Tag: 2021 week 13

What We Learned: Parsons’ proper place, Cowboys playmakers, run game sour

Perhaps people are thinking too small when it comes to Micah Parsons. Perhaps the run game is acting too small. Lessons learned. | From @CDPiglet

The Dallas Cowboys had the most uncomfortable, comfortable win of the season in New Orleans against the Saints. With two and a half minutes left in the game, the Cowboys were up 17 points, but the game was closer than what the score board might have shown.

Dallas needed three interceptions in the last eight minutes of the game, one being a pick six, to finally pull away. Dallas had 14 drives on offense and only put up 20 points. They were absolutely atrocious on third down, only converting two out of 13 attempts, with six drives that went three-and-out. The Saints had more total plays and more rushing, passing, and total yards than the Cowboys. They topped Dallas in time of possession, also, 31:54 to 28:06.

Neither team was coming in whole, New Orleans might be the most injured team in football, having both offensive tackles, their two best weapons on offense, and a young stud edge rusher out. The Cowboys not only had big name players out, but the coaching staff was compromised by numerous members being in COVID-19 protocols.

Winning ugly allows a team to review a game like it was a loss, while still getting a win in the record column. Teams have to learn from winning ugly, and here are some things that were learned from the Saints game.

Fickle Cowboys leave fans in fugue state over team’s true identity in 2021

The Cowboys won, but once again showed areas of weakness that need to be corrected. @DailyGoonerRaf identifies them and wonders how should the viewing public feel about the on-field product?

The tryptophan low from the Thanksgiving wine and turkey has long worn off, but many Dallas Cowboys fans were still walking in a fugue state yesterday, stunned by a run of ragged football that made them wonder what was reality, the sparkling 6-1 opening or the stumbling November run?

Thursday night’s 27-17 victory over the Saints may jolt some back into reality. Many injured Cowboys returned, and so did many of the qualities that propelled the Cowboys atop their division.

The receiver trio of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup worked together for the first time since opening day. Cooper shuffled in and out of the lineup, showing a lack of 60-minute stamina. He was present for an opening scoring drive where all three passed the big-play baton among themselves.

Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Their presence coincided with improved accuracy from Dak Prescott, who logically showed more confidence in his primaries, and was bolder with his throws into traffic. One, a fourth-quarter laser to Lamb, whizzed past an unsuspecting Bradley Roby’s earhole into a window that wasn’t, until Prescott’s throw made it.

On defense Demarcus Lawrence reminded anyone who may have forgotten that he’s as big a pass-rush playmaker as Micah Parsons. Lawrence was a menace from his preferred left end spot, living in Saints quarterback Taysom Hill’s face. His reps, like Cooper’s, were limited, but his productivity augurs well for the future.

Lawrence and Parsons led a rush that forced four Saints interceptions, which chilled late Saints drives and ended a game that hung in question for too long.

WATCH: Dallas defense silences Saints with trio of INTs

With the Dallas offense struggling, the defense took the game into their own hands, picking off Taysom Hill three times to close it out.

With a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, the Dallas offense had a third-down to extend the drive and bury the Saints. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw an interception, setting up New Orleans in Cowboys territory while the Saints got away with hitting Prescott in the facemask as he made the throw.

After the untimely turnover, the Dallas defense responded. Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence forced a fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys but the call was reversed to an incomplete pass. Safety Damontae Kazee took matters into his own hands, making a certain interception three plays later.

Following the big takeaway, the Dallas offense froze and had a three-and-out, giving New Orleans another chance then cornerback Trevon Diggs got in on the interception party.

The interception is Diggs’ ninth of the season as he continues his impressive 2021 campaign with aspirations for Defensive Player of the Year. Continuing the trend, the Cowboys’ offense gave the Saints the ball right back.

This time, the Dallas defense took scoring matters into their own hands with defensive tackle Carlos Watkins intercepting a pass at the line of scrimmage and returning it 29 yards to put the nail in the coffin.

Beyond the touchdown given up, the Cowboys’ defense froze the Saints with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn putting on a clinic while taking over head coaching duties.

Cowboys not sharp in 27-17 win but performance more than enough against depleted Saints

The week leading up to the game was hell. It wasn’t pretty, but Dallas escapes the Big Easy with a double-digit victory. Here’s how it went down.

Things haven’t really gone according to plan the last several times the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints have linked up. Two teams with perennial powerhouse offenses had comined for 45 points over the last two contests. Thursday night, the two squared off for the 31st time in league history and once again it was difficult sledding for both sides.

The Saints were missing two-thirds of their starting offense and both clubs looked disjointed and unable to do what they wanted. In the end, though, Dallas’ talent advantage was enough to secure a double-digit victory despite only converting two of 13 third-down attempts.

The Cowboys entered the game in the midst of a COVID outbreak that took away their head and offensive line coaches, as well as a couple players. Without Mike McCarthy to make key decisions, Dallas went with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn who had to come down from the press box to take over head coaching duties. That gave him the opportunity to be on the sideline with his troops to celebrate his team’s four-interception game and a 27-10 victory.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and improved Dallas’ record to 8-4 as they began the final stretch of their season against six straight NFC opponents.

Dallas struggled to establish the run against a stout Saints’ defensive front while New Orleans’ passing game was mostly non-existent against a suffocating Dallas secondary. The Cowboys were able to capitalize on several big plays and with an advantage through the air, they were able to methodically snuff out the hopes of Sean Payton’s club pining for the upset.

Tony Pollard’s 58-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave Dallas the breathing room they were looking for to stretch a small lead into a comfortable one.

Dallas saw the return of several star players out for various lengths of time prior this game. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence played for the first time since Week 1, while receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb came back after missing two and one game each.

Quarterback Dak Prescott had an up and down performance that included a few bad decisions and once again a refusal to run when lanes were there for him and receivers were covered. All in all,  despite a few big plays, the offense certainly looks out of sync, especially compared  to how well it was running earlier in the season.

What makes it even more confusing is that Dallas had their full compliment of players for the first time all season.

The defense is still waiting on several key pieces on the defensive line to return, with Neville Gallimore and Trysten Hill expected back next week, but they were humming.

Micah Parsons got his 10th sack of the season, Trevon Diggs caught his ninth interception and Carlos Watkins had a fourth-quarter Pick-6. Things were impressive despite the club’s inability to adjust to Taysom Hill as a running threat and they began celebrating too soon, allowing Deonta Harris to escape multiple tackles on a late 70-yard touchdown.

Still, with all that went on this week, shifting to virtual meetings and COVID protocols throughout the organization, Dallas was able to come together for a 10-point win.

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WATCH: Cowboys Tony Pollard escapes, outruns everybody for 58-yard TD

The Cowboys rushing offense was nonexistent against the Saints until Tony Pollard broke loose for a 58-yard TD to extend the lead.

In recent weeks, the Dallas rushing offense has been pedestrian at best. Beyond the 33-yard gain for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb against the Saints, the run game was nonexistent, averaging less than two yards a carry.

For the Cowboys, this infected the offense, having just 13 points late in the third quarter. The rushing game was staying exclusive to inside runs but offensive coordinator Kellen Moore opened it up with an outside toss to running back Tony Pollard. Turns out that was the right choice.

This has been a sluggish performance from the Dallas offense but Pollard’s 58-yard run breaks it into a two-possession lead. The big touchdown was the longest run of Pollard’s career and the longest Cowboys run since 2017.

WATCH: Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse makes diving tip drill INT

The Saints pushed the Dallas defense into their own territory Jayron Kearse shut down the drive with a highlight interception.

After a strong start for the defense, things began to slow down with the Saints scoring a touchdown and then moving with ease late in the second quarter. From the Cowboys’ 26-yard line, New Orleans targeted linebacker Micah Parsons on a wheel route and it looked as if he was beaten by multiple strides.

That was until he showed off his freakish speed to break up the pass and safety Jayron Kearse came flying in to make the interception with another big Dallas toe-drag.

The interception is Kearse’s second of the year and set up the Dallas offense with just over two minutes left in the first half, ever important considering the Cowboys will receive to start the second half.

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WATCH: Cowboys’ WR Gallup caps off quick scoring drive with toe-tap TD

After a slow start, the trio of Cowboys receivers collaborated for a quick TD drive, capped off by an impressive toe-tap TD by Gallup.

The Cowboys’ offense got off to a rough start in the Superdome, with a three-and-out followed by a failed fourth-down conversion where quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missed a wide-open touchdown.

Thankfully for Dallas, the defense started strong and kept giving it back to Prescott and company. On the third offensive drive, Prescott found wide receiver Amari Cooper for a 41-yard gain to jumpstart the drive.

Fittingly, Lamb followed it up with a 33-yard screen, racing down to the Saints 1-yard line.

To finish the drive, Prescott found wide receiver Michael Gallup on a fade route, which Gallu toe-tapped to perfection for the touchdown.

In the first game since Week 1 with the Dallas trio of receivers, they all combined for a big touchdown drive, returning to form and giving the Cowboys a 7-0 lead on the road.

Cowboys-Saints Inactives: Lawrence, Lamb, Cooper active as Cedric Wilson is out

After a long wait, the Cowboys welcome back Demarcus Lawrence while Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb return to fill out the receiver trio. | From @CDBurnett7

Throughout the season, the Dallas Cowboys have battled through key injuries. The trend started with wide receiver Michael Gallup and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence going down after Week 1.

Gallup returned after a seven-game absence against the Falcons while Lawrence makes his long-awaited return against the Saints on Thursday night.

Fellow receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb were out in the loss against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thanksgiving and this will be the first game since the season opener that the trio of Cooper, Lamb and Gallup will suit up together.

Alongside the returning weapons, wide receiver Cedrick Wilson is out with an ankle injury after not practicing all week. Reserve receivers Noah Brown and Malik Turner will take over in his spot to spell the starters.

Quarterback Will Grier is inactive for another week while defensive end Azur Kamara rounds out the short list of three inactives for the Cowboys.

For possibly the first time in 2021, Dallas is the more healthy team with New Orleans missing a long list of big pieces.

Star running back Alvin Kamara is out with a knee injury while starting tackles Ryan Ramczyk and Terron Armstead are both out. Quarterback Taysom Hill returns for the Saints but without his best weapon and protection, setting up Lawrence to feast in his return.

Key defensive end Marcus Davenport is also out for New Orleans, who will be heavily shorthanded at home versus the Cowboys.

Advanced Stat Notebook- Cowboys have edge in DVOA but EPA too close to call

When looking at the advanced metrics for Week 13, they favor the Cowboys but the margins are too close to call. Here’s a look at DVOA, EPA, Toxicity, ANY/A and Success Rate. From @ProfessorO_NFL

The Dallas Cowboys will head to New Orleans to play the Saints on Thursday Night Football.  Entering Week 13 with a 7-4 record, the Cowboys will look to bounce back from a Thanksgiving Day overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cowboys have lost three of their last four games to the AFC West, but will now face conference opponents for the remainder of the season.  There were a lot of additions and losses this week that are worth noting:  CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper and Demarcus Lawrence will return from injury while Terrance Steele, Mike McCarthy and five assistant coaches will miss the game due to COVID-19.

The New Orleans Saints currently have a 5-6 record and have lost four straight games.  The Saints played on Thanksgiving as well, losing 31-6 to the Buffalo Bills. The big news for the Saints this week is that Taysom Hill has taken first team snaps at practice at quarterback and is expected to start this week.  Head coach Sean Payton has not officially announced Hill as the starter over Trevor Siemian as they are monitoring Hill’s foot injury at practice.  They are expecting Alvin Kamara to return for the Cowboys game as well.

Let’s open up the Advanced Stat Notebook to see how both teams have performed this season using advanced analytics. Here’s a review of four key metrics to see if DVOA, ANY/A, Toxicity and EPA give the Cowboys reasons to feel confident about picking up win No. 8 on the season.

Final Week 13 Injury Report: Saints’ Kamara, Ingram ready to run as Cowboys start NFC gauntlet

Cooper & Lamb, Ingram & Kamara. All back. A complete look at the injury report and the story behind each player on (and off) it for the Week 13 TNF matchup. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have got to get off of this ride. Losers of three of their last four games, the damage to the club’s playoffs hope has been minimized because of who the losses came against and whom the victory came against. Sandwiched between losses to AFC West playoff contenders from Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas, the Cowboys triumphed over NFC South basement dweller Atlanta. Despite where these teams reside in the standings, losing to opponents who don’t figure into conference records and winning against opponents which do is the only way to do such a midseason losing streak.

But none of it matters if the Cowboys don’t do well in their final six contests, all against NFC opponents. The first up? Another NFC South competitor in the Saints of New Orleans, as Dallas gears up for the difficult task of winning in the Big Easy. Both teams have gone through stretches of missing key components, but both sides are getting players back for the big Week 13 contest.

On Wednesday, the final injury report with player designations was made available by both squads. Here’s where things sit.