Tag: 2021 Week 3

What We Learned: Certain Cowboys shut it down, turned it up and bust things open

What we learned about the Dallas Cowboys rookie defenders, the safety position, Ezekiel Elliott, Trevon Diggs, and Dalton Schultz. | From @CDPiglet

The Dallas Cowboys played in a barometer game Monday Night against the rival Philadelphia Eagles. If the Cowboys were gonna be seen as a real contender, then beating Philadelphia wasn’t gonna be enough. Dallas needed to dominate, and after a 20-point blow out, it seems they did what was necessary.

The contest wasn’t close, Dallas accumulated 27 first downs to the Eagles 12. They won the turnover battle, had nearly ten more minutes of time of possession, almost 100 more rushing yards, and just under 20 more plays. If not for one defensive play by the Eagles and a missed touchdown on a replay review of a Dak Prescott quarterback sneak, then this game could’ve been a five-touchdown romp.

There is a lot that can be learned in a big, intra-division blowout win like this and here are some of the things that bode well for the future of the team.

 

Undisputed ends, immobility at its finest among 4 takeaways from Cowboys’ big win

Following the big MNF win, the big takeaways from the Cowboys’ performance include the defensive breakthroughs and Prescott’s evolution. | From @CDBurnett7

The 2021 Dallas Cowboys have now played three games and the tone set by the offense in each game has been drastically different. Week 1 was a shootout against the defending champs where quarterback Dak Prescott threw 58 passes. Week 2 was an Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard feature performance as the running backs dominated the line of scrimmage. So what could anyone expect going into Week 3?

The offense was a well-oiled, balanced attack against the division-rival Eagles, combining the pass and run game effortlessly to score 34 points while Trevon Diggs added a pick-six to hang 41 points on Philadelphia and take sole lead of the NFC East on Monday night. Following the big win in the home opener, there’s a lot to take from the matchup and it starts with the complete flip Dan Quinn has done for the defense in his first year in Dallas.

3 Stars: Cowboys’ Diggs sandwiches his way into ‘214’ territory in Week 3 win

The Dallas Cowboys got inspired performances in Week 3 from Trevon Diggs, Dak Prescott, and Ezekiel Elliott against the Philadelphia Eagles. | From @StarConscience

The Dallas Cowboys came into Week 3 riding high off of a tough win against the Los Angeles Chargers on the road. However, their home opener took place on Monday night and there was no better opponent to have than the hated Philadelphia Eagles.

What added some spice to this matchup was that sole possession of first place in the NFC East was on the line. Even this early in the season, such things hold importance as witnessed by Philly head coach Nick Sirianni and his Beat Dallas t-shirt exploits during the week. The Cowboys played inspired football with a 41-21 beatdown of the Eagles that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate. It marked the fourth consecutive win for the Cowboys against the Eagles inside AT&T Stadium and here are the three players who spearheaded it.

Instant Analysis: Cowboys’ kid defenders play to their ceiling, throw house party in home opener

Two tears in a bucket, let’s take it to the stage. The Cowboys threw themselves a House Party on Monday night, so it’s only right to pay homage to the 1990 classic film while breaking down the action. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Youth has been served. The Dallas Cowboys turned in their most complete performance in some time on Monday night, pushing around the Philadelphia Eagles for a 20-point win where they still left points on the board. It was a dominating 41-21 victory that included more of a two-headed rushing monster that’s been established in the first two weeks, another exquisite leadership performance by quarterback Dak Prescott and a second-straight inspiring defensive performance.

The Cowboys have a handful of veteran players on defense, but by and large they were led Monday night by the kids’ play. One might even say they threw a house party at the AT&T Stadium home opener as the full force of their defense locked Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts in a refrigerator for most of the night. Every little step he took in the backfield must’ve felt like he was grounded in his bedroom. For more of how it all went down, one just has to follow the drip.

Good, Bad, Ugly from Cowboys big win: Blowout victory with things to clean up make for coach’s dream

A strong running game and a young defensive core led the Dallas Cowboys to a convincing 41-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. There were some things that need to be cleaned up, though. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys finally got to play their home opener and they didn’t disappoint their 90,000 fans who were in attendance, whipping the rival Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 41-21. With first place on the line in the NFC East, the Cowboys proved they are the cream of the crop, dominating on both sides of the ball in the win.

In Dak Prescott’s first game at AT&T Stadium since his ankle injury in 2020, he led an efficient and balanced offensive effort. Prescott completed over 80% of his passes in throwing forfor 238 yards and three scores in the rout.

That of course wasn’t the only noteworthy performance in the putting up of the club’s first 40 burger. It may be hard to fathom, but not everything was perfect either. Here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from the Dallas victory.

3 Keys to Victory: What Cowboys need to do to vs Eagles

If the Dallas Cowboys can keep getting turnovers, have a productive two running back system, and neutralize Jalen Hurts they’ll go to 2-1. | From @StarConscience

It may only be Week 3 in the NFL but the Dallas Cowboys have a huge game Monday night as they host their NFC East rival the Philadelphia Eagles in their 2021 home opener. The Cowboys will be looking to continue a three-game home winning streak against the Eagles and take over sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

This will also be the first game in AT&T Stadium for Dak Prescott since his compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle last October so emotions will be running high. The Cowboys will need to channel that energy into good play on the field though and here are three keys to making that a reality.

3 Players to Watch: These Cowboys have the most important roles vs Eagles

The Cowboys will need all hands on deck to defeat the Eagles on Monday night, but these three players are going to have the biggest impact. | From @StarConscience

The Philadelphia Eagles are invading AT&T Stadium on Monday Night Football as the Cowboys open up the home portion of their 2021 schedule and both have their first divisional matchup. This game also marks the beginning of a three-game home stand for the Cowboys and nothing would set off the stretch better than a win over their hated rivals.

The Cowboys are riding a wave of momentum defensively, leading the NFL in turnovers, and on offense have found a productive two-back attack to go along with Dak Prescott throwing the rock to his array of receivers. All of the nation’s eyes will be on America’s Team per usual and here are three players who could be the spearheads to a big victory.

Final Injury Report: War of attrition on deck as Cowboys, Eagles rule starters out

There’s going to be a lot of players missing in action for the first NFC East battle for both teams. A rundown of the long and short-term. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys will not be their whole selves on Monday night, and neither will the Philadelphia Eagles. The two NFC East rivals kick off their division schedule with a Week 3 primetime matchup that will put two teams with 1-1 records against each other. Though the season is only two weeks old, injuries, suspensions and COVID protocols have completely altered the starting lineups and the depth of both teams.

With the teams releasing their final injury reports on Saturday, a clearer picture of who will be available and who won’t has come into focus.

The biggest news is who isn’t on the Cowboys’ injury report as WR Amari Cooper (ribs) has been a full participant recently and vowed to suit up. Injured in Week 1, he was clearly hobbled against the Los Angeles Chargers and his being hobbled potentially sets up another two-headed running back attack from Kellen Moore’s offense. Dallas has suffered a slew of injuries along the defensive line and things got even more complicated in their front seven with two COVID designations.

Here’s a look at each of the key figures who will miss the contest as well as who remains in doubt a little more than 48 hours out from opening kickoff.

CBS Sports grades Oklahoma’s performance in win vs. Nebraska

CBS Sports handed out grades to each of the College Football Playoff contenders and didn’t look kindly upon OU’s narrow win over Nebraska.

Oklahoma was given a tough four-quarter matchup by historical rival Nebraska. It was a game that went the distance and required the Sooners come up with several defensive stops to seal the victory.

Unfortunately for Oklahoma, struggling against an unranked team for the second time in three weeks left many national observers disappointed with a preseason favorite.

Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports handed out grades for the top playoff contenders in college football and the Oklahoma Sooners came up with a disappointing “C+.”

Here’s what Sallee had to say.

Yeah, it was a rivalry game, but Oklahoma underwhelmed in its 23-16 win over Nebraska. The Cornhuskers defense was a pain in the rear for Sooners QB Spencer Rattler , who was erratic. This team looked like anything but a title contender. – Sallee

Week to week is going to be an adventure for the Oklahoma Sooners as they enter Big 12 play. Nebraska’s “2-high” safety look cause some issues for the Sooners deep passing game and Oklahoma wasn’t consistent enough after opening the game with a 14 play drive for a score.

Did Nebraska provide the recipe for how to slow down Lincoln Riley’s offensive attack? Possibly. The good news, however, is that the running game and the defense were more than capable of picking up for the Sooners passing attack.

Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray combined for 159 rushing yards and the defense made just enough splash plays to hold off a valiant effort from Cornhuskers quarterback Adrian Martinez.

There are still questions to be answered about this Oklahoma team as they get ready to host West Virginia, a team they haven’t lost to since the Mountaineers entered the Big 12. But it’s still early in the season and the Sooners have more than enough time to get it right to defend their Big 12 championship and contend for the College Football Playoff.

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2 Sooners defenders selected to PFF week 3 award list

Which Sooners were named to the PFF Week 3 Awards List?

Two Sooners have landed on the Pro Football Focus College Football Week 3 Awards List following OU’s 23-16 win over Nebraska on Saturday. Defensive lineman Jalen Redmond was named to the Defensive Team of the Week, and cornerback D.J. Graham was award with Play of the Week honors. 

Redmond earned the all-defense nod by PFF following a five tackle, 1.5 sack performance. In fact, the redshirt sophomore recorded the sack on 3rd and 11 right before Graham made the play that broke the internet on fourth down. 

Earlier today, John Williams of Sooners Wire broke down Redmond’s performance and explained what his production could do for this Sooners defense. 

On Saturday, he recorded his first sack since he led the Sooners in 2019 and finished the day with 1.5 sacks. Redmond added two tackles for loss and was in on 31 of a possible 63 defensive snaps. He showed some burst off the edge in addition to his typical duties rushing inside…Jalen Redmond is starting to turn it on and the Sooners will need every bit of his pass rush prowess to contend as they start their Big 12 slate.

Redmond’s resurgence inside Oklahoma’s defensive line adds another dynamic to an already dangerous unit. OU’s ability to create interior pressure could pay dividends for a team that may need to win games in an ugly fashion in 2021.

D.J. Graham’s Play of the Week selection is sure to be remembered for the rest of the year. Down a pair of starters in the secondary, Graham shook off his previous struggles by making this incredible interception.

With any luck, this interception could spark a fire in the former wide receiver. Oklahoma needs a lockdown corner to pair with its dominant pass rush if the offense continues to lag behind as the Sooners get set for conference play.