Tag: 2021 Week 8

Dak Prescott ruled out as Cowboys-Vikings announce Week 8 Inactives

After a dramatic warmup routine, Dak Prescott is ruled out for the primetime matchup against the Vikings. Cooper Rush will start for Dallas. | From @CDBurnett7

All throughout the week, the status of quarterback Dak Prescott loomed over Sunday Night Football with the Dallas Cowboys coming off the bye in a testing matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Prescott went through his normal pregame routine impressively but the calf strain was deemed too detrimental for him to start for Dallas at US Bank Stadium. It’s a heavy blow for the Cowboys and backup Cooper Rush will have to salvage after taking the first-team reps in practice during the week. Quarterback Will Grier is active as the backup for Rush.

The fourth-year defensive end has only played in two of the six games in 2021 after an eye-opening offseason.

Wide receiver Michael Gallup returned to practice this week but isn’t ready for a return but cornerback Kelvin Joseph is active for the first time in his rookie campaign, expected to make his NFL debut in primetime.

Here’s a look at the rest of Dallas’ inactives for the Week 8 matchup on Sunday Night Football.

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Cowboys Final Injury Report: Prescott decision vs Vikings down to wire

With all eyes focused on the status of Dallas’ quarterback, no answers arrived on Saturday. Prescott will to be a true game-time decision. | From @AsaHenry_55

Arguably two of the Dallas Cowboys three most important players find themselves  listed as questionable on the final Week 8 injury report ahead of the Week 8 matchup. Left tackle Tyron Smith and quarterback Dak Prescott both find themselves listed as 50/50 chances to suit up against the Minnesota Vikings, with Prescott being labeled a true game-time desicion,

It was believed Prescott’s status would be determined during Saturday’s final practice, but the team has decided to wait until warmups on Sunday night to make the decision. The MVP candidate’s toughness and competitiveness are well documented, but the Cowboys coaches, front office, and even Prescott himself have acknowledged they must look at the big picture of the season and how important it is that this calf issue does not linger.

Fourth-year Central Michigan product Cooper Rush would be the Cowboys’ starter should the team err on the side of caution.

The Vikings will be without defensive tackle Michael Pierce for the third consecutive week. Defensive end Patrick Jones II, a third-round pick, was battling to take over the snaps vacated after Minnesota traded out Stephen Weatherly, but it appears those will go to  Kenny Willekes with Jones being listed as doubtful.

As for Smith, the All-Pro bookend popped up on the injury report ahead of Week 6 with a neck issue, an injury he had surgery on in the offseason, and rolled his ankle against New England. Smith said he “feels great,” and is expected to play Sunday.

Defensive end Dorance Armstrong is the third questionable Cowboy this week as he was limited in practice all week. Armstrong hasn’t played since injuring his ankle in Week 2. Through two games Armstrong looked much improved, and he began carving out his role in the defensive line rotation.

Defensive tackle Brent Urban (triceps) and Maurice Canady (concussion) were added to the injured reserve, while cornerback Kelvin Joseph were activated from the list on Saturday.

Gallup is dealing with a calf strain, like Prescott, and while he hasn’t been activated from IR, he was designated to return, opening up a 21-day practice window. Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said Gallup’s return is “right around the corner.”

Joseph came back to practice this week after injuring his groin in the team’s final exhibition contest, the second-round rookie is set to make his NFL debut Sunday.

Dallas also gets  the services of La’el Collins back this week following his five-game suspension, though Terence Steele will continue to start at the right tackle after playing well in Collins absence. Collins is backing up both right tackle and Connor Williams at left guard, Collins’ position his first two years in the league.

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Advanced stats size up Cowboys-Vikings matchups in event Prescott plays

On Halloween night, whose advanced stats put more of a scare in their opponents? Sizing up a closer-than-the-records-indicate SNF matchup. @ProfessorO_NFL takes a look at DVOA, EPA, ANY/A and Toxicity advantages.

The 5-1 Dallas Cowboys will travel north to face the 3-3 Minnesota Vikings in primetime on Sunday Night Football. With both teams coming off bye weeks and getting reinforcements off injured reserve lists, this should be an exciting matchup.

The Cowboys are riding a five-game winning streak with the Vikings winning three of their last four contests.  Things go out the window if Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is unable to play, but the data is what it is. Meanwhile, the upcoming schedule for Minnesota isn’t kind with the Ravens, Chargers and Packers next in line.

With the teams facing off on Halloween, this matchup features dual two-headed monsters in the rushing game, lethally accurate quarterbacks and dangerous wide receivers.  Which side should feel confident and who should be afraid?

Here’s a review a some key advanced statistics to see if DVOA, ANY/A, Toxicity and EPA give the Cowboys reasons to feel confident about picking up win No. 6 on the season.

Cowboys Wire Podcast: Honestly, Cowboys should beat enigmatic Vikings comfortably. Should.

Will the cap make the Cowboys’ championship aspirations one and done? Is Collins being benched as trade bait? Should the Vikings-game line be as small as it is? @ryano_leary and @KDDrummondNFL talk it all over.

The Dallas Cowboys are coming out of their bye week and have the Minnesota Vikings next on the horizon. They are 2.5-point favorites, although Dak Prescott is currently limited in practice with a calf injury. With the way the Vikings have performed, Dallas should be able to earn their sixth victory in a row despite the fact that Minnesota has the elements on offense that could present the Cowboys’ defense problems.

Is there a limited window for the Cowboys? Is this year at the end of a championship contender window because of their salary cap situation or is it the end?

Also, a discussion about the La’el Collins return and all the weirdness happening surrounding his return and whether his being on the bench is a sign that there could be some trade activity on the horizon. Ryan O’Leary and K.D. Drummond chop it up about the very fun, very interesting 2021 Cowboys.

Best and worst Pro Football Focus Grades from Oklahoma’s win over Kansas

How did Pro Football Focus grade the Oklahoma Sooners in their win over the Kansas Jayhawks?

It was a performance that left many observers scratching their heads. This Oklahoma Sooners team looked like they’d started trending toward more dominating play over six quarters in their wins over Texas and TCU. To say the Sooners started slowly against Kansas would be an understatement.

As a team, things didn’t go well for them in the first half. They struggled to stop one of the worst offensive teams in college football, and the offense failed to score on any of their three possessions. The second half was better, but both sides of the ball struggled to overcome their 10-point halftime deficit and close out a pesky Jayhawks team.

Due to their lackluster showing against Kansas, the Sooners dropped in the USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 Poll to No. 4 in the nation. While those polls may not directly reflect the views of the College Football Playoff Committee when they release the initial College Football Playoff Rankings next Tuesday night, that performance could come back to bite them.

The Oklahoma Sooners have no margin for error at this point. A loss at any point the rest of the way would likely have them out of the College Football Playoff picture.

They have a chance to change the perception of this team as they get set to host the Texas Tech Red Raiders. However, before we look ahead, let’s look back at some of the best and worst grades from Pro Football Focus from the Sooners win over Kansas.

Mike McCarthy: Cowboys to ‘start the week’ with La’el Collins in bench role

Yes, Collins has played better than Steele at RT. Yes, Collins is better at RT than at LG. Maybe this is about making Collins earn his job. Maybe he’s a better LG than Connor. Much to dissect. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Surprise, surprise, the Dallas Cowboys haven’t been playing coy after all. Many eyebrows have been raised by fans as the front office and coaching staff have refused to utter the words most expected to hear over the last two weeks. After missing the last five games of the season due to a suspension for allegedly bribing a drug-testing official, starting right tackle La’el Collins will will have an uphill battle to return to the starting lineup.

Terence Steele has improved remarkably from his time replacing Collins during 2020, when the then-undrafted rookie free agent struggled mightily across 14 starts. He’s played much better, finding a comfort level most outside of the Dallas coaching staff did not see coming. He won the swing tackle job from veteran Ty Nsekhe in the offseason and for now at least is holding off the returning Collins.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said that as practice resumes on Wednesday, Steele will continue to run with the 1s, as Collins backs up both him and left guard Connor Williams.

Collins entered the league playing left guard before being moved outside to tackle after two seasons.

While Steele is ascending, Collins has certainly played better than Steele is playing now, but after missing five of the first six games and not playing in 2020 due to a hip injury that required surgery, Collins has opened the door for several things.

He reported to camp in 2020 badly out of shape and the team did not make the same supportive effort in his suspension appeal as they have done for another noteworthy player, Ezekiel Elliott back in 2017. Collins will apparently have to earn his way back into Dallas’ starting lineup instead of being handed the position.

The bye week certainly gave Dallas time to evaluate what they wanted to do with their offensive line. Connor Williams had a rough game in Week 6 against New England. While Collins had some signature highlight plays as a guard, he lost his starting job to Ron Leary in 2016 after he started the season with some major issues there before suffering injury.

He could still, however, prove to be a better option there than Williams, who receives a bad rap for normally more-than-adequate play at guard. Williams isn’t at the level of perennial Pro Bowlers Tyron Smith and Zack Martin, but he doesn’t play as horribly as many feel he does. That doesn’t mean that Dallas isn’t in a position to try and get the best five offensive linemen on the field.

That effort could also potentially lead to backup interior player Connor McGovern getting some snaps. He’s been placed at fullback and as a sixth lineman, but could challenge for play time with second-year center Tyler Biadasz.

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How to watch, wager, live stream, listen to Cowboys-Vikings in Week 8

With the Dallas Cowboys returning from a week off, here’s all the details to following them take on the equally well-rested Minnesota Vikings. Betting odds, how to watch, stream, and listen on the radio. | From @CDPiglet

The Minnesota Vikings are a dangerous team and fans shouldn’t fall for any lazy narrative about their .500 record on the season. They lost to AFC North leaders, the Cincinnati Bengals,  by a field goal on the road, missed a last-second 37-yard field goal in Arizona against the still-undefeated Cardinals and then held the Cleveland Browns offense down in a14-7 defeat. The Vikings don’t have a bad loss on their schedule and could easily be 5-1 just like Dallas. The Cowboys do have some advantages though.

Running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard have to be licking their chops to face this porous run defense of Minnesota. The Vikings have the players; Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson, Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Harrison Smith should be good pieces to a great unit against the run, but instead they are near the bottom of the league in yards allowed and average yards allowed.

If the Vikings have figured out how to better corral the Cowboys running game then Minnesota will still have to deal with MVP candidate, quarterback Dak Prescott. They might have solid young players, but the secondary in Minnesota can’t stack up with the Dallas wide receiving core. It’ll be a pick-your-poison game for the home team.

The Dallas defense might be facing their toughest challenge so far this season. No, quarterback Kirk Cousins isn’t Tom Brady or Justin Herbert, but he puts up elite metrics when he isn’t pressured by a pass rush. The Cowboys’ Randy Gregory will have to continue to generate consistent pressure.

Minnesota has a very good receiving core. Justin Jefferson, like CeeDee Lamb, is a second-year star. Adam Thielen is as good as a second receiver as a team could ask for. He isn’t the best in the NFL, but he is up near the top.

Then there is Dalvin Cook, one of a handful of running backs who could be considered the best, or in tier one at least when healthy. If Dallas plays the run like they have on average so far this year, Cook could really ruin this game for them.

Here is how to watch, listen, and bet on this battle after the bye week.

Oklahoma Sooners’ performance against Kansas earns D+ grade from CBS Sports

No. 4 Oklahoma didn’t impress the analysts over at CBS Sports with their 35-23 comeback victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Oklahoma Sooners outscored Kansas 35-13 after halftime and improved to 8-0 (5-0 Big 12 Conference) with a 35-23 win in Lawrence, Kan.

OU sleepwalking through the first half against the Jayhawks has its consequences, though. The Sooners fell several spots to No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll as Cincinnati and Alabama jumped them.

National pundits reacting to last weekend’s action aren’t necessarily over the moon for the Sooners right now either. CBS Sports Barrett Sallee gave Oklahoma a grade of D+ for their performance against Kansas.

A win is a win, especially when you’re undefeated. But the Sooners had to rally to beat lowly Kansas to stay unblemished on the season. If style points come into play, this one could resonate in the meeting room when the CFP selection committee meets. – Sallee, CBS Sports

Sallee could be onto something with the style points argument. Oklahoma has five one-possession victories thus far this season and the win over Kansas wasn’t the romp everybody expected.

After Texas Tech this week, just winning against the schedule laid out in front of Oklahoma will greatly enhance the Sooners’ resumé. OU closes with a trip to No. 18 Baylor, home against No. 23 Iowa State and then the trip to Stillwater versus No. 15 Oklahoma State before a potential Big 12 Championship game.

That hasn’t stopped some from selling their stock in Oklahoma. CBS Sports writer Shehan Jeyarajah included the Sooners in his losers from week eight of the college football season and had some pretty scatching remarks.

Oklahoma doesn’t have ‘It’

There’s something to be said for surviving and advancing. Going down to the wire and needing some of the most uncommon rules in the book to cement a win over Kansas – Kansas! — is something else entirely. The Jayhawks have been so dreadful as of late that their win over Texas remains a meme more than five years later.

If the game was a series of unfortunate events spiraling downhill into a once-in-a-lifetime college football memory, that’s one thing. Kansas was better. It finished with more yards, was more efficient on third down and averaged more than eight plays per drive.

Oklahoma emerged victorious, but teams that can win national championships don’t go down by multiple scores against Kansas. They don’t wait nearly 48 minutes to take a lead against the Jayhawks or look so terrible that a downtrodden program decides to open the gates so anyone can see the spectacle for free. Oklahoma might still win the Big 12 and make the playoff, but if this is what the Sooners are, they have zero chance once they get there. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

Here’s the deal: Oklahoma is still unbeaten and all of their team goals are still in play in front of them. Making final judgments on the Sooners’ ceiling before they get some offensive and defensive personnel back from injury might be a bit too hasty. They need to improve, though, and OU is running out of time to do that.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Where does Oklahoma land in the latest FiveThirtyEight College Football Playoff projections?

After a subpar performance against Kansas, where do the Sooners land in FiveThirtyEight’s latest College Football Playoff projections?

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The Oklahoma Sooners apparently enjoy a flair for the dramatic. That’s just how the 2021 season has gone. In order to keep things interesting against Kansas, they decided to spot them a 10 point lead going into halftime.

Quite generous of the Sooners, really. 

Oklahoma’s poor play against one of the worst teams in college football is still one of the hottest topics in college football. Though it was a win and that’s ultimately what matters most, at some point, it would be nice to see the Oklahoma Sooners put together a complete game.

They aren’t going to be able to have a performance like that against any of their remaining opponents — including anyone they might face IF they make the College Football Playoff — and expect the outcome to be favorable.

With anticipation building for the initial College Football Playoff rankings, let’s take a look at some playoff projections from FiveThirtyEight.com.

FiveThirtyEight, led by Nate Silver, uses statistical analysis for polling and predicting results. ESPN has used its analysis to predict the College Football Playoff participants, college football predictions, and bowl games for years. Today, FiveThiryEight released its College Football Playoff Projections, and the Oklahoma Sooners come in with the second-best chance to make the College Football Playoff.

After getting a big bump in the projections last week after a 21 point win over TCU, the Oklahoma Sooners dipped a bit in this week’s projections. Oklahoma slides from a 52% chance of making the College Football Playoff to 45%. Replacing them with the second-best odds is the Alabama Crimson Tide who now has a 52% chance of making the playoff.

The Georgia Bulldogs remain the top Dawg, but see their chances of making the playoffs dip a bit with renewed faith in the Crimson Tide. The Ohio State Buckeyes rejoin the playoff pack and bumped in-state mate Cincinnati out of the top four.

For Oklahoma, it’s simple, win the rest of your games and make the playoff. Of course, winning has been anything but simple for the Sooners who’ve decided to make every game interesting in 2021.

Things get tougher in the month of November. They have Texas Tech this week, but after the bye, the Oklahoma Sooners get three ranked opponents to close out the season. Can they navigate Championship November undefeated and in the driver’s seat to make the College Football Playoff?

With the way they played this week, it’s anyone’s guess.

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Oklahoma Sooners Missed Mario Williams, Michael Woods versus Kansas

Kansas kept No. 4 Oklahoma scoreless in the first half on Saturday as wide receivers Mario Williams and Michael Woods were absent.

Kansas shocked the college football world by slowing down No. 4 Oklahoma in the first half over the weekend from Lawrence, Kan.

In fact, the Jayhawks kept OU scoreless until after halftime. It was the first time that the Sooners had been shutout in the first half since Lincoln Riley became head coach and since the 2014 season.

It was also the first time in 32 consecutive games that Oklahoma didn’t score in the first quarter. That snapped the Sooners’ FBS-best streak in that department.

Oklahoma’s first-half possessions against Kansas went like this: five plays and a punt on the first series. Caleb Williams was intercepted on the third snap of the second possession. Then Oklahoma turned it over on downs at the Kansas 33-yard-line after nine plays on the third and final offensive series.

Basically, it was a mess. Williams completed just 6-of-9 passes for 71 yards and he was intercepted by Kansas’ Ricky Thomas Jr. OU running back Kennedy Brooks rushed it just six times for 28 yards before recess.

As a team, Oklahoma was outgained by Kansas in the first half 195 to 78. The Jayhawks chewed up the first-half clock and ran 39 offensive plays compared to Oklahoma’s 17.

At first glance, freshman wide receiver Mario Williams and senior wideout Michael Woods missing the Kansas game due to injury wouldn’t have seemed a big concern. After all, this was KU who ranks 123rd nationally in total defense and 127th in scoring defense.

It didn’t play out that way. Oklahoma looked like it missed both Williams and Woods as the Sooners’ passing game never fully got on track.

Williams did toss a couple of touchdown passes after halftime, a five-yarder to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jadon Haselwood and an eight-yarder to redshirt senior H-back Jeremiah Hall.

Still, he only passed for 178 yards. That was Williams’ lowest passing mark since taking over the quarterbacking duties.

Junior running back Eric Gray actually finished as Oklahoma’s leading receiver with three receptions for 42 yards. A week after his three-touchdown performance against TCU, Haselwood notched just the three receptions for 38 yards.

Junior receiver Drake Stoops had three grabs for 30 yards and sophomore Marvin Mims and freshman Jalil Farooq each had one grab for a combined 19 receiving yards.

OU wide receivers caught eight passes total. According to Pro Football Focus, Sooner wide receivers were targeted just ten times in the game.

Asked about Oklahoma’s slow start against Kansas, Kennedy Brooks was transparent with his thoughts immediately after the game against the Jayhawks.

“I mean, honestly, we just played down to our opponent. We try to fight for our standard to play hard for four quarters and we didn’t do that today, so we’ve just got to go back to the grind. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for practice and just work and just strive for that,” Brooks said.

Oklahoma head football coach Lincoln Riley was pleased with how his team responded after halftime but disappointed the 35-23 win over Kansas represented another game where OU didn’t put it together for four quarters.

“Obviously, proud of the win and our fight in the second half. Not excited about how we played in the first half. Just really poor football in the first half all the way around,” Riley said.

“So, we had to bow up obviously the second half and we did that,” Riley continued. “We played better on all three sides in the second half. I give our team credit for rising up. Again, I don’t care who you’re playing, if you don’t seize momentum early in a road football game, you’re going to be in for a dogfight and we were. I think Kansas deserves a lot of credit. They made some really nice plays. I thought they were very efficient offensively, did a few things that obviously gave us trouble, and had a good plan.”

Despite being down personnel on both sides of the football, it’s what Riley said next about this Oklahoma football team that really resonated on exactly who and what OU currently is.

“For this team, we’ve kind of figured out our personality a little bit. Our personality is we can finish with the best of them, but it’s frustrating for us of how much we put ourselves I think in position, especially not playing our best early in games, where we have to finish,” Riley said.

Riley added, “We have to finish all the time, but where we need to finish well to win games. We’re going to keep battling with it. We had a good visit in there right after the game. I think our guys know what we need to do, but it’s time for us to start, you know, closing the gaps and playing a little bit better here and more consistently. That is what it is. We’re still a very capable football team. There’s no question and we’ll be excited to have a chance to get some guys back.

“That’s got to be our spark right here is a combination of getting some of these guys back. We’re obviously pretty thin in a lot of areas today. We’ve got to get guys back. The guys that are playing have got to play at a high level. We’ve got to coach at a high level. Our time’s when we’re not playing well, it’s close, but we’re tired of being close. We’ve got to push it over the edge. We’re getting here back half of the season. This is the time where we’ve got to do it. Again, proud of the win, don’t take them for granted, know we have to be a lot better.”

Riley summed up the play of his quarterback Caleb Williams against Kansas and it mirrored the team’s day overall.

“He didn’t play very good in the first half. I thought more than anything there was probably a little bit of frustration when we didn’t… you know, had low possessions, weren’t playing well. Especially the interception, I mean we’ve got a back just standing wide open in the flat,” Riley said.

“He’s got to be a little bit more composed there, but he did, he handled the second half well. I think he understood what we were doing, obviously made some important plays, I thought was pretty calm the second half and certainly more settled in.”

There wasn’t an injury update on Williams and Woods’ statuses after the win over Kansas. Hopefully, Oklahoma gets good news on both quickly, because their absences corresponded with the worst offensive first half in the Lincoln Riley era.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.