackle and a rising star getting a shot next to him in replacing a weak link.

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Dan Quinn ‘taken aback’ by Cowboys’ game ball after Falcons win, already looking ahead to Chiefs

Dan Quinn doesn’t like to look back, but after getting the game ball for the win over Atlanta, admitted, “Didn’t know I needed that.” | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn talks a lot about “being where your feet are.” It’s his way of reminding his players- and himself- to stay in the moment, to not get too hung up on where you’ve been or what’s happened in the past, and to not worry too much about what may be to come down the road.

For seven excruciating days, Quinn’s feet were firmly planted in a week where the focus in Dallas was largely on him. His unit had just been torched by a mediocre Denver squad, and their first chance at a bounceback would just happen to come against the team Quinn coached as recently as last year.

So when the Cowboys smacked Atlanta around on Sunday in as decisive a win as any Dallas fan in a generation can recall, suffice it to say no one was happier to turn the page than Quinn.

“I’ve probably never been as excited to end a week and start a new one,” Quinn told reporters this week at The Star. “I love being right where I’m at- right where my feet are- and I try to stay there. So last week was tough, to have everyone want to go take a trip back down Memory Lane. More than anything, I just love being in the moment, right where we’re at, week-to-week, and staying in it. Definitely glad to get rocking again this week.”

The defense’s dominating performance was impressive to watch. That it came against the club that axed Quinn after just five games in 2020- and barely three seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance- added the kind of emotional significance that’s usually reserved for the movies.

Sunday’s script ended with a 43-3 exclamation point and Quinn being given the game ball.

“I was totally unprepared for that. And it meant a lot. I would say when you get fired mid-year, it’s hard. You’re embarrassed, you’re pissed,” Quinn admitted. “But, man, what a good feeling to know that there’s a whole army of people that got your back.”

“It was a very cool moment,” Quinn continued, “one that I was taken aback by.”

The moment made a splash on social media in the wake of the statement win. Quinn may have seemed speechless in the moment, but the 51-year-old who’s prone to lacing his vocabulary with four-letter words says he found a few choice ones right after that clip ended.

“I don’t think you guys saw what I said after; I’m pretty sure that’s why it was cut pretty quick,” Quinn shared. “The clean version: I’m so darn excited. And they’re some really tough guys. We’ll leave it at that.”

Quinn’s players confirmed that the coordinator didn’t treat the week of prep any differently. He, by all accounts, stayed right where his feet were.

“I don’t even think Q worried about the Atlanta Falcons,” rookie linebacker Micah Parsons said. “I think Q just wanted to come out here and punch somebody in the mouth after last week. It was the first week I ever saw Q’s face turn red at practice. I think this meant more, him being here for the Cowboys, than it meant him trying to get some type of agenda against Atlanta.”

“Anytime you go out there and have a performance [like that], it doesn’t matter who we play,” noted cornerback Jourdan Lewis. “It feels good.”

But facing a former team- one that he built, one where he still has friends and players he’s close to- does mean something different, whether Quinn admitted it out loud or not.

“It was personal. We knew that Monday,” defensive end Dorance Armstrong explained. “We just went out there and executed the game for him.”

“He didn’t even talk about it,” cornerback Trevon Diggs said of Quinn and the highly-anticipated rematch. “But we kind of read each other’s minds. We know what’s going on.”

“He should have a Super Bowl,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones commented on Dallas radio Tuesday. “He really should have a Super Bowl. But I’m not only proud for him, but I’m proud we got him. It’s contagious for the team. It was poetic for him to come in there beaming, into that dressing room after the game, to have basically put a plan together that was as effective as it [was] against his old team.”

“To be honest with you, he downplayed it to everybody,” said head coach Mike McCarthy when asked about Quinn’s rematch with the Falcons. “He didn’t even talk about it. I just think that it was obvious and obviously it meant a lot to him after the fact. We needed to win on a lot of fronts, so it was great to recognize him with the game ball.”

Quinn’s dramatic and sudden turnaround of the worst defense in franchise history will make him a popular name when coaching jobs start to come open around the league in a matter of weeks. But no matter where Quinn’s career takes him, Sunday’s game ball will have a special place on his mantel.

“I haven’t asked him where it’s going,” team executive vice president Stephen Jones laughed in a radio interview Monday, “but I know the whole team was so fired up for DQ. He’s got such energy, and certainly he wasn’t at all pleased with the week before, how we played. As I said, it was an across-the-board loss for our team the week before, and I know, probably more importantly than even beating the Falcons, was to come back and clean up a really subpar performance in terms of what we did not only as a team but, obviously, his area on defense.”

And now Quinn can get back to being where his feet are, which is prepping for a trip to the always-daunting Arrowhead Stadium to face the AFC’s representative at the past two Super Bowls.

The motto around the Cowboys facility after the Broncos beatdown was, “Spaceships don’t have rearview mirrors,” which is another way of wording Quinn’s mantra. That philosophy will come in handy again this week; holding Matt Ryan to a career-lowest passer rating in Week 10 certainly won’t mean a thing in Week 11 when the defense has to line up against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

“One, they’ve got an excellent scheme and unique ways to feature players: deep routes and screens; they’ll work the whole field horizontally and vertically, so you’ve got to defend everywhere,” Quinn said of Kansas City’s offense. “And then the second element, against mobile quarterbacks: first play begins, and then, ‘Okay, I’m going to get outside the pocket,’ and they’re exceptional at throwing the ball down the field on the run. And so I think with this quarterback, wherever he is on the field, he can get it to somebody, and has that kind of strong arm to do that.”

The Chiefs rank third in the league in passing yards per game and fourth in total offensive yards per game. Much of that yardage tends to come after Mahomes starts improvising and extending the play.

“We’ll have to be exceptional in our- we call it ‘plaster’- when the second play begins,” Quinn continued. “We’re going to have to be outstanding at that part. Now, fortunately for us, we do a lot of that against our offense with Dak and Kellen and the guys. That’s a big piece of it, but you can’t ever take that for granted. Those six or eight plays that happen in a game where the quarterback is outside of the pocket- maybe start as a quick throw, and then, man, this is going to be a six- or seven-second play.”

The Cowboys defense will need to stay in the moment- especially when Mahomes prolongs the moment- this Sunday. And even though Quinn will have already moved on long past his Falcons game-ball moment by then, he admitted that his new team’s big win over his old team may have helped ground him even further in the here and now.

“Coaches, you know, they throw a lot of clichés out about adversity, and I would say most of them are really true, I think. But anyone who goes through adversity, I think you’d also know it stings a lot. What I probably realized maybe after the game: all week, I said our defense needed to recapture our style and our identity about how we love to play. I think probably afterwards, in the locker room, I probably realized how much I needed to be a part of that win, too. To be part of it, it felt good. And to hear Mike do that and the team have my back, that was a great feeling. I probably didn’t know I needed that, but to be honest with you, I probably did.”

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