Tag: 2024 Week 10

Sun-day Memories: Lamb’s lament brings Jerry Jones stubbornness to light, literally

Eight years after originally running an article on it, the sun continues to wreak havoc on Cowboys home games and Jerry Jones is still being defiant about it. | From @KDDrummondNFL

This article first appeared during CowboysWire’s first year of existence: 2016. Yet here again, eight years later, it is still relevant because Jerry Jones would rather have iconic images circulating the web than to eliminate a problem that’s existed since AT&T Stadium was being built. Nothing here has aged poorly, so we revisit the conversation had then.

For a $1.2 billion stadium, one would think sun interference would be the last thing a home team need worry about. Maybe that’s part of the problem, it seems as if it was one of the last things the club worried about, according to one aerospace engineer.

Gregg Wilson, former officer in the Canadian Air Force and consultant to defense giants such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, is a long-time Cowboys season ticket holder. In 2008, as the team was beginning to work on the new stadium, Wilson inquired as to possible sun interference when working with the sales department to determine where his seats would be.

My concerns about the new stadium’s sun problems arose from one of the biggest problems from the old [Texas] stadium… the infamous sun spot.  You never wanted to be stuck sitting in it during the pre-season or the first month of the regular season . . . The hole in roof acted like a giant magnifying glass.  Everyone in the sun for those early games were literally melting away.

I recall the sales staff reassuring everyone that the new stadium would never have this problem since it was temperature controlled that the roof wouldn’t be open with outside temperatures hotter than 80 degrees or colder than 60 degrees . . .

In my opinion, a magnified 80 degrees was still unacceptable considering the high cost associated with PSLs.

At the time, I was requesting a very specific PSL on the home side of the stadium and they said I would need to prove an inadequacy with one side of the stadium versus the other… before they would entertain my request.

And prove it, he did.

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Wilson provided them a series of data charts in addition to the one above explaining troublesome dates and times when the sun could affect the viewing experience. Wilson states the overmatched Cowboys sales team replied “Is this a joke?”

If it was, Jason Witten and Dez Bryant certainly weren’t laughing in the Giants game.

Had I not done that analysis for those seats (for the top opening), I never would have guessed there was a potential problem with the side windows of the stadium (that’s the location on my graph that says “Impact unknown”).  Remember, the old stadium never had side windows.

Wilson made the point if he was able to construct a feasible mapping of how the sun could potentially affect his viewing experience, it would stand to reason the club would have invested resources into preparing themselves for the possibility it could affect the game. There likely wouldn’t be any communication between a sales staff and those that deal with in-game strategy such as choosing which direction to pick prior to kickoff. However, in seven years of playing at the stadium, one would hope the Cowboys staff would be better prepared for such a scenario.

Wilson believes if nothing changes, the problem could reappear Sunday during the game against the Bengals and possibly even the Washington game in November. He even suggests Cowboys should worry more about which direction they play in than whether or not to get the ball first.

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I’m not saying the sales staff (back from 2008) should have spoken to the coaching staff to pick the right side of the field (I doubt that type of dialog ever existed back then, nor does it exist now)… but surely somebody else must have noticed a “potential” sun problem over the past 7 years and the Cowboys could have spent a small amount of money to put valuable information in their own hands.  Not sure who won the coin toss this past Sunday but it disappoints me if it was us and then we ultimately picked the wrong side.
For arguments sake, let’s say the Cowboys truly had no idea.  If that’s the case, they know now and there’s no reason it should ever happen again.

As it turns out, they did know, or at least the architects who designed the stadium did. Bryan Trubey, executive vice president of the architectural firm that built AT&T Stadium revealed the football park’s orientation is due to its position as the flagship of a bigger, unfinished sports complex is the reason for the sun issues.

“That stadium was developed as part of a master plan,” Trubey said. “That master plan will play out some day and the alignment between the stadium and the ballpark is one of the key elements to the entire master plan.

“When you get to the west side of the stadium, when we get the higher densities there, when you have 14-, 15-story buildings, which is not out of the realm of possibility, it’s a completely different situation,” Trubey said.

“We knew, quite frankly, we could handle the sun angles, which we knew from the very beginning, would be like that, exactly the way we handle it right now with the screens and the drapes,” Trubey said. – SportsDay

Wait, there are screens and drapes? Then how in the world could there have been impact on the game and more importantly, how was it allowed to continue?

Owner Jerry Jones calls the impact the sun has on a game, even Sunday’s loss, fractional.

Well, okay then. Hopefully, the decision makers will utilize the fail-safes to prevent this from happening again.

This Cowboys defender just reminded fans how special he can be despite Dallas’ downward spiral

Trevon Diggs brings a special quality to the Cowboys defense that can’t be ignored, says @ReidDHanson

Trevon Diggs, much like the Cowboys as a whole, hasn’t had the best season in 2024. The fifth-year pro has struggled making an impact in the secondary this season and frustration has been visible. The ballhawk who once posted 11 interceptions in a single season only logged a single pick through the first eight weeks of the current campaign.

With fellow All-Pro CB DaRon Bland sidelined with injury all year, it’s been a revolving door at the position opposite Diggs. This Flavor of the Week situation at the other CB spot has been a popular target for opposing quarterbacks looking for easy gains. Combined with the Cowboys poor run defense, it’s created an environment in which Diggs is rarely targeted in coverage. His 4.6 target rate (through Week 10) has been well below career averages and has often rendered Diggs more of a run supporter than coverage specialist.

Like most CBs, Diggs isn’t thrilled to stick his face in the ceiling fan as a run supporter. He’s proven capable but doesn’t always look willing or overly engaged. It’s led to his worst season as a run supporter and the highest missed tackle percentage of his career (20.5%).

But on Sunday in Week 10 against the Eagles, Diggs showed everyone exactly what he brings to the table and why the Cowboys inked him to a five-year, $97 million extension last summer.

Diggs’ diving interception in the end zone might have been the play of the game Sunday if the outcome hadn’t had been so lopsided in the end. With the game in the balance and the Eagles charging downfield to build on their four-point lead, Diggs extended all 6-foot-2 of himself to thieve a Hurts pass intended for Dallas Goedert.

It was a play only a handful of CBs can do in the NFL and a reminder of how special Diggs is for the Cowboys. Diggs might not be the type of player a team builds their defense around, but he is one that can put a defense over the top.

By avoiding him in coverage and targeting him with the running game, opponents can effectively eliminate Diggs from the equation on defense. Such is the nature of the position.

In many ways Diggs’ “down season” is nothing more than a byproduct of the circumstances. If the Cowboys weren’t begging teams to run on them, more passes would be directed downfield. If Dallas had more competent CB play to pair with Diggs on the boundary, QBs would be less likely to focus all their efforts opposite Diggs.

For as disappointing as the season has been for Diggs, he remains a special building block of this defense. It’s the Cowboys fault for not fielding a competent roster around him.

Digg’s tremendous interception reminded everyone how special the 26-year-old ball hawk is. Dallas just needs to fix things around him.

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Abysmal, atrocious Cowboys offense give worst showing since 2002, fall 34-6 to Eagles

The Cowboys turned in their worst offensive performance in over 20 years, signaling they may not have reached rock bottom just yet. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys defense did what they could. For one half, they made efforts to keep the game close. They stopped Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, allowing him just 24 yards through two quarters. They harassed Philadelphia QB Jalen Hurts, sacking him five times and forcing him to commit two turnovers, including his first interception since September.

But ineptitude found it’s level for the Cowboys’ offense. Playing in their first of likely nine games without quarterback Dak Prescott, it became immediately apparent just how much suffering he had been masking. The Cowboys’ offense managed just 36 passing yards in 17 attempts in the first half. Along with an egregious fumble into the end zone by Ezekiel Elliott, they were fortunate to be down just 14-6 at the break.

Then the wheels fell off in the second half en route to a 34-6 drubbing. Dallas ended up with just 146 yards on offense, their lowest total since 2002. They gave the ball away five times.

The defeat drops the Cowboys to 3-6 on the year with another home loss at AT&T Stadium.

That’s the scene of next week’s crime, too, when the in-state rival Houston Texans come on the heels of this loss to the Cowboys’ chief division rival.

The Cowboys started Cooper Rush, hoping he’d recapture some of the 2022 magic when the team won his first four starts despite mediocre play. Well, he didn’t even deliver mediocre on Sunday. Rush finished 13 of 23 for a paltry 45 yards, losing two fumbles as well.

He was relieved for a few plays by Trey Lance, and then later for the remainder of the game. Getting the first regular season action of his Cowboys career, Lance was able to show his legs some, rushing for 17 yards, but he didn’t fare much better in the passing game either. The fifth-year pro finished 4 of 6 for 21 yards and an interception where Jalen Tolbert never looked for the pass.

On defense, Dallas got an exceptional performance by first-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who had two of the five sacks in the first half. He left for a brief moment with an injury scare, but was able to return. At the time he left midway through the third quarter, he led the team with 11 tackles.

The club also welcomed back Micah Parsons, who hadn’t played since Week 4 against New York thanks to a high ankle sprain. His presence was obvious as the Cowboys had their best pass-rush of the season. Parsons logged two sacks himself.

Promising Cowboys LB leaves Eagles game from non-contact injury

The young Cowboys LB was having a great game before having to leave for an undisclosed injury. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Update: Overshown was able to return to the game.

One of the few bright spots from the 2024 season has been the play of first-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. The University of Texas product missed his entire rookie season due to a summer ACL injury, but has largely looked unaffacted in his return.

During Sunday’s game against the Eagles, the first since the return of edge rush extraordinaire Micah Parsons, Overshown has been used to pressure the quarterback. The results have been electric, with the heat-seeking missile securing two of the Cowboys’ five first-half sacks. But in the second half, the mood has soured.

During the Eagles’ third drive of the third quarter, Overshown fell to the ground with a non-contact injury.

Through less than three quarters, Overshown has 11 tackles along with his two sacks, and he’s been the most impactful player on the defense that has tried as hard as possible to keep their team competitive while the offense sputters embarrassingly almost every time they’ve been on the field.

Dallas has lost a fumble in the red zone and also failed to convert two other opportunities, settling for field goals. With the score now 28-6, hearing the extent of Overshown’s injury may be the only thing yet to be decided in the contest.

Will Trey Lance play in 2nd half of Cowboys-Eagles?

The Dallas Cowboys’ offense is struggling mightily in their first game without Dak Prescott. There’s a vocal minority of Cowboys fans who have always believed that Prescott is holding the team back, and much of their evidence was the way the team …

The Dallas Cowboys’ offense is struggling mightily in their first game without Dak Prescott. There’s a vocal minority of Cowboys fans who have always believed that Prescott is holding the team back, and much of their evidence was the way the team played in 2022 when he missed five games early in the season.

Cooper Rush came in and the team won four games in a row with him under center. Despite Rush putting up pedestrian stats and being very lucky to avoid interceptions up until running into a three-pick game in a bad loss to Philadelphia, the narrative was spun. In this iteration, it may be time to see what the third-string QB can do.

Rush finished the first half with just 36 passing yards, no scores and an inexcusable fumble that gifted the Eagles their first touchdown of the game. Rush has shorted several throws and also been lucky not to have an interception.

With Prescott likely out for the remainder of the season, the Cowboys will soon decide what is the purpose of the 2024 season where the coaching staff are almost all on the final years of their deal. Longterm considerations may not win out over trying to prove worth to future employers, making the starting QB decision more complicated than it might need to be.

Lance hasn’t had any regular season action since being acquired by the Cowboys last summer. The former No. 3 overall selection busted out in San Francisco before Dallas acquired him.

Dallas trails 14-6 at the break in Week 10.

CeeDee Lamb sets Cowboys record for fastest player to this milestone

The Cowboys wideout has been a reception machine ever since coming into the league and set a furious pace over the last few seasons. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles hasn’t gotten off to the best start for the Dallas Cowboys. An early fumble on a pistol-formation snap to Cooper Rush gave the bad guys the ball deep in Cowboys’ territory and the Eagles took advantage. Jalen Hurts scored on a Tush Push to put Philadelphia up 7-0.

That didn’t dissaude the Cowboys from making some history on their next drive however. After a strong return by Kavontae Turpin, Dallas found themselves in 3rd-and-2 from their own 48. That’s when Rush found WR CeeDee Lamb for a six-yard gain and a new set of downs. The reception was Lamb’s second of the game, giving him 450 for his career. He’s the fastest player in Cowboys history to reach that mark, and by a pretty wide margin.

Lamb was able to make his 450th career catch in his fifth season and just his 75th career game. The next fastest in Dallas history was Jason Witten, who made the mark in his 100th career game during his seventh season.

Below is a list of every Cowboys player with at least 450 regular season receptions.

Player Total Receptions Season Reached 450 Games to 450
Emmitt Smith 486 11 167
Jaosn Witten 1215 7 100
Michael Irvin 750 8 102
Dez Bryant 531 7 109
Drew Pearson 489 11 144
Tony Hill 479 10 130
CeeDee Lamb 450+ 5 75

Lamb entered the contest with 53 receptions for 660 receiving yards, putting him on pace for his third consecutive season with at least 100 receptions for 1,000 yards.

Is AJ Brown playing today? Injury news update for Eagles wide receiver

Here’s the latest status for the Eagles’ AJ Brown for Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Eagles’ passing game has relied a great deal on one A.J. Brown over the last several seasons. In 2022, Brown 88 passes for 1,496 yards while scoring 11 touchdowns. He followed that up with 106 receptions in 2023, again approaching 1,500 receiving yards and adding another seven scores.

Things have not been that smooth for Brown thus far in 2024, and injuries are to blame. After missing four games early in the season with a hamstring injury, Brown has returned to diminishing returns. And then last week, Brown exited the club’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a knee injury he didn’t return from.

Will he be able to play against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10?

The answer appears to be yes. Brown was limited in practice on Wednesday but has been a full participant both Thursday and Friday and surprisingly carries no injury designation into the game.

All signs look like Brown will get another shot at playing against the Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs. The two did not get to face off against each other last season, as Diggs tore his ACL too early in the season to see Brown in Week 9 or Week 14. Back in 2022, Brown had 11 receptions on 16 targets in two contests against Diggs and company. Those 11 catches were good for 170 yards and a score.

Is CeeDee Lamb playing today? Injury news update for Cowboys wide receiver

Here’s the latest status for the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb for Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a catastrophic injury last week, when quarterback Dak Prescott’s left hamstring gave out on him against the Atlanta Falcons. Midway through the third quarter, Dallas lost their franchise signal caller, an injury that’s expected to leave an already lackluster passing game worse off.

The only thing that’s worked on any kind of regular basis has been throwing to All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb, and that was seen to be in jeopardy with the way Lamb suffered through the Week 9 loss himself. Lamb struggled to return to his feet on several pass completions, favoring his shoulder to a great degree. He left the game for a while, but was able to return to try and help a comeback they couldn’t complete.

Lamb had been limited in practice the first two days of the week, but returned to full participation status on Friday, receiving a relatively clean bill of health. Lamb was not given a game injury designation despite the shoulder issue.

Related: Cowboys missing almost 50% of their salary cap from Week 10 lineup

Lamb caught seven passes last week, but for only 47 yards, as he was kept out of the end zone until a two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

Over the past three games, Lamb has 28 receptions, but without Prescott throwing him the ball it’s difficult to project how well he’ll be able to catch balls from backups.

For what it’s worth, Lamb has had a couple nice games with Cooper Rush under center in the past. In 2022 Week 3, he caught eight of 12 targets from Rush for 87 yards and a score. He followed that up with 6 for 97 and a score in Week 4.

For fantasy purposes, Lamb is far too talented to ever take out the lineup, even with the Cowboys’ passing offense struggling.

Is Micah Parsons playing today? Injury news update for Cowboys edge rusher

Here’s the latest status for the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons for Week 9 vs the Atlanta Falcons.

The Cowboys are now sitting two games under ,500, at 3-5 on the 2024 season, losers of three games in a row. The team hasn’t seen the victory column in over a month, the win against the Justin Fields-led Pittsburgh Steelers seems another lifetime ago when there was still hope things could work out.

One of the things that’s been hoped for has been improved health, and now it seems that cannot come without trading some away in return. The Cowboys have struggled to create a pass rush all season, but that became much worse once the team lost Micah Parsons to a high ankle sprain against the New York Giants in a Week 4 win. They’ve now been without the three-time All-Pro for four straight contests, but will things change in Week 10?

It appears they will. Parsons was given the game designation of Questionable, but after practicing all week and not seeming to have suffered a setback, all signs put to one of the NFL’s best defenders returning.

Parsons has a great matchup to return to as well, with the Philadelphia Eagles missing their left tackle Jordan Mailata and instead trotting out Fred Jones.  The drop off in talent level there is severe and works in the Cowboys’ favor who hope to be able to stabilize a defense that hasn’t done enough in 2024.

The Cowboys are returning to AT&T Stadium this weekend, where they are 0-3 on the season.

With DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland both on returnable IR, along with the season-ending preseason loss of Sam Williams, the pass rush has lacked significant punch, made worse by the free agent defections of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler in the offseason.

Is Dak Prescott playing today? Injury news update for Cowboys quarterback

Here’s the latest status for the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott for Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Dallas Cowboys have spent the last month trying to figure things out, to no avail. The way the 2024 season has played out for them, it’s probably customary for them to assume the worst while hoping for the best. Well, the best has decided to take a break and keep sending the worst.

After their third straight defeat, 27-21 in Week 9 at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons, the Cowboys sit with a 3-5 record and not much hope in sight. Dallas is in the middle of a crucial five-game stretch against the NFC’s best teams and they have not acquitted themselves well. In Test No. 4 they host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10 and their quarterback situation is unideal.

That’s because Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury during the third quarter of last week’s loss. On top of numerous other injuries the team has had to fight through in 2024, they now move forward without their field general. Prescott has been ruled out of the contest.

Not only that, but it’s expected that Prescott is going to undergo season-ending surgery soon.

It is expected that Cooper Rush will step in and play for Prescott this week against the Eagles.  The last time Rush played against Philadelphia was in 2022, in his fifth and final game as Prescott’s replacement. Now he will start in the first post-Prescott game of 2024.

Prescott had been averaging 241 passing yards a game and had a career-worst 3.8% touchdown rate, against a 2.8% interception rate.  After signing a $240 million contract extension in the offseason, Prescott and the Cowboys have floundered on offense this season.