Tag: 2023 season Week 4

4 Downs: The biggest turning points in Cowboys win over Patriots

From @ToddBrock24f7: Prescott and Lamb got over a mini-slump, LVE did something for the first time, and DaRon Bland showed out in the plays that made the game.

Sunday’s 38-3 shellacking of the Patriots proved cathartic for the Cowboys and their fans after the previous week’s no-show in the desert. The defense was once again at powerhouse form, the offense showed encouraging signs of what could still be coming, and the special teams added their own punctuation marks at just the right moments.

Things got off to a rocky start with an opening drive that- stop me if you’ve heard this one before- fizzled out in the red zone and forced Dallas to settle for a short field goal.

But the Cowboys were able to regroup and overcome that bugaboo- along with several others, like penalties and TD passes to wide receivers- en route to handing Bill Belichick the largest loss of his coaching career.

There were plenty of game-defining plays to choose from, but these are the four that the grumpy guy in the hoodie could be seeing in his nightmares for a while.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

3 Major takeaways from Cowboys first 4 games of 2023

Sending out an APB for contributions from the draft class is one of the biggest takeaways from Dallas’ 3-1 start to the 2023 season. | From @cdpiglet

The Cowboys were shocked by the Arizona Cardinals running for over 200 yards in a Week 3 upset, ending Dallas’ short-lived run at an undefeated season. That is hyperbole, but anything seemed possible wih the team 2-0, sporting a point differential of +60 with wins over a playoff team and one sporting a top-five defense.

The New England Patriots could have been a tough test as well, not only because they had the greatest coach and defensive mind in football history in Bill Belichick, but the emotional return of Ezekiel Elliott. Fortunately for Dallas, Elliott never had the chance to be an option, as the offense for the Cowboys controlled the game, and the defense forced three turnovers and scored on two of them in the 38-3 Week 4 win.

The Cowboys now enter the season’s second quarter, tied with two other teams for the third-best record in the NFC. They have an incredibly tough October upcoming, so what significant takeaways can the team continue improving on or start cleaning up with this stretch of prove-it games ahead?

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott already fired up for next showdown vs 49ers in Week 5

From @ToddBrock24f7: Prescott used a reporter’s question about last year’s playoff loss to flip the switch ahead of Sunday’s showdown: “I appreciate that. I do.”

The look, like so many of the 28 passes he had completed on the day, was laser-focused on its target and came with a noticeable amount of heat.

And then Dak Prescott held his glare, for nearly five full seconds, just to let it sink in.

Just minutes after one of the most accurate performances of his tenure as Cowboys quarterback, one in which the eighth-year veteran shook a couple monkeys off his back and delivered possibly the greatest head coach in history the worst defeat of his career in a 35-3 blowout of New England, Prescott found himself being asked to reflect back on January’s painful playoff loss to next week’s opponent, the San Francisco 49ers.

Specifically, one reporter wanted to know during Sunday’s postgame press conference, what was the feeling leaving that locker room a full 252 days prior?

And that’s when Prescott’s icy stare provided quite an answer, long before he even spoke a word.

“It’s obvious,” Prescott finally answered, a little incredulously. “I mean, we’re so far past that, to be honest with you. But that’s obvious. I mean, if you just want to piss me off going into this weekend, I appreciate that. I do, actually. I do.”

The two-time Pro Bowler was seemingly lost in thought for a moment as he processed this latest version of a question he’s been asked- and answered- maybe hundreds of times in various forms since that disappointing day in the Bay.

“Yeah, I appreciate that. Appreciate that.”

That 19-12 divisional-round loss saw Prescott turn in a day he himself called “unacceptable.” His 63.6 passer rating was the lowest of his half-dozen postseason appearances and was one of the 20 worst showings of his pro career. Another two interceptions capped off a mistake-prone 2022 season for the former fourth-round draft pick and raised alarming questions that have followed him into this year’s campaign, despite a 3-1 start that’s included blowout wins versus both New York teams and Bill Belichick’s Patriots.

But Prescott says their looming date with San Francisco wasn’t on his mind this past week as the team looked to simply amend for their letdown in the desert the Sunday prior against Arizona.

“This is a week-by-week basis,” he told reporters. “This week and everything in preparation for this week had nothing to do with San Fran coming up.”

Week 4’s decisive 35-3 win saw Prescott complete 82.35% of his throws, his sixth-highest mark as a pro. The team also recorded a rare red-zone touchdown, and Prescott hooked up with CeeDee Lamb, the first scoring catch by a Dallas wide receiver this season.

It was a return to form, more like the impressive wins posted in Weeks 1 and 2, but with an offense that feels like it’s still coming to life under the play-calling of head coach Mike McCarthy. (The Dallas defense put two of the Cowboys’ four touchdowns on the board.)

“We focused, we did what we were supposed to do what we wanted to do- capitalizing on our game plan, getting back to the things that work, scoring early, allowing our defense to go hunt with the lead,” Prescott explained.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

The win also continued a notable trend. ESPN’s Ed Werder pointed out that, over the past three years, Dallas is 9-1 coming off losses and has averaged 33 points per contest in those games.

Prescott and the Cowboys clearly know how to bounce back. Now they’ll look to do it against the team that’s sent them home from the past two postseasons.

“Now it’s about turning the page, studying the hell out of [the 49ers], understanding who’ve they’ve been, what this matchup’s been the last couple years. [We] had to play them in the playoffs, understand it’s a team that, if we want to get to where we want to get, we’ve got to play them again come playoffs. Looking forward to the matchup.”

But that doesn’t mean Prescott is eager to re-live that last meeting. There he was, though, standing at the podium moments after a confidence-instilling win, being grilled on how often he thinks about that gut-wrenching playoff loss.

“Every f–” Prescott started before biting his tongue.

He collected himself ever so briefly before trying again.

“Every day. Every day.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hbq6g4ckqw342ykn8x playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hbq6g4ckqw342ykn8x/01hbq6g4ckqw342ykn8x-a662817609305aa81b72cc3ebe660923.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

‘He’s doing everything the right way’: Cowboys coaches, teammates on breakout CB DaRon Bland

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 2nd-year CB may be having a coming-out moment as far as the league is concerned, but Bland’s fellow Cowboys have seen this coming.

DaRon Bland tallied two interceptions in his junior season at Sacramento State. After transferring to Fresno State for his final college season, he recorded two more.

On Sunday, the 24-year-old cornerback came up with a pair of picks in Week 4 alone.

Although not (yet) a household name, the fifth-round draft pick is proving himself to be a legitimately dangerous presence in the Cowboys secondary, and his second multi-interception outing in his last 10 games has put the rest of the league on notice.

But Bland’s teammates and coaches in Dallas have known it all along.

“That’s a guy that works his tail off,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said of Bland after the team’s 38-3 dismantling of the Patriots. “Practices hard; one of the best players at practice no matter what he’s doing, no matter what look he’s trying to give, whether we’re going against hims 1-on-1s, he makes it tough for everybody. He’s a hell of a player, and obviously, it’s paying off here on Sundays.”

Bland’s biggest highlight on this Sunday came in the final minute of the first half. The Cowboys held a 21-3 lead and were working to keep New England from adding points before the break. Set to receive the ball to open the third quarter, Mac Jones and the Patriots could have climbed right back into the game with double-dip scoring drives.

But when Jones uncorked a ball back across the field, it was a move Bland had seen- and gotten burned on- just a bit earlier.

This time, though, he was ready.

“He got an early one across the field, so I couldnā€™t let him do that again,” Bland explained to reporters afterward. “Then I saw open field when I got the ball, and I was like, ‘Nobodyā€™s catching me from here.'”

The Patriots caught neither Bland nor the Cowboys. The 54-yard pick-six extended the Dallas lead to 28-3 and took the rest of the air out of New England’s balloon; they never came any closer on the scoreboard.

Bland jumping the route and making the pick may have caught Jones off-guard, but it probably shouldn’t have. The California native stepped into a starting role last season as a rookie, replacing injured veteran Jourdan Lewis, and led the team in interceptions.

Now once again pressed into service as a fill-in for Trevon Diggs, Bland picked up right where he left off. He nabbed a second pick early in the third quarter Sunday and has three already on the season. In fact, Bland has more interceptions since the start of the 2022 season- eight- than any defensive back in the league: more than Patrick Peterson, more than Minkah Fitzpatrick, more than Sauce Gardner, more than Justin Simmons.

Sunday’s pick-six was already Bland’s second score of the young season. That ties the Cowboys single-season mark, just four games in. He still has 13 more chances to secure the franchise record for himself.

“Heā€™s focused every day,” fellow starting Cowboys corner and five-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore observed of Bland. “He doesnā€™t say much, he comes in and works. He competes, and itā€™s only his second year. Heā€™s got a bright future and [Iā€™m] just trying to teach him as much as I can. One day heā€™s going to be one of those guys, for sure.ā€

The quarterback who goes up against him every day in practice believes Bland is already there.

“I think when you look at DBs- you practice against them or play against them- it’s the confidence,” Prescott shared. “It’s the guys that really take chances, especially when they’re younger and they take chances. They’re trusting what they see, trusting their eyes, trusting what they’re coached, and they’re jumping routes. He was doing that early in practice. Early in his time as a rookie, he got me a couple times. There was no hesitation in it, and that’s where you say, ‘That’s a guy whose eyes are in the right spot, believing what he’s being coached, and playing off of instinct.’ I hate to call somebody a natural because it sounds like they don’t put in the work, but he’s doing everything the right way, and he’s only going to get better.”

His head coach agreed.

“You can see it right away,” Mike McCarthy noted of Bland in his postgame press conference. “Just an extremely disciplined young man. He was given his first opportunity, his ability to play inside, outside. Excellent ball skills, which the whole back end [has] as a group; I donā€™t know if Iā€™ve seen so many guys that can hawk the ball. Itā€™s just great to see your young players have that success, especially when you know how much they put into it. I thought he played phenomenal today.”

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

He’ll need to keep it up, with the red-hot 49ers on deck next. But despite the extra juice that will come with facing the team that’s bounced Dallas out of the playoffs the past two years, expect Bland to- true to his name- keep things predictably even-keeled and neutral.

At least until he gets out on the field. Then it’s time to turn up the spice.

“I expect myself to make plays.”

Just as he did on Sunday. Just as he’s been doing since Day One.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hbgq19zbx2czz7gk7d playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hbgq19zbx2czz7gk7d/01hbgq19zbx2czz7gk7d-4d28eb5313a369799525e32c4858ad61.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Studs & Duds: Vander Esch, Tolbert among standouts in pasting of Patriots

From @ToddBrock24f7: Perhaps some Cowboys fans wrote off Leighton Vander Esch and Jalen Tolbert a little too soon; two rookies find themselves struggling.

Week 4’s matchup against the Patriots brought a lot of uncertainty for Cowboys fans. Would Dallas follow up last Sunday’s clunker with a repeat performance… or would the team more closely resemble the well-oiled machine that steamrolled opponents in their first two contest?

It didn’t take long for the Cowboys to make last week’s trip to the desert look like the anomaly, playing with fire and emotion and a propensity for big plays all day long, eventually handing Bill Belichick the worst loss of his coaching career with a 38-3 smackdown.

The biggest stars of the day, though, proved to be less-than-marquee names, with a young DB, a onetime injury liability, and a receiver most were ready to write off as a bust showing out in the decisive victory. Two rookies, meanwhile, are having a tougher time adjusting to the pro game and turned in less-than-stellar performances.

Here’s your Studs and Duds for Week 4.

[affiliatewidget_smgotlocal]

Schottenheimer: Cowboys to safeguard against Elliott, Grier sharing offensive intel with Patriots

From @ToddBrock24f7: The RB and QB bring close knowledge of the Cowboys offense to New England; Dallas could implement strategies to keep their plans secret.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots are well-known throughout the league for being willing to go to any length necessary to gain even a slight advantage over an opponent.

As they prepare to visit AT&T Stadium in Week 4, the Cowboys are well aware of that. And coaches are confident that two Dallas veterans who are now wearing the red, white, and blue are being pumped for inside information by the New England staff on what Dak Prescott & Co. will be trying to do come Sunday.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott, a key cog of the Dallas offense for seven years, and Will Grier, who spent two seasons in the Cowboys quarterbacks room and running the practice squad scout team, are both Patriots now.

And Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer knows they both have intel that could come in handy for the Patriots defense.

“We’re always aware of it,” Schottenheimer told reporters Monday. “Those are things that we monitor every week, but certainly we know that Will knows where a lot of the bones are buried. Zeke obviously does, as well.”

Facing former players happens almost every week, given the nature of free agency in today’s game. The Giants added wide receiver Cole Beasley to their practice squad prior to the season opener against Dallas. In Week 2, the Cowboys were reunited with kicker Greg Zuerlein and wide receiver Randall Cobb. And last Sunday, tight end Geoff Swaim counted as a familiar face on the Arizona sideline.

Any of them could have provided their new team with some piece of coded verbiage to listen for, some tendency to safeguard against, some little edge to capitalize on.

“Everybody does it,” Schottenheimer explained. “You get a player that’s been somewhere, you bring him in, and you talk to him about different things. And then you’re very selective about how much you put into it.”

But obviously, you also make some alterations, too.

After a breakup, you change the locks. You come up with a new Netflix password. You do things differently so you don’t get burned by that ex who knows you inside and out.

That’s exactly what Schottenheimer hinted that the Cowboys will be doing this week.

“Those are things you talk about and you think about, ‘Hey, let’s adjust this one,'” he said from The Star. “We certainly have more than one hand signal for most of our core concepts. And sometimes you can use it to your advantage. Because they think they know what’s coming, they hear something and think, ‘Hey, it’s this,’ and we’re smart enough to adjust those things.”

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

It’s well-documented gamesmanship, and Schottenheimer knows that Belichick won’t rely too heavily on anything Elliott and Grier have to say about the way the Cowboys were doing things last year under Kellen Moore or even this summer in camp. The grumpy guy in the hoodie didn’t get to 300 career wins by using an outdated decoder ring; he no doubt has a solid game plan to deal with Dallas.

“His big thing is he wants to make you play left-handed,” according to Schottenheimer. “He’s going to try to take away your best player. So he’ll have a plan for trying to find our pieces- whether he wants to take CeeDee away, or how he wants to attack the run game.”

But that doesn’t mean he won’t listen if Elliott has a secret to share.

And if Grier just happens to recall some of the details from that Cowboys playbook he was holding just a few weeks ago…

“I’m sure he’s definitely being interrogated,” Schottenheimer smirked, “and probably spending a lot of late nights with their defensive coaching staff.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hb8vjgvnmv9k28agj1 playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hb8vjgvnmv9k28agj1/01hb8vjgvnmv9k28agj1-46da5084c83942815ac58d2a7c4ca99c.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]