Tag: 2023 season Week 15

Cowboys LB Damone Clark fined for roughness; 2 Bills docked for hits on Dak Prescott

From @ToddBrock24f7: The linebacker grabbed the helmet opening of James Cook during a first-quarter tackle in Week 15 but did not draw a penalty flag.

Referee Craig Wrolstad’s crew didn’t deem it a penalty at the time, but the NFL has stepped in and decided that Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark used unnecessary roughness in bringing down Bills running back James Cook during the Dallas loss last Sunday.

Clark has incurred a fine of $5,170 for the play.

The incident came just as the first quarter ended. On the second play following Sam Williams’s roughing the punter penalty and down 7-0, the Cowboys defense found themselves chasing Cook after a short pass turned into a chain-moving scamper.

Markquese Bell had the first crack at Cook but missed the tackle. Twenty-four yards downfield, Stephon Gilmore and Clark finally pushed him out of bounds. Replays showed that, in the process of tossing him to the ground, Clark gripped Cook’s helmet opening under the ear hole.

Had officials seen it live, it almost certainly would have brought a 15-yard personal foul penalty and would have been the second committed by the Cowboys on that drive. Buffalo ended the possession with a touchdown anyway, extending their lead to 14-0 en route to a dominant 31-10 victory.

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Two Bills defenders also picked up hefty fines during the Week 15 meeting. Safety Taylor Rapp will be docked $21,855 for the first-quarter late hit on Dak Prescott that prompted guard Zack Martin to play enforcer, and linebacker Tyrel Dodson’s head-to-head shot on Prescott in the second quarter will cost him $11,167. Both hits were deemed unnecessary roughness; both were called as penalties during the game (although Rapp’s was offset by Martin’s retaliation).

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4 Downs: Dak’s botched bomb, punt penalty, missed challenge doomed Cowboys

From @ToddBrock24f7: Week 15’s no-show was over in a hurry. Four plays in particular told the whole story of the Cowboys’ embarrassing 31-10 loss.

Some games are a roller coaster, with ups and downs and twists and turns all along the way. And some games are that ride that takes you straight up with all the anticipation in the world, gives you just long enough to spot your car in the parking lot, and then drops you in a stomach-turning freefall that’s over before you know it, checking your pockets to see what- beside your lunch- you’ve lost.

Sunday’s visit to Buffalo was nothing short of a disaster, with six days of big-game hype crashing down in a matter of minutes. All of the tide-turning plays went the Bills’ way, and all happened before halftime, leaving the entire second half for Cowboys fans to stew in their latest plummet from lofty expectations.

The best that can be hoped for is that there are lessons learned from the 31-10 no-show, and that the Cowboys can use them to better navigate the challenges to come.

Here are the four biggest plays that defined Dallas’s low-water mark at Highmark Stadium.

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Even in blowout loss, CeeDee Lamb stands out as Cowboys’ best weapon

CeeDee Lamb is the loan bright spot in an embarrassing lost Sunday evening. | From @TimLettiero

The Dallas Cowboys are wanted men for ruining fans’ Sunday evenings, but they cannot be considered armed and dangerous. They were last seen boarding a flight from Dallas to Buffalo so if seen, please call your local tip line.

To keep it short and sweet, Dallas didn’t show up on Sunday. To find even one play worth noting was difficult. With how poor the defense as a whole was and how neutralized the offense was, attempting to justify one player’s performance is like nails on a chalkboard. But no matter how hard life throws a loss at you, and this one was 31-10, taking a look on the bright side of things is always beneficial. The lone bright sport for Dallas was receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb finished the night with  seven receptions for a modest 53 yards and a 3-yard rushing score late in the depressing loss. He was the only reliable target for QB Dak Prescott, as the offense struggled to move the ball as a whole.

His rushing score concluded the game for Dallas as they look to bounce back against the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Even.

Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys offense no-shows, tackling disappears in 31-10 flop

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Dallas offense was nonexistent, while poor tackling and costly penalties doomed the Cowboys early in their visit to Buffalo.

Yeesh. The weather was expected to be rainy in western New York on Sunday, but it was the previously 10-3 Cowboys who were all wet in this Week 15 meeting that proved to be more beatdown than showdown.

The Bills came out fast and physical from the opening kickoff, while the Cowboys mostly looked like they just wanted to get inside out of the rain. The end result was a 31-10 loss that will resurrect all those concerns about Dallas not being able to run with winning teams on the road. Given that the Cowboys’ postseason slate looks to be exactly that situation every single week they’re in it, alarm bells are likely sounding at The Star.

While nothing went right for the team on the field, there was a bit of good news delivered by the outcomes of several early games. That was it, though, for the Cowboys’ day, as they got completely buffaloed by the Bills in what fans can only hope turns out to be an isolated late-season stumble.

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Cowboys’ Zack Martin updates injury, optimistic about playing vs Miami

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 8x-Pro Bowler was knocked out of Sunday’s game with what looked to be a knee injury. It’s his quad, and Martin says it’s not that bad.

Adding a very concerning injury to the embarrassing insult of a 31-10 defeat, the Cowboys lost right guard Zack Martin in the first quarter of Sunday’s game in Buffalo.

But early indications are, at least from Martin himself, that his injury is not serious and that he should be good to go for next Sunday’s interconference clash with Miami.

The six-time first-team All-Pro lineman took what appeared to be a hard, direct shot to the left knee as he collided with Buffalo defensive end Greg Rousseau in a collapsing pocket around Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott.

After staying down on the turf for a few minutes, Martin was able to walk off the field with assistance. He spent some time in the sideline medical tent and was eventually declared out with a quadriceps injury.

In the hours after the game, Martin told media members that he also believed at first the injury had been to his knee.

“I got hit deep in the quad,” he explained per Patrik Walker of dallascowboys.com. “We went to the tent, it stiffened up and wasn’t firing for me. A fluke thing. Hoping to treat it and get it ready to go on Sunday. I feel good about that.”

Head coach Mike McCarthy said he is less concerned now after having spoken to Martin in the locker room.

“He told me he’s going to be okay,” the coach said.

Martin is expected to get further testing done on Monday once the team is back in Dallas and will likely go easy this week in practice. But Martin’s optimism about being back in the lineup next Sunday is welcome news for Cowboys fans, who watched Prescott come under fire for most of the game against a fierce Buffalo pass rush.

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T.J. Bass, the undrafted rookie out of Oregon, came on in Martin’s stead and finished out the game. He performed well, despite having big shoes to fill.

The 10-4 Cowboys will travel to Miami to play the Dolphins in Week 16. The Dolphins defense currently ranks second in the league in sacks, with 48 through 14 games.

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Here’s how the Cowboys extend their winning streak to 6 games in Week 15

The Cowboys take their win streak on the road. Here is how they come out of Buffalo with another victory. | From @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys beat a team with a winning record for the third time in 2023, and for the first time the losing squad was still . In actuality, they blew out the team with the best record in the league, the Philadelphia Eagles. Since their bye week, Dallas has the best record in the NFL at 6-1 and this was their most complete victory. The offense scored on their first four possessions. The defense only allowed two field goals to the sixth-ranked offense in the league, and the special teams have Brandon Aubrey, who broke another kicking record by hitting from 60 and 59 yards in the same contest.

Dallas has had a ton of blowouts this year. They have won close games against the Los Angeles Chargers and at home against the Seattle Seahawks, and now they beat a championship contender. The next test to pass will be to  win a road game against a top team. Buffalo fits that bill, pun intended. The Bills bring a tough challenge with a top-tier quarterback, receiver combo, and top-half-of-the-league rushing attack and defense.

The Cowboys can open many eyes if they go into a bad-weather road venue against a team fighting for their playoff lives and pull the upset. For Dallas to pull this off, it will require them to control the clock, limit a new playmaker, overcome their injuries, and capitalize on mistakes by the Bills.

Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb aiming for wins over best receiving stats of career

From @ToddBrock24f7: Despite nearing personal bests in most categories, Lamb says getting wins- this week in Buffalo and then beyond- is most important to him.

CeeDee Lamb is closing in on a career year. The Cowboys receiver currently ranks third in the league in receiving yards (1,253) and third in total receptions (96). He’s tied for seventh in targets (131) and tied for fourth in touchdowns (8). And he’s on the cusp of setting new personal-best marks in all four of those categories.

But ask the fifth-year vet which stat is most satisfying to him, and his answer is none of the above.

Despite doing enough so far this season to easily earn a third Pro Bowl nod, the former first-round draft pick is exponentially more focused on playing in the game after all-star weekend.

But in order for Lamb and the Cowboys to reach Super Bowl LVII, they’ll more than likely to have to pull off a series of difficult road wins in the postseason. So they’re treating this Sunday’s trip to Buffalo as a preparatory mission.

“I feel like we’ve got to bring our own music,” Lamb said this week of taking the team’s 9-3 record to Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park to face the Bills. “Obviously, we’re going to be in a hostile environment, so we’re not going to get as much praise for making big plays. But we kind of have got to make that the new norm, just being in an away format.”

Some away games, though, are about more than the plane ride and the hotel and the unfamiliar surroundings at the stadium. This Sunday, the Cowboys will also have to deal with Old Man Winter. And while the forecast isn’t calling for the heavy snows or sub-arctic temperatures that have beset many a team’s mid-December visit to “B-Lo,” the Cowboys are gearing up nonetheless for a very damp and wet afternoon.

“Obviously, the ball is going to be wet,” Lamb explained. “But just taking care of the ball is the main thing.”

To that end, some members of the Dallas offense were spotted doing wet ball drills at practice this week, dunking their hands in buckets of ice water and catching drippy, slippy passes.

“Mentally, it’s all about preparation,” said Lamb. “And physically, obviously, it’s just going out, doing it and executing the right way and not really being lackadaisical with our focus. Look the ball in, hold the ball high and tight, things of that nature.”

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Those are all things Lamb has done better this season than ever before. Having passed Miles Austin a couple weeks ago to take over the No. 8 spot on the franchise’s all-time receiving yardage list, Lamb is about to set a new slew of single-season highs for himself. He needs 26 more targets, 12 more catches, two more touchdowns, and 107 more receiving yards to establish new career marks in each of those categories, and he has four more games to get there.

But back to asking him to pick the stat that means the most to him.

“A win,” Lamb says simply. “That’s the most important to me, to be honest.”

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Bills to be without 2 key defensive stars Sunday vs Cowboys

From @ToddBrock24f7: Safety Micah Hyde and defensive end A.J. Epenesa have been ruled out of Week 15 after suffering injures in their win over Kansas City.

Buffalo has one of the top defenses in the league this season, ranking near the top in several key statistical categories. But with the high-flying Cowboys offense coming to town this weekend, the Bills will find themselves having to make up for the absence of two of their biggest defensive playmakers.

Safety Micah Hyde and defensive end A.J. Epenesa have both been ruled out of Sunday’s Week 15 date with the Cowboys. The news was confirmed by Bills head coach Sean McDermott Friday morning.

Both players were hurt during last Sunday’s win over Kansas City and had been considered “week-to-week” by the club.

Hyde left the Bills’ Week 14 game with a neck stinger. The team has indicated that this latest injury is related to a hit he took in early November. The 11-year veteran had been trying to play through that issue ever since, though he missed Week 10 because of the injury. Hyde also missed all but two games in 2022 with a neck injury.

Epenesa suffered a rib injury in the same game versus the Chiefs, on a first-quarter play in which he tipped a Patrick Mahomes pass and then came down with the interception.

The Bills defense currently stands tied for second in the league with 23 takeaways. Hyde and Epenesa each have accounted for two picks; Epenesa has also forced and recovered a fumble. They have been in on a combined 68 tackes and 13 passes defensed, with Epenesa adding 6.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hits.

Their unavailability for Sunday’s game is of considerable consequence in a game both clubs are treating as a must-win.

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Taylor Rapp figures to be the replacement for Hyde, with Damar Hamlin likely getting a few extra reps, too. Epenesa’s absence could mean more work for Von Miller. The eight-time pro Bowler hasn’t played more than 27 snaps in a game since coming back from an ACL injury suffered last November.

Beside ranking second in the NFL in takeaways, Buffalo is tied for third leaguewide in sacks and is top-10 in total touchdowns allowed, fewest passing yards allowed per game, and fewest points allowed per game.

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Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week again

From @ToddBrock24f7: Aubrey connected on 4 field goals of 45+ yards Sunday night and became the first player ever to kick two of 59 yards or more in one game.

Brandon Aubrey has done it again.

Actually, he’s done it 30 times in a row now. But for the four long-distance field goals he put through the uprights in Sunday in the Cowboys’ impressive 33-13 win over Philadelphia, the rookie kicker has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season.

Week 14 saw Aubrey become the first player in league history to boot two field goals of 59 yards or beyond in the same game with a 60-yarder in the first quarter and a 59-yarder in the third. He followed those bombs with two relatively shorter ones- from only 45 and 50- in addition to three PATs on the night.

Aubrey has now made all 30 of his field goal tries this season, extending the record he himself set in Week 8 for most consecutive field goals to start an NFL career. He won the NFC’s weekly award for that performance as well.

The 28-year-old former soccer star is proving himself to be not only exceptionally accurate but also extraordinary from long distances; he now already eight field goals of 50 or more yards in just 13 games as a pro.

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After Sunday’s win, in which he buried even his 60-yard field goal into the net with more than enough leg, he was asked if he could connect from, say, 70 yards.

“I can, absolutely,” he said.

At this point in Aubrey’s unlikely but award-winning season, that unthinkable number doesn’t seem the least bit outrageous.

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‘These are going to be juggernauts’: McCarthy gears up to take Cowboys’ show on the road

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys are treating this December stretch of quality opponents as playoff prep; their next task is to beat a good team on the road.

“Every season I’ve been a part of, there’s a path, and the path is always under construction.”

That’s what Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters at The Star on Monday when asked about the difficult stretch of games the team is in, facing five dangerous teams in a row, all of whom are battling for a playoff berth.

Dallas has navigated the first two-fifths of that treacherous piece of road with skill, starting with a hard-fought win over Seattle and then getting the engine firing on all cylinders with a 20-point blowout of Philadelphia to claim a share of the NFC East lead.

But this next chunk of path isn’t just under construction, it’s also going to traverse unfamiliar territory in unfriendly weather.

Unfriendly, yes. But at least not downright nasty.

When the Cowboys visit Orchard Park this Sunday, there shouldn’t be any snow on the ground, and temperatures are expected to reach a high of 47 degrees.

The game will be a punishing affair nonetheless, with the home team literally fighting for their postseason lives. At 7-6, the Bills have not lived up to expectations this season. They are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, holding the 11th seed in the AFC. But if they can win out, they’re in.

So the postseason basically starts now for Buffalo.

McCarthy has his Cowboys- who are almost assuredly in the dance but have not yet clinched- in a similar mindset.

“It’s always important in December. There’s confidence that comes in these games, and I’m looking forward to the competition of it,” he explained.

Dallas answered a lot of questions about strength of schedule and quality of opponents in Week 14, dismissing the two-loss Eagles by a wide margin. But the high-powered Bills, Dolphins, and Lions are lying in wait around the next three bends.

Call it an ideal three-week test-run for the gauntlet that is the NFL postseason.

“To play in these kind of games, I think, is great preparation for playoff football, because these are going to be juggernauts,” McCarthy shared. “I think this is what you need as part of that opportunity to win and grow.”

The next area of growth for the 2023 Cowboys is beating a top-tier opponent in their building. All three Dallas losses this year have come on the road. And the three away games they won? Those came against squads that are today a combined 11-28.

Beating a team like Buffalo- at their house, in December- would be an important step toward what’s likely to be required in January.

“Your team has to be able to be built to go win anywhere,” McCarthy noted, “and that’s the reality of this league.”

The Cowboys certainly hope what they did Sunday night in front of their own crowd is a show they can take on the road the next two weeks. The offense ran 74 plays and held the ball for over 36 minutes, racking up nearly 400 yards and putting up points on seven of their nine drives. The defense held Jalen Hurts & Co. out of the end zone all night and notched three takeaways (four if you count a turnover on downs), all on their own side of midfield. Special teams contributed, too, with rookie kicker Brandon Aubrey booting four field goals, all from 45 yards or beyond.

“Complementary football is how you win,” McCarthy raved. “[With] complementary football, you win anywhere. You can win in a parking lot, on the road, at home. That’s the vision. That’s why I talk about it. That’s why it’s so important.”

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The Cowboys certainly did it at home on Sunday night with their fifth consecutive victory, leading to a confidence level in the facility that the coach says is palpable.

“It’s definitely high, and it should be. Is it the highest of the year? Probably so,” he said, even while admitting that the buzz would be quickly tempered by the next task on the team’s to-do list.

“I think we all had great moments with our family and friends. But it was midnight, 1 o’clock in the morning. The reality is, you wake up in Buffalo [preparation]. Buffalo’s an uncommon opponent. There’s a lot of new faces on tape, even for me personally- players that I’ve never competed against.”

So while this weekend’s road trip will take the Cowboys to an out-of-the-way destination where they’ll experience some inhospitable weather and an even colder reception from the locals, their coach isn’t yet looking ahead to the next stop in their travels.

“We need to beat Buffalo,” McCarthy stated plainly. “And then we’re standing here with 11 wins, and then we’ll look around, and I think it’ll be a little more clear what needs to be done.”

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