Tag: 2022 Week 17

Nahshon Wright, Kelvin Joseph moving in opposite directions for Cowboys

The two young Cowboys cornerbacks entered the NFL together with much different expectations and dynamics. | From @ReidDHanson

When the Cowboys drafted Nahshon Wright with pick No. 99 in the 2021 NFL Draft, Cowboys fans erupted in displeasure. A bona fide “reach” to the draft community, Wright was tabbed by many as the worst pick in the draft class.

Kelvin Joseph didn’t command such universal disdain when he was selected 55 picks earlier. Joseph, who did have red flags, was still regarded as one of the best raw cornerback prospects in the draft who had legit “boom” potential. All anyone could see in Wright’s future was “bust.” My, how things can change.

Nearly two years into each of their respective professional careers, the draft classmates are on opposite trajectories; Wright moving into a starting role and Joseph on the cusp of losing his game-day active status altogether.

After a tumultuous offseason and wildly inconsistent training camp, Joseph began the season as a special teams player and developmental prospect. When injuries to Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown forced him into the defensive starting lineup, Joseph disappointed.

After allowing 219 yards, four touchdowns, a 66.7 completion percentage and 147.9 passer rating, Joseph was benched, making way for the once-maligned Wright.

Wright has been far from flawless, but he’s taking steps towards competence and even recorded the first interception of his career. Wright has shown awareness on the field and a willingness to step up against the run.

Wright may not be the forever-solution at CB2 but he’s the best solution the Cowboys have at the moment and likely the best man for the job as Dallas marches to the playoffs.

Joseph, on the other hand, has become such a liability he may be too dangerous to even play on special teams. The postseason, just two weeks away, is a time when margins are slim and every error has the potential to tip the balance.

The story is far from over for these two young cornerbacks and anything can happen going forward, but right now they are on opposite trajectories and it’s playing out far differently than most once imagined.

Coverage maps, Cowboys rooting guide for pivotal Week 17 Sunday

A look at the matchups that matter to the Cowboys’ playoff positioning and potential opponents in Week 17, and whether you can watch them or not. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are in the clubhouse, already having completed their Week 17 round. Playing the equivalent of a morning round, Dallas took care of their business on Thursday night, winning 27-13 on the road in Tennessee to improve to 12-4 on the season.  Now Dallas enters the “can anyone help us” phase of the weekend schedule, as the New Year has arrived with a ton of unfinished business.

For two straight weeks the Cowboys have refused to go quietly into the night, staving off the idea that their playoff seed was set in stone. In all likelihood Dallas will enter the tournament as the NFC’s fifth seed, but they’ve kept alive the gutshot straight draw of winning the NFC East and earning a top-three seed. Here’s a look at all of Sunday’s action, who Dallas will play for, and what fans will be able to watch without help.

All coverage maps are from 506sports.com.

Studs and Duds: Pass catchers stand out in Cowboys unimpressive win over Titans

In the Cowboys 27-13 win over Tennessee, certain players and elements stood out, both good and bad. | From @ReidDHanson

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t exactly win over any critics with their 27-13 victory over the Tennessee Titans. The Titans, resting the bulk of their players for Week 18, trotted out a roster of role players, reserves and journeymen. Dallas seemingly outclassed them in every way but one: effort.

The Cowboys uninspired performance on Thursday Night Football kept things needlessly close. The team known for playing down to their opponents this season lived up to their reputation, waiting until the fourth quarter to pull away. Several players stood out, both in good ways and bad, and here’s a look at their performances.

Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys’ Week 17 positives challenged by two things that can derail season

The Cowboys are a good team, so there are always positives. But two things threatening their season popped up yet again. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys won their 12th game of the season after outlasting the banged-up Tennessee Titans, 27-13. With the Week 17 win, the Cowboys have won 12 games in back-to-back years for the first time since their championship years from 1992 through 1995. Not bad for a team that lost their starting quarterback in Week 1 for five weeks and were left for dead.

When the 2022 schedule was originally released, this game appeared to be a matchup of two playoff teams that would help determine postseason positioning. That was still the case a month ago, even but the matchup lost much of its shine with the Titans sitting some of their best players, including running back Derrick Henry. Tennessee was also turning to their third-string quarterback, Josh Dobbs, as they knew the results of this game didn’t matter in their pursuit of a division title.

Dallas didn’t have time to be worried about who the Titans had available; they just needed to win and keep pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East race. The Cowboys got the victory despite some bumps in the road along the way. Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Week 17 win.

Dalton Schultz again proves his value to Cowboys offense in TNF performance

The Cowboys’ tight end came through yet again, with two big-time catches that stabilized things for the offense. | From @TimLettiero

Thursday night’s game consisted of poor weather conditions, injuries aplenty and poor preparation. The Dallas Cowboys struggled to get the running game going, placing the onus to get the offense moving squarely on the shoulders of quarterback Dak Prescott. He was able to do so as he found solace in three main targets: WRs CeeDee Lamb, T.Y. Hilton and TE Dalton Schultz. The latter was able to make the big plays, the scoring plays.

Following a turnover filled first half, Dallas entered the third quarter only up by four points. After an extremely helpful penalty set Dallas up in the red zone, the Prescott-to-Schultz connection finally established some momentum.

The double-digit lead didn’t last, however, and Dallas needed another Schultz score to finally make it a comfortable margin. The soon-to-be free agent all but sealed the win with his second touchdown reception of the game on this beautifully placed ball.

Although he has been injured and inconsistent this season, and with two rookies breathing down his neck, Schultz cemented himself in Cowboys’ history with his performance.

WATCH: Nahshon Wright rewards Cowboys for playing time with acrobatic INT

The strong play of Nahshon Wright is right on time for the Cowboys and now he has his first career interception on a leaping grab. | From @CDBurnett7

Not too long ago, cornerback Nahshon Wright looked like a third-round reach. In his second season, the Oregon State product was left on the bench in Week 1, not even seeing special teams snaps, and then was inactive for nine of the next 11 games. He saw his first defensive snaps of the season in 14; a grand total of two of them. But one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity. The Cowboys gave Kelvin Joseph a chance to win the second boundary corner spot but he was unable to secure it, allowing Wright to step into the role against the Eagles in a big spot in Week 16.

The former Beaver wasn’t picked on, a rare occasion for Dallas corners across from Trevon Diggs and the strong play traveled to Tennessee. Late in the fourth quarter, Titans quarterback Josh Dobbs tried to lob a pass downfield but the 6-foot-4 Wright used his length to fly up for the first interception of his career.

Heading into the playoffs, Wright looks ready to be a contributor for a Dallas defense in need of youth stepping up. Combined with Diggs and DaRon Bland, the Cowboys appear to have been forced into a youth overhaul that will be relied upon to help Dallas progress.

Best Twitter Reactions to Cowboys win: ‘Storm Trooper vibes’, ‘Hot buttered pretzels’

It wasn’t pretty nor dominant, but it was a victory and most importantly, it was No.12. Check out how Twitter reacted along the way as the Cowboys beat the Titans. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

Playing a road game on short rest isn’t easy, and the Dallas Cowboys proved that to be the case as they secured their 12th win of the season in a sloppy effort on Thursday night. The Cowboys offense turned the ball over three times in the first half and kept the Titans in the game. They were able to do enough in the second half, thanks to Dak Prescott’s strong connection to Dalton Schultz and CeeDee Lamb.

The Titans elected to start journeyman QB Josh Dobbs, despite signing him just eight days prior, and were able to hang around as the Tennessee offense did their best to apply pressure and take advantage of their gifted opportunities.

Ultimately the Cowboys were able to secure the win and have now posted back-to-back 12-win seasons for the first time since 1994-1995. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t dominant, but it was a victory, and Twitter reacted to all of it. Here are the best reactions to the Cowboys 27-13 victory over the the Titans.

Cowboys escape Tennessee with 12th win of 2022, beat Titans 27-13

The Cowboys didn’t win pretty, but they did win big as they keep the pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles with their Nashville victory. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The short week really isn’t kind to anyone, and it wasn’t to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 17. Traveling to Tennessee to face a team that was sitting a large percentage of key players, Dallas’ win was never really in doubt, but they certainly weren’t at their most sharp. The club had three turnovers in the first half that allowed the game to still be close at the half, and the kind of domination one might expect from playing a QB who had only been on the opponent’s team for eight days never materialized.

Still, ugly games are more the norm than the aberration on Thursday Night Football, and the Cowboys were still able to come away with a double-digit win. Dak Prescott connected with TE Dalton Schultz for touchdowns on two separate occasions, leading the Cowboys to a comfortable 27-13 victory.

The win was Dallas’ 12th of the season, giving them back-to-back dozens for the first time since doing so four times in a row in the early 1990s during their dynastic run. Schultz was joined by another stellar effort from WR CeeDee Lamb, who caught 10+ passes for the second consecutive game and 100 yards for the third straight.

Dallas’ win keeps pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles, who still need to win a game in order to lock up the NFC East. The Eagles play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

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WATCH: Cowboys stretch lead as Prescott-Schultz for second TD

Prescott and Schultz have been on on the same page all night and delivered their second touchdown for a double-digit lead. | From @CDBurnett7

While the mistakes are aplenty in Nashville, quarterback Dak Prescott and tight end Dalton Schultz continue to connect for big plays when it matters. The pair started off the second half with a touchdown and elected to do the same to start the fourth quarter.

On a 2nd-and-7 at the Titans 10-yard line, Prescott lobbed one up and Schultz ripped it down in the corner of the endzone to make it a 24-13 game in Tennessee. The franchise-tag tight end hasn’t been the touchdown scorer some expected him to be but he’s got seven catches for 56 yards and two scores on the road. After the latest grab, Dallas holds a 24-13 lead with under 12 minutes to play.

Cowboys center carted to locker room, OL shuffle ensues

The Cowboys offensive line made a big shuffle after their center went down with an ankle injury, heading straight to the locker room. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys trip to Nashville hasn’t been a pretty one. Amidst all the mistakes, the status of center Tyler Biadasz is the focus for Dallas late in the third quarter. The third-year man out of Wisconsin has been a constant on the offensive line alongside right guard Zack Martin, but he needed two trainers’ help to reach the sideline before being carted to the locker room.

Amazingly, he wasn’t initially ruled out from returning, but then was after evaluation.

Biadasz had the weight of a defensive lineman come down on his right knee and tight end Jake Ferguson instantly waved to the sideline for help after the play. The injury didn’t look good for Biadasz and it’s another hit to an offensive line that’s had to adjust on multiple occasions in 2022. For now, the Cowboys make a big shift with Connor McGovern at center and slide Tyler Smith inside to left guard. Meanwhile, Jason Peters takes over at left tackle for Dallas.

On the first play with the new offensive line, quarterback Dak Prescott was hit for a roughing the passer penalty. With so many changes, the Dallas offense has to scramble with the playoffs around the corner.