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Quick takeaways from the Lions Week 18 win over the Vikings
The Lions proved they were the worthy NFC North champions, successfully vanquishing the visiting Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. Detroit’s 30-20 home win in the regular-season finale lifted the Lions to a 12-5 finish while saddling the Vikings to a 7-10 record.
It was a surprisingly eventful game for a matchup that didn’t have a lot of critical playoff implications. Here are some of the notable takeaways from watching the game in real time.
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The fastest linebacker in the NFL? Not Micah. Meanwhile the Dallas offense finally had to lead the way and @CDPiglet says they showed themselves more than capable in Sunday’s win.
The Dallas Cowboys were winning games while without quarterback Dak Prescott by relying on the defense to hold opponents down and then asking the offense to not make critical mistakes. The reason the team was excited to get Prescott back was because eventually the Dallas defense was going to have a bad game and the offense would need to carry the team to a win. They weren’t going to do that with Cooper Rush under center.
Unexpectedly, the Week 8 Chicago Bears were the team to bring that challenge. They fell behind early but stuck to their game plan of running the ball at Dallas with multiple running backs, the quarterback, and even WR Velus Jones. Chicago ran 14 more plays than Dallas, controlling the clock for over 36 minutes, rushing for 240 yards. The Cowboys’ offense was going to have to show up and more than 400 yards and over 40 points later, last year’s No. 1 offense produced three stars of the game.
Yes, Micah Parsons did take a fumble and return it for a touchdown. Dalton Schultz brought in six of his seven targets for 74 yards, CeeDee Lamb had five receptions for 77 yards and a TD, and Kellen Moore was dialing up a great offensive plan all game. Any of those could have received a star this game, but sometimes it can be about more than who had the best stats of the day.
The two-headed RB monster roared, the pride leader showed others their place but it was the young upstart who stole the show in @CDPiglet’s 3 stars from Sunday.
The first game back for quarterback Dak Prescott ended up looking like a game started by backup Cooper Rush. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard were the focus of a conservative offense that had more than 30 rush attempts and under 200 passing yards. The Dallas defense led the way, only allowing six points, while sacking the opposing QB five times, and creating five total turnovers.
Prescott did have some impact on the offense, throwing zero interceptions compared to the three last week, and leading the team to a 75% redzone touchdown percentage with the team scoring three out of four times. The one time the team didn’t score was because wide receiver Noah Brown fumbled on a reception inside the five-yard line.
This team isn’t the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Miami Dolphins offensively. They don’t have the offensive line or receiving talent to spread out and throw the ball all over the field, but an excellent run game and ferocious defense can still be impactful and help the team shine like the decals on the helmets of the three stars of the game.
Who stood out in the Oklahoma Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State and earned one of our 3 stars of the game?
Oklahoma’s second game of the season found them taking on Kent State, and for a while, it looked like they had Oklahoma a bit puzzled.
Kent State held Oklahoma scoreless until the waning moments of the first half. Brent Venables’ team headed into the break up 7-3. Whatever was said in that locker room worked as Oklahoma flipped a switch and ran away with the game.
A few players, in particular, stood out in the win as their efforts kept Oklahoma in the game and helped elevate the team when the Sooners needed another gear to separate from Kent State.
Here are this week’s 3 stars!
Dak Prescott threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns while DeMarcus Lawrence and Trevon Diggs shutdown Washington’s offense in Week 16. | From @StarConscience
The Dallas Cowboys secured the NFC East title before they took the field Sunday night due to the Las Vegas Raiders’ victory over the Denver Broncos. However, they played as if they hadn’t accomplished anything and obliterated their division rival.
Dallas stormed out to a 42-7 lead at halftime and ended up with a dominant 56-14 victory. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on offense, defense, and special teams, making it a total team effort in front of their home crowd. There were plenty of kudos to go around, but here are the three players that led the way in the Cowboys’ 11th win of the 2021 season.
The Dallas Cowboys forced four turnovers and allowed just six points against the New York Giants to capture their 10th win of the season. | From @StarConscience
The Dallas Cowboys continued their undefeated December against the New York Giants with a convincing 21-6 victory. Much like it’s been all month, the Cowboys’ defense stood at the forefront by producing four turnovers (tied for the league lead with 31) for the third consecutive game and allowing just six points, their second-lowest total of the season.
The win improved the club’s record to 10-4 on the season, and combined with other Week 15 results, moved Dallas into second place in the NFC playoff seedings despite not yet securing their ticket to the dance with three games remaining.
While the offense looked better than it had in recent weeks, there are still things remaining to be sorted out. Meanhile, their defense had a plethora of defenders who made contributions to the shutdown of the Giants offense. However, these three players in particular spearheaded one of the Cowboys’ best defensive efforts of the season.
The Dallas Cowboys beat Washington in Week 14, thanks to their defense. Find out which 3 defenders were this week’s stars of the game. | From @AsaHenry_55
The Cowboys pushed their lead in the NFC East to three games after escaping Washington with a win in Week 14. Dallas seemingly had the game in hand with a 24-point advantage at halftime, but their divisional rival cut the deficit to just seven late in the fourth quarter. Dallas held on, proving head Coach Mike McCarthy’s midweek guarantee of a victory true.
How did Dallas hold on? Their defense, finally featuring a near-full allotment of players, dominated the Washington offense, making big play after big play. The offensive performance didn’t match the other side of the ball, which is becoming a troublesome trend, but the Cowboys defense is quickly becoming one of the league’s scariest, something few fans or pundits predicted prior to the season.
Here’s a look at three Cowboys who made a serious impact in the Cowboys crucial NFC East win.
The Cowboys had a bad effort as a club, but there were still a handful of standouts in the contest. | From @StarConscience
Week 11 did not go as planned for the Dallas Cowboys. Their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs was seen as a litmus test of their season so far, and they failed. Offensively the Cowboys were awful, only producing nine points. 276 total yards were a season-low and the Cowboys were only five out of 15 on third down. Sprinkle in Dak Prescott’s inaccuracy, wide receivers dropping passes, the offensive line getting dominated, and three turnovers, it was a miracle they only lost 19-9.
The reason for that was because of the Cowboys’ defense. The 19 points the Chiefs scored were the fourth-lowest the Cowboys’ defense has allowed all season. Also, they forced two turnovers and logged three sacks.
It’s hard to find a lot of positives in a loss like this one, but these are three players that stood out for the Cowboys.
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis tallied three pass breakups and an interception. Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes, both to CeeDee Lamb. | From @StarConscience
The Dallas Cowboys needed a strong performance in Week 10 after having their six-game win streak snapped by the Denver Broncos. They got just that, and the Atlanta Falcons were the unfortunate victims of their wrath. Offense, defense, and special teams played their parts in the Cowboys’ 43-3 win.
Several players stepped up to contribute for Dallas. Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons got his sixth sack of the season, forcing a fumble, and once again led the team in tackles. Defensive end Dorance Armstrong recorded a sack as well and blocked a punt, which was recovered for a touchdown by rookie cornerback Nahshon Wright. Trevon Diggs hauled in his league-leading eighth interception and Anthony Brown registered his third of the season and tipped a pass that ended up in the arms of another defender. Ezekiel Elliott made it in the end zone on three separate occasions.
How good was the team’s performance? None of those players made this week’s edition of 3 Stars.
The Cowboys continue to get big-time performances. Each week is a different combination but these 3 players are regulars in celebrations. A look at the three stars, from @StarConscience
What a thriller the Dallas Cowboys had in Week 6 against the New England Patriots. The Cowboys dominated in just about every aspect of the game, but penalties, inefficiency in the red zone, and questionable officiating kept the Patriots in it throughout and created high drama in Foxboro.
The game went into overtime after a Greg Zuerlein field goal with 20 seconds remaining and it only took the Cowboys one possession in the extra period to win their fifth straight game, 35-29. The win gave them a three-game lead in the NFC East. There were plenty of kudos to go around, but these three players stood out the most in a tough road win for Dallas.
