Tag: 2021 season week 6

3 Cowboys fined after Week 6 win, including WR CeeDee Lamb for goodbye wave

Lamb’s wave didn’t draw a penalty flag, since it came after the game had officially ended, but it will cost him over $10,000 just the same. | From @ToddBrock24f7

CeeDee Lamb waved goodbye to Patriots cornerback Jalen Mills after beating him to the end zone on a 35-yard touchdown catch in overtime of last week’s dramatic win in New England.

But now the Dallas Cowboys receiver will be waving goodbye to $10,300 because of it.

The NFL announced fines for three Cowboys on Saturday for actions in the Week 6 game in Foxborough. Lamb’s fine was for unsportsmanlike conduct,  even thought the act itself came after the game officially went final and therefore didn’t draw a flag. The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, who points out that no fine was levied against Mills for his shove of Lamb.

But the second-year pass-catching phenom isn’t the only Cowboys player for whom the team’s fifth straight win proved to be a little costly.

Rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs received a $7,981 fine for unnecessary roughness; he hit Patriots receiver N’Keal Harry in the facemask after a play in the first quarter.

And offensive lineman Connor Williams drew the biggest fine of all, a $16,394 bill for a horribly-timed unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the final seconds of the fourth quarter of play. That infraction created a dire 3rd-and-25 situation; it was only thanks to quarterback Dak Prescott’s 24-yard completion to Lamb on the next play that the Cowboys were able to attempt the 49-yard-field goal from Greg Zuerlein that ended up sending the game into overtime.

The Cowboys have had 59 flags thrown against them so far this season, the most in the league.

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Cowboys DE Randy Gregory’s violent strip sack wins Week 6 ‘Way to Play’ Award

Randy Gregory’s takedown of the Patriots QB wasn’t just a game-changer, it was a textbook example of today’s preferred tackling technique. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory was praised by his coaches this week, singled out as an example for younger players to follow thanks to the consistent approach he takes to his craft. Now he’s being spotlighted for how textbook-perfectly he executed that craft in one notable moment last Sunday.

Gregory has been awarded the NFL Way to Play Award for Week 6 for that second-quarter demolition job on Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. The award is handed out based on recommendations from a panel that includes former players Merrill Hoge, Orlando Pace, Ronnie Lott, Willie McGinest, and Michael Robinson. NFL Network’s Good Morning Football crew made the announcement on the show this week.

As per the official explanation of the award, “With 10:14 remaining in the second quarter, Gregory demonstrated proper pass-rushing technique by keeping his head up and out while leading with his shoulder as he sacked Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. He made sure he did not land on the quarterback with his body weight as he made the tackle. His play led to a forced fumble that was recovered by Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston for a takeaway.”

The league often catches flak these days from old-school fans for having become “soft,” but Gregory’s game-changing and de-cleating tackle shows that an unabashedly violent hit can still be totally by-the-book.

It was the kind of tackle that belongs in a NFL time capsule to show future generations. And now it’s being held up around the league to today’s players as the right way to play.

Gregory will receive a personal letter from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, plus a $2,500 equipment donation through USA Football to be awarded to a local youth or high school football program of his choice.

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Cowboys’ Dak Prescott named Offensive Player of the Week for record day vs Patriots

Dak Prescott threw for more yards against the Patriots under Bill Belichick than any QB in history, earning him the award for the 4th time. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys offense amassed 567 total net yards in Sunday’s overtime heartstopper in New England. That’s an impressive number against any professional club, but it’s uniquely rare coming against a Bill Belichick-coached squad.

In fact, that’s the most yardage that a Belichick defense has ever allowed in a game in which he’s been either a head coach or defensive coordinator. That’s 619 games. More than 38 16-game seasons.

It seems like someone should win an award for that. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott has.

Prescott was named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his lights-out performance in Week 6. He went 36-of-51 for 445 passing yards and three touchdowns, including the walk-off game winner in overtime to CeeDee Lamb.

That mark of 445 passing yards represents the most ever recorded against the Patriots under Belichick.

The award is quite a way to punctuate a game in which Prescott didn’t even look sharp for much of it. His end-zone interception and goal-line fumble, both in the second quarter, kept the score much closer at intermission than it probably should have been, given the Cowboys’ statistical advantage in most other categories up to that point.

Prescott was thoroughly dominant in the second half, just as he has been overall during his comeback campaign after missing most of last season due to injury. After six weeks in 2021, he ranks fifth in the NFL with 1,813 passing yards and is just seven thousandths of a percentage point behind Arizona’s Kyler Murray for the best completion percentage among regular starting quarterbacks. His touchdown total (16) and passer rating (115.0) also place him among the league leaders.

It’s the fourth time Prescott has won this award in his career.

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