Tag: 2021 Week 14

Report Card, Snap Counts Week 14: Cowboys @ Washington

The Cowboys snapped Washington’s four-game win streak in Week 14, re-establishing their divisional dominance. Who played best in the win? | From @Zeke_Barrera

The game began a lot better than it ended, but the Cowboys were still able to escape Washington with a commanding division lead entering the final part of their season. One side of the ball graded out significantly higher than the other, reversing the trends and expectations from earlier in the season, but still a welcoming development.

All year it’s seemed a struggle for the entire Cowboys team to get on the same page, but that same optimism and potential still remains if they’re able to finally get in-sync. It may not have happened in Week 14, but it was still plenty good enough to get the win.

Here’s how the Cowboys graded out in Week 14, along with the playtime percentage breakdown.

What We Learned: Cowboys offense now relying on defensive bailouts

The Dallas Cowboys versus Washington Football Team taught us Parsons has increasing DPOY odds, and defense is the team’s top unit. From @CDPiglet

As it turns out, The Washington Football Team didn’t want the Dallas Cowboys, as much as their fans claimed it was so. After a buildup that included a victory guarantee, coaches going back and forth in press conferences, and the division all but on the line, the Cowboys went into halftime up 24-0 it what seemed like a mismatch.

Some very sloppy play by the Dallas offense, including two interceptions from quarterback Dak Prescott, allowed the Football Team to make it a close score in the last three minutes, but the defense stepped up and caused their fourth turnover to shut the door for the 27-20 victory.

The tale of two halves can teach a team lots of great things in one half, and show them lots of poor play in another, giving the coaches a lot to work with over the next week. Here are some examples of what was learned from Sunday’s division win in Washington.

Cowboys’ Randy Gregory returns in fine fashion, Week 14 player of game

The Dallas Cowboys got a big bolt from a returning star, as Randy Gregory reconvenes his personal victory tour after four weeks away. | From @TimLettiero

It became clear early on in Sunday’s game, this unit led by defensive coordinator Dan Quinn came fired up and ready to play. The Dallas Cowboys were getting the returns of defensive tackle Neville Gallimore and defensive end Randy Gregory, following last week’s return of DeMarcus Lawrence, and as a result the front seven saw big gains in their productivity. As a unit, they allowed only two scores, both in the second half, while adding a score of their own on a fumble recovery.

Gregory’s impact was felt the most and felt early. His stat line might not have a lot of crooked numbers, but his impact certainly put the Washington Football Team’s offense in a pretzel. Gregory had a sack, a forced fumble, a pass deflection, and an interception and the timing of those impact plays made things all the more incredible.

Washington’s second drive of the game, began in great field position, after Dallas QB Dak Prescott sailed a pass intended for CeeDee Lamb that was intercepted by safety Landon Collins. Washington started on Dallas’ 37, trailing 3-0 and in position to even the score or take the early lead. On 3rd-and-10, quarterback Taylor Heinicke looked to pass left for a screen but Gregory saw it coming.

He leaped up, tipped the pass into the air and then intercepted the ball, gaining 12 yards on the return.

His great start would not stop though. Throughout the remainder of the game he’d rack up five quarterback pressures but its his one tackle that stemmed the tide.

Dallas had seen their 24-0 halftime lead evaporate thanks to a Prescott Pick-6 that shrunk the score to 27-20 with just over four minutes remaining. To make matters worse, the Cowboys went three-and-out on their next possession, leaving Washington an opportunity to tie the game, or worse go for two points and take the lead.

Gregory was not having any of it.

On 3rd-and-3, Gregory turned in this insanely clutch strip-sack fumble of backup QB Kyle Allen, which was recovered by Cowboy safety Jayron Kearse, sealing the win.

Gregory’s presence was missed the past few weeks. It was clear Quinn having all his pieces back makes this defense a scary unit to come up against, as it freed rookie Micah Parsons who had an incredible game himself with two sacks and a forced fumble. Having Lawrence, Gregory and Parsons together is something Dallas fans have been waiting for and it paid real dividends in their first outing together since Week 1.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Red-zone offense dampens enthusiasm from Cowboys’ stellar defensive effort

Despite a shaky offensive effort, the Dallas Cowboys rode a great defense to a 27-20 victory over the Washington Football Team in Week 14. @BenGrimaldi breaks down what worked and what didn’t.

The Dallas Cowboys needed to go into Washington and earn a victory to gain separation in the tightening NFC East. Mission accomplished. The Cowboys limped their way to a 27-20 win over the Football Team and opened a three-game lead in the division with just four games to play.

After head coach Mike McCarthy declared his team would win the rivalry contest, the game took on more meaning and it was up to the Cowboys to make a prophet out of him. Dallas came out firing on all cylinders, putting up 18 points in the first quarter and taking a 24-0 lead into halftime. Yet the Cowboys had a difficult time putting Washington to bed in the final 30 minutes. It was an ugly and confusing second half of football where the Cowboys looked nothing like they did early on.

The Cowboys got the win in the end and now sport a 9-4 record and have won seven consecutive conference matchups. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly in the Week 14 win for the Cowboys.

WATCH: Cowboys’ Gregory crushes late comeback drive with strip sack

After a collapse from the offense, Randy Gregory took matters into his own hands with a strip-sack to silence Washington’s comeback effort.

Going into the fourth quarter, Dallas held a 27-8 lead and the defense had complete control of the Washington offense, even with quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense struggling outside of their lone touchdown drive.

With five minutes left, the Football Team scored a touchdown to make it a closer game at 27-14 but it still appeared to be a done deal and a Cowboys win. That was until Prescott missed tight end Dalton Schultz for an easy first down and instead threw straight to Cole Holcomb for a pick-six, making it a one-possession game.

On par with the rest of the day, the Dallas offense had another three-and-out, setting up Washington with a chance to tie or take the lead late. For what felt like the millionth time, Dan Quinn’s defense crushed the hopes of their opponent and defensive end Randy Gregory knocked the ball away from Kyle Allen. Safety Jayron Kearse recovered the fumble to give the Cowboys an exhale.

Following the big takeaway, Prescott converted a third down and sealed the deal for Dallas who moves to 9-4 on the season and takes a commanding 3-game lead in the NFC East.

Cowboys LT Smith questionable to return with left ankle injury

After an injury scare with La’el Collins in the first half, Tyron Smith is questionable to return with a left ankle injury in Washington.

During the first half, the Cowboys gasped when starting right tackle La’el Collins went to the locker room with a leg injury. After missing the end of the second quarter, Collins returned to the field.

Late in the third quarter, left tackle Tyron Smith had his left ankle stuck under left guard Connor McGovern and struggled to get back to his feet. Smith went to the sideline and Ty Nsekhe took over in his absence on the left side of the offensive line.

In recent years, Smith has constantly dealt with injuries while his play on the field is always superb. Having already missed three games, Dallas will need the former All-Pro to defend quarterback Dak Prescott as the offense continues to struggle in November and December.

Cowboys defense saves the day, Dallas outlasts Washington

Dallas’ defense shined at every level, making up for a difficult day for the offense thanks to relentless pressure from their front. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The personality of the Dallas Cowboys has shifted dramatically. At the start of the 2021 season, the offense was on a record-setting pace, the quarterback was in the MVP conversation and talks about whether or not the team would be able to retain their hotshot young offensive coordinator after the season were real. Fastforward to the second half of the season, and it appears the Cowboys’ defense are the stars of the show.

For the first time all season, Dallas played with their star-laden cast of characters and they thrived in every conceivable way. Consistent pressure led to a slew of forced turnovers and extra possessions on way to a 27-20 road victory over the Washington Football Team. All thanks go to the defensive front which throttled the Washington offense and quarterback’s Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen.

DeMarcus Lawrence, Neville Gallimore and Randy Gregory were on the field together for the first time this season and combined for three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble, the last two stats compiled by Gregory. Defensive rookie of the year lock and player-of-the-year candidate Micah Parsons had two sacks, including a forced fumble that was returned for a touchdown, the defense’s second-straight week with a score.

The win moved Dallas to 9-4 on the season and ended Washington’s four-game winning streak as the latter tried to make the NFC East race interesting.

The Cowboys were able to survive a lowly effort by the offense, which failed to convert on four of five red-zone possessions while Dak Prescott threw two interceptions at other points in the game.

After 10 days off and getting several members of the team back from the COVID restricted list including head coach Mike McCarthy, the offense looked disjointed in several ways. Prescott sailed a pass for a first-half interception and completely missed a lurking linebacker for a late pick-six to put the final score in doubt.

However Gregory came through on a third-down play to chase and bring down Allen, who had come in for Heinicke after Gallimore destroyed the center on the way to knocking out the lineman and the QB on the same sack.

Dallas missed several interception opportunities early, but the biggest reason they squandered 24-0 and 27-8 second-half leads was due to the offense’s continued struggles. After starting out hot in converting third downs, Dallas finished just 7-of-18 for the contest and 1-of-6 in the red zone, though the final miss was on end-of-game kneel downs.

The Cowboys still have plenty of time to straighten out their woes with the ball, and the improved play of the defense over the last couple of weeks gives hope that both sides of the ball have the ceiling to win ball games when called upon.

Reaching both ceilings in the same game and consistently will be the ask for the final four games of the season.

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WATCH: Cowboys defense bails out offense with forced fumble

After Washington scored their first points, the Dallas offense couldn’t respond. Luckily, Jourdan Lewis forced another takeaway for Dallas.

The Cowboys dominated the first half but even with a 21-0 lead, the offense seemed off, which is how they’ve looked for the last month. Dallas’ defense stepped up to the opportunity and scored a touchdown of their own while limiting Washington to just 29 yards in the first half.

In the second half, the Football Team woke up with a massive touchdown catch by Cam Sims and a two-point conversion to make it a 24-8 game and create some drama in Washington. For the Cowboys’ offense, the sluggish performance continued, punting after just a single first down.

Similar to most of the game, the Dallas defense cleaned up the mess again with a forced fumble and recovery by cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who punched the ball out of Antonio Gibson’s hands.

Even on a drive starting at the Washington 25-yard line, the offense couldn’t find momentum and stalled out. Kicker Greg Zuerlein made the 29-yard field goal to make it a 27-8 lead, pushing it to a three-possession difference.

Cowboys RT La’el Collins goes to locker room with leg injury

During the second quarter in Washington, starting right tackle La’el Collins quickly went to the locker room with a leg injury.

The culprit? Apparently Collins is dealing with leg cramps.

Coming into the week, Dallas was healthy at almost every position but Collins was checked on by medical staff and quickly went to the locker room during the second quarter in Washington.

For this game, the Cowboys already have a 21-point lead but Collins’ status for the late-season stretch is something to keep an eye on. With him off the field, Steele takes over duties at right tackle where he started during Collins’ suspension early in the season.

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WATCH Cowboys rookie Micah Parsons demand DPOY love with strip sack vs Washington

Micah Parsons made his weekly highlight, crushing Taylor Heinicke for a strip-sack returned by Dorance Armstrong for a touchdown. | From @CDBurnett7

The long-awaited trio of pass rushers Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory and Micah Parsons made their first start together since Week 1. On the second defensive drive, Gregory made an interception that resulted in a touchdown for Dallas.

Parsons made his weekly highlight play on a fourth down for Washington, who found themselves down 11-0 early in the game. The rookie linebacker leveled Taylor Heinicke, forcing the ball loose. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong scooped up the fumble and returned it back 37 yards to give the Cowboys a commanding 18-0 lead.

This is just another game-breaking play from Parsons, who has become a star for the Cowboys. Parsons has all but locked up the Defensive Rookie of the Year award but with his 11th sack and third forced fumble, the rookie continues to drive himself into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

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