Tag: 2023 season Week 11

‘Just makes another goal’: Cowboys’ Bland will get ample chances at record

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 2nd-year CB is already tied for the all-time record, with 7 games- all against interception-prone passers- remaining on the schedule.

DaRon Bland is garnering a reputation for two things. One is the low-key businesslike demeanor with which he conducts himself, on and off the football field. Even after a record-tying effort against Carolina, the Cowboys’ second-year cornerback shrugged it off as- literally- just another day at the office.

“Just doing my job, the kind of stuff I feel like I’ve kind of been doing,” Bland said following the team’s 33-10 win. “I always felt it myself, so it never really hit me because it felt like just another day.”

But there’s a very small handful of guys who have ever had a day quite like Bland did on Sunday, which brings us to the second thing he’s become known for.

His fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown was his fourth of the season. Only three other players in NFL history have had that many pick-sixes in a single campaign: the Eagles’ Eric Allen in 1993, the Chiefs’ Jim Kearney in 1972, and the Oilers’ Ken Houston in 1971.

But none of them did it in 10 games.

Houston needed two return scores in the 1971 season finale- the team’s 14th game- to set the record. A year later, Kearney scored his fourth in Week 12. And in 1993, Allen had just two pick-sixes heading into the 15th game of the 16-game season.

Amazingly, Bland has seven more games to do it again and have the record for himself.

“It just makes another goal,” he admitted Sunday, “just to break it.”

As it is, the cornerback is tied for second place- trailing only CeeDee Lamb, no less- for the Cowboys lead in touchdowns thus far this season.

“He’s scoring touchdowns. At that point, he’s a part of the offense when he’s getting in the end zone as much as he is,” quarterback Dak Prescott noted in his postgame press conference.

Bland’s latest score came after making an incredible catch, using just his fingertips to snatch out of midair a pass intended for Panthers receiver Jonathan Mingo. Bland admitted that Mingo originally had him beat on the route.

“I’d seen him running under, and he kind of had a step on me at first,” he explained. “So I had to catch up, and then once I caught up and I turned, I saw the ball, and I was like, ‘Yes. I’ve got to go get this one,’ because I only had about three targets, so I had to make the most of my opportunities.”

Bland laid out and completed a rather-acrobatic somersault as he completed the catch, joking later, “There were some cheerleaders in my family.”

But then once he realized he hadn’t been touched, muscle memory kicked in from the former high school wide receiver.

“When I got that ball, when I got up, I was like, ‘I’ve got to go. I’ve got to just find the end zone again,” he said. “Having to actually run the ball and having to actually make some moves. Getting up like that, you don’t really get a return like that.”

Except Bland does, with startling regularity.

In fact, he told Erin Andrews of FOX Sports after the game went final that he had even called his shot prior to kickoff.

“He said, ‘I told you I was going to get one,'” Prescott confirmed for media members. “I said, ‘I didn’t know you were going to score.’ His expectations, his standards, he said, ‘That comes with it.’ That’s just great to hear. That’s what he believes in. Ball guy. You put it near him, inaccurate with a throw- trust me, I’ve known it from the time he showed up, just practicing against the guy- he’s a big-time playmaker. He’s doing a hell of a job.”

The fifth-round draft pick out of Fresno State even has Micah Parsons- arguably the most dominant defender in the game since entering the league three seasons ago- campaigning for the 24-year-old to win some hefty postseason awards.

“Seeing him come into his own is truly special. Remarkable. He’s having a Defensive Player of the Year year. He should be a lock for All-Pro; it shouldn’t be a question,” Parsons told reporters. “It’ll be fun to see how he finishes this year.”

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Bland is currently tied for the 2023 league lead in interceptions (six, along with Baltimore safety Geno Stone) and already has more interceptions since the beginning of last season than anyone.

And come Thursday, he’ll square off against Washington quarterback Sam Howell, who has thrown an NFL-most 12 interceptions this season. That’s tied with Buffalo’s Josh Allen, who the Cowboys will face in Week 15. Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, Detroit’s Jared Goff, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, and Seattle’s Geno Smith all have more than seven picks this season, too; those teams just happen to be the Cowboys’ remaining opponents.

So Bland should certainly get his chances at a few more really good days at the office.

Asked if pick-sixes have become “his thing,” Bland, just 27 regular-season game appearances into his career, gave an embarrassed smile and a typically aw-shucks response.

“I guess so.”

And then he went back to work.

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4 Downs: Parsons, Pollard return to form; dumb penalties play big role in Cowboys win

From @ToddBrock24f7: Micah Parsons and Tony Pollard got back to what they do best, but dumb penalties were also among the plays that determined the outcome.

Week 11’s trip to North Carolina was closer than many observers expected for much of the afternoon, but in the end, the 33-10 Dallas win also allowed several Cowboys players to perform closer to what fans have been expecting.

Micah Parsons looked more like his usual game-wrecking self after a rare quiet performance the week prior, and Tony Pollard found the end zone once again after a surprisingly long absence.

Sunday’s game provided several other highlight-reel moments — Luke Schoonmaker scores! DaRon Bland does it again! — but NFL games are also decided by the plays that find the world’s greatest athletes called out for screwing up.

Here are four plays, both unforgettable and a little regrettable, that went a long way in deciding the outcome of the Cowboys-Panthers tilt in Charlotte.

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Good, Bad & Ugly: Cowboys pass rush pops, Wildcat flops vs Panthers

From @ToddBrock24f7: Micah Parsons & Co. gave Bryce Young fits in Sunday’s win, but the Wildcat needs work and Zack Martin suddenly looks very human.

The Cowboys lapped the competition in the home city of NASCAR, but they waited until the home stretch to put the pedal to the metal. The 33-10 final provided plenty of highlights, especially during that fourth-quarter onslaught of points, proving that the Dallas offense, when they flip the switch, is always at least capable of going high-octane and leaving almost any opponent in the dust.

It wasn’t all green-flag racing for the Cowboys, though. While the defense came crashing in on Bryce Young early and often, there are still some tune-ups needed before the caliber of opponents improves dramatically after Thanksgiving.

And while the team is tinkering back at the shop, there was a weird little hiccup every time the offense punched the button labeled “Wildcat.” Might want to get that looked at before the race to the 2023 finish line.

Here’s a look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Cowboys’ big win in Carolina.

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Reports: Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle downgraded to questionable for Week 11 at Carolina

From @ToddBrock24f7: Last week’s breakout RB apparently aggravated an ankle injury in a Saturday workout and is now a 50/50 proposition in Carolina.

After an exclamation-point performance versus the Giants in Week 10, Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle is now a surprise question mark for the Week 11 tilt in Charlotte.

Dowdle, who appeared on the week’s practice reports with some sort of ankle injury but was still listed as a full participant, was suddenly given a game-day designation for Sunday. The fourth-year back is now officially questionable for the early-afternoon meeting with the Carolina Panthers.

According to reports, Dowdle aggravated the ankle during a workout on Saturday, prompting the downgrade.

During the Cowboys’ 49-17 win last week, the South Carolina product rushed 12 times for 79 yards and a touchdown.

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If it is determined that Dowdle cannot go against the Panthers, rookies Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke could see an uptick in usage behind starter Tony Pollard. Malik Davis is also on the practice squad and has two game-day elevations remaining.

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Cowboys fans expected to invade Charlotte; Panthers practicing silent count for home game

From @ToddBrock24f7: With as much as 60% of their own stadium expected to be occupied by Cowboys faithful, the Panthers are taking steps to deal with noise.

The Cowboys and Panthers have played just 15 times, including two postseason meetings. Those games have tended to lean in Dallas’s favor, with the Cowboys posting a 5-2 record at home and going 5-3 all-time in Charlotte.

But this season has seen the Cowboys put up their weakest performances on the road, going just 2-3 in their away games thus far. In an early-afternoon timeslot and in their own Eastern-time-zone building, the struggling Panthers and their fans might see it a golden opportunity to bring the noise and shock the world.

Their head coach, however, seems to be preparing for just the opposite. Carolina’s Frank Reich confirmed this week that the Panthers offense has been working in practice on a silent count, indicating that the team is expecting a large contingent of rowdy Cowboys fans to make Bank of America Stadium feel almost like a Dallas home game.

The ticket marketplace Vivid Seats uses proprietary data to project attendance outcomes, and their algorithm suggests that Cowboys fans could make up as much as 60% of the crowd in Charlotte on Sunday.

“I think everybody knows how well Dallas travels,” said Reich. “We have a great city that other fans like to come to. We’re prepared; we’ve practiced silent count this week if we have to use it. So we’re prepared either way.”

Panthers Wire’s Anthony Rizzuti points out that the team has seen home-stadium takeovers by other fanbases in recent seasons, including the Eagles, Patriots, 49ers, and the Vikings twice.

Working off a silent count may actually benefit the Panthers offense and rookie quarterback Bryce Young; Carolina is tied for the league lead in false start penalties in 2023.

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For the Cowboys, who are already double-digit favorites to win, having their own vocal support presence in the stands will certainly help. The team is undefeated at home thus far, something coaches and players alike attribute, in part, to their fans.

“Our fans are huge,” said wide receiver Brandin Cooks on Sunday, after a crowd of 93,338 watched them demolish the Giants 49-17 in Arlington. “They come out whether it’s a noon game, 3:25 game, night game. The energy that they bring us to get us going? Shout out to the fans for always showing up and being ready for us.”

Sounds like they may show up in force this weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Carolina Panthers are bracing for it.

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Cowboys’ red-hot passing attack should be wary of possible return by Panthers CB

Few air attacks have been hotter than the Cowboys’ lately. Carolina’s Jaycee Horn could be returning from injury just in time to stop it.

The Cowboys have had a red-hot air attack over the past several weeks, with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb setting an NFL record (and earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors) and quarterback Dak Prescott amassing 300-plus passing yards in three straight outings and posting three of his highest single-game completion percentages ever within the 2023 season.

But the skies might not be so friendly over Charlotte in Week 11.

At 1-8, the Carolina Panthers are hovering near the bottom of every set of power rankings out there. But they’re getting a key piece of their defense back soon- possibly even this week when Dallas come to call- and he’ll no doubt make the Panthers a tougher out than they’ve shown of late.

Third-year cornerback Jaycee Horn, who has been sidelined since suffering a serious hamstring injury in Week 1, had his 21-day activation window opened by Carolina on Monday. Wednesday marked his first practice back with the team, and he reportedly looked good despite a “limited” designation. He could be moved to the active roster at any time, maybe even prior to Sunday’s meeting with the Cowboys.

Horn was the eighth overall pick in the 2021 draft, part of the same South Carolina secondary as current Cowboys defensive back Israel Mukuamu. He intercepted three passes in 13 games last season and is considered one of the top corners in the league when healthy.

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Teams haven’t been passing much on the Panthers in 2023. They’re seeing an average of just 28 pass attempts per game against them and allowing only 176 yards per contest. Both stats are already top-10 among all defenses; Horn’s return to the lineup will likely only further encourage offenses to pound the ball via the run game, where Carolina has been much weaker.

Expect Mike McCarthy, Bran Schottenheimer, and Dak Prescott to keep a very close eye on whether Horn is given the green light to make his return this week.

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