Tag: Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Football Team

A perfect storm of offensive improvement, Cowboys weathered multiple troughs

Cowboys were simply better, than their opponent and their former selves, when they took the field on Sunday. @DailyGoonerRaf looks at all the areas they improved upon and why it all clicked.

One of earliest and best lessons in following football came decades ago, in my brief time as a news photographer. I was assigned to record a game featuring Edinburg High in South Texas and tasked with interviewing the Bobcats head coach, Richard Flores, at the half.

Flores was the dean of South Texas coaches, known for his creative offenses. On this day, his team was trailing at the half to a vastly inferior opponent. I asked him if he planned any major adjustments and anticipated some juicy strategic dish. His simple answer surprised me.

“No” he said, “we don’t need to change anything. We just need to do what we do better.”  They did, rallying for a late win.

Flores’ understatement brings to mind the hand wringing and brain twisting from the Cowboys faithful this past month. The offense has struggled to move and to score. And fans have reached for their pat explanations:

  • It’s the quarterback, who’s lost his touch
  • It’s his receivers, who have suffered COVID, a concussion and the dropsies
  • It’s the offensive coordinator, who’s lost his magic touch
  • It’s the offensive line, shuffled to an extreme extent, and which misses Tyron Smith
  • It’s the running backs, who are dinged and in Ezekiel Elliott’s case, possibly declining.

In reality, it’s been all of these factors. Each hit the Cowboys after the New England win in October and while no single factor is wholly responsible for the decline, they all combined to drop point production by over a touchdown per game.

Cowboys’ report Card, snap counts vs Washngton in Week 16

The Cowboys exerted their dominance over Washington, smashing them 56-14 in what was their most complete performance on the season yet.

The Cowboys put a beatdown of epic proportion on the Washington Football Team in Week 16, flexing their might and reminding the rest of the league how dangerous they can be when fully clicking. Dallas played the Grinch and ruined Washington’s Christmas, despite giving them exactly what they asked for.

It’s A’s all around for almost every part of this team, who finally delivered a complete performance from top to bottom. They’ll just need to keep this same energy rolling come playoff time, and hopefully embark on a big Super Bowl run.

Here’s how the Cowboys graded out in Week 16, along with the playtime percentage breakdown.

4 Takeaways: How early Amari opens up Cowboys offense

From Dak Prescott’s home dominance to the special teams and defense’s ascension, the quality of the 2021 Cowboys was on full display. @CDBurnett7 dives into it all.

The Dallas Cowboys absolutely walloped the Washington Football Team, 56-14, on Sunday Night Football. 42 points by halftime, two takeaways and two touchdowns from units other than the offense are the main examples of the domination. This was the first complete performance from Dallas in 2021 and it came after Dallas had already secured the NFC East crown earlier in the day.

Quarterback Dak Prescott looked perfect, finding wide receiver Amari Cooper early and often after the latter vocalized concerns earlier in the week and the impressive performances at home make the No. 1 seed more and more valuable with two weeks left.

Dan Quinn’s defense continued its string of unconscious performances, while the special teams showed out yet again as John Fassel’s system is really clicking in the second half of the season. Here are four takeaways from the Cowboys’ beatdown of Washington.

3 Stars: Dak Prescott, Cowboys’ defense fuel Week 16 win vs Washington

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.

‘They were really tired:’ Cowboys brought the heat vs WFT with ‘fastball’ offense

Kellen Moore used the no-huddle offense to perfection in the first half vs Washington, wearing the defense out and scoring a ton of points. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Football teams always talk about wanting to “start fast” and dictate the pace of a game to their opponent. On Sunday night, the Cowboys not only started fast, they stayed fast. And in doing so, they found a gear that Washington simply couldn’t keep up with.

At times, it seemed like quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense were playing a different sport. So perhaps it’s fitting that for their Week 16 gameplan, America’s Team borrowed terminology from America’s Pastime.

The Cowboys call it “fastball.”

“It’s just an up-tempo offense,” wideout Amari Cooper explained to reporters after the 56-14 stomping. “You’re not huddling up after every play. The receivers [line up] wherever they are after their previous route. In fastball, I play the Z and if [Prescott] calls double routes, I’m supposed to be on the right side. But if I just ran an over-route, I have to go and play the X. So everybody has to know different positions. We practice it so much that we all know the different positions, so after one play we can line up and get on the ball real fast. You have to be in a lot of shape for that; defenses aren’t always ready for it.”

In the Cowboys coaches’ current parlance, fastball is essentially the code word for “no-huddle.”

“You can go as fast as you want, you can go as slow as you want,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore explained in a conference call Monday. “I think that’s our biggest point: we dictate the tempo within that…. It’s different from a two-minute huddle. In two-minute, you’re trying to go as fast as possible, save as much time as you can. This thing is about executing football plays. If we can go fast, we go fast. After a few plays, if we need to slow it down a little bit, we’ll slow it down.”

Moore didn’t slow it down much Sunday night.

The Dallas offense ran an astonishing 52 plays in the first half alone. By way of comparison, Seattle this season is averaging 55 offensive plays per game. More plays, more chances at hitting the jackpot. And the Cowboys did, scoring five offensive touchdowns before the break, all on drives of at least eight plays and all spanning over 70 yards. They doubled up Washington in time of possession and had amassed a ridiculous 389 net yards, all before taking an insurmountable 42-7 lead into halftime.

“I think our guys excel at the up-tempo, the pace operation,” head coach Mike McCarthy explained Monday after the dust had settled some. “It definitely fits the way they train, and it definitely was very beneficial for us yesterday.”

“I love no-huddle,” Moore said. “I think it’s obviously one of our strengths as an offense. I think we did a tremendous job and our guys are really comfortable with it. Shoot, that’s how they’re wired coming from college because they’re kind of used to being in no-huddle formats.”

Fastball demands that the opposing defensive unit stay on the field because there’s generally no time for substitutions. That often leads to defenders playing out of position, playing winded, or being susceptible to cadence variations. And that results in mistakes.

Prescott exploited two Washington offside jumps during the first half Sunday, taking advantage of the free plays for 24- and 22-yard gains. In both cases, Dallas declined the penalties and continued their quick-step marches right into the end zone.

“I think that’s just something that, if you just look over the course of the season,” Prescott said in his postgame comments, “when we’re in tempo, we’re playing some of our best ball: keeping it simple, executing. And obviously, you’re putting the pressure on the defense and forcing them to play the defense that you want them to and play more simple. You get them out of all their gameplans and their schemes. It works for us well.”

Running back Ezekiel Elliott agreed, pinpointing it as the main reason the offense looked so much more explosive than in previous weeks.

“We were playing with tempo,” Elliott explained. “When we do that, it tires those guys down so much and it takes a lot of the thinking out of the game for us. Getting on the ball, playing with tempo, that’s our easiest way to wear a defense down.”

It certainly helped that Washington was playing numerous backups due to COVID absences and was coming off a short turnaround. But the Cowboys also had an inkling that the fastball would be particularly effective against WFT, after an on-the-field exchange Cooper had with a defender in their previous meeting.

“They were really tired,” Cooper confirmed. “Just two weeks ago when we played them, one of the D-lineman on their team was like, ‘Man, y’all, slow this thing down.’ That’s what he told me. I think it really affected them, and I noticed when we got into our fastball, we were moving the ball much more effectively.”

It certainly seemed to help the Cowboys spread the ball around against a secondary whose heads were spinning. Nine different offensive players caught a pass on the night; five of them (Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Malik Turner, and Dalton Schultz) ended with over 50 receiving yards.

“I definitely think it was the fastball,” Cooper offered. “We practice it so much, and I think finally it just started to click. The defense was tired, like I said. We practice it so much that we can actually run the fastball effectively because we know exactly where we need to be.”

And like an ace pitcher relying on the gas in October, the Cowboys may find themselves going back to their fastball more often as the higher-caliber competition of the postseason draws near.

“It’s part of the gameplan. It’s part of: can the other team handle it, too? I think just like anything in this game, you need to be able to be diverse in your approaches. I’m talking about the different type of huddles,” McCarthy said. “You need all of that. We’re going to see more and more of it, and we’ll see more this week and especially getting into the playoffs with these veteran quarterbacks.”

[vertical-gallery id=689080]

[listicle id=689131]

[listicle id=688969]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Good, bad, ugly: Cowboys dominate Football Team

The offense got back to their groove back and the defense played well again. So what could there be to complain about? | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys left no doubt who was the best team in the NFC East with a 56-14 beatdown of the Washington Football Team. From start to finish, the Cowboys dominated in all three phases of the game and had the Football Team frustrated to the point where they were fighting with each other on the sideline.

That’s what the Cowboys did on Sunday night, they embarrassed a rival and put the division to bed, even though they had already clinched earlier in the day. For those waiting on the offense to play up to the standards they had set earlier in the year, watching this one was very satisfying. It felt like the extra present waiting to be opened that nobody noticed in the corner.

In beating the WFT, the Cowboys put up 42 points in the first half, had close to 500 yards of offense, scored in all three phases, and had an offensive lineman score a touchdown. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly in the Cowboys’ Week 16 demolishing of the Football Team.

‘Of all people, you test him:’ Cowboys not surprised CB Trevon Diggs made WFT pay early

Trevon Diggs took Washington’s early throws his way personally; now he’s within striking distance of league interception records. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Everson Walls, the Cowboys’ single-season interception leader, was in attendance at AT&T Stadium Sunday night to see if cornerback Trevon Diggs might have a chance to tie his 1981 record of 11 picks.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Washington tested Diggs on the Football Team’s first play from scrimmage, targeting wide receiver Terry McLaurin on a deep ball. Despite rookie cornerback Kelvin Joseph making his first NFL start on the opposite side, WFT quarterback Taylor Heinicke went after Diggs. Forty-three yards down the field, the Alabama product caught the pass like it had been intended for him all along.

It was an electrifying way for the Cowboys defense to start the game. And it came as something of a shock to nearly every Dallas player in the building.

Including Diggs.

“I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m still ready at the end of the day. They wanted to try me, first play,” he told reporters in a Q&A session after the game.

Washington even came back at Diggs again on the very next series. The league’s interceptions leader took it personally.

“I felt like, ‘Wow, they really just did that,’ so it gave me a little bit more to go out there and just put on my best.”

“It was mind-boggling for me,” safety Jayron Kearse said. “Of all people, you test him.”

“I feel like they were in a position to try to give us their best shot, and they wanted to come out the gates and do that,” defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence added. “That was their best shot tonight, it failed them, so shout-out to Trevon for catching the interception.”

“You should see practice. He does it that in practice,” tight end Dalton Schultz explained. “It’s almost like the quarterback is throwing it to him. When stuff like that happens, it’s happened so much, we’re probably used to it by now.”

“It was huge,” head coach Mike McCarthy told the media. “I see what they’re trying to do, come out and challenge him early. I’ve said it before: as a quarterback coach, you call them 50/50 balls, but I don’t know if it’s quite 50/50 when he’s around, that’s for sure. He’s incredible when the ball’s in the air. Incredible.”

“Why? Why would you try him on the first play?” quarterback Dak Prescott asked. “But I hope they continue to do that. He’s a great player and congrats to him on tying the record and looking forward to him beating the record.”

With two more games to play, Diggs will have ample opportunity to take sole possession of the franchise mark that’s stood for 40 years.

Sunday night’s interception came literally seconds after a shot of the legendary Walls was shown to the Cowboys crowd on the stadium’s giant video board.

“I didn’t know he was at the game,” Diggs said of the four-time Pro Bowler and three-time league interceptions leader. “It’s funny how everything just aligns. That’s amazing.”

With two more interceptions, Diggs would reach 13 and tie the Raiders’ Lester Hayes for the most picks in a season since the NFL-AFL merger. The all-time record is 14, posted by Dick “Night Train” Lane in 1952. (Astonishingly, Lane did it as a rookie… and in just 12 games.)

But don’t put any of it past Diggs, the way his 2021 has gone. He nabbed seven picks in the first six games of the season. No one else has even topped that total yet; Diggs has gone on to get four more en route to his first Pro Bowl nod.

And with three of those interceptions coming in the last four contests, it’s looking like he’s getting on another hot streak.

“The sky’s the limit,” Diggs said with a grin, “so we’ll see.”

“Yeah, the sky is not for limit for Trevon,” Lawrence said. “He still has two more games to boost his record, and I feel like he’s gonna keep doing it.”

[vertical-gallery id=689080]

[listicle id=688769]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Player of the Game: Dak Prescott shines as Cowboys rout Washington

The Cowboys signal caller put in a full day’s work in barely more than half a game and put his name in the record books once again. | From @TimLettiero

This game got out of hand rather quickly for Washington. The rematch between the Dallas Cowboys and the Football Team quickly started to mirror the Week 14 first half, however, and spiraled into a much more definitive statement soon after. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott got his offense moving with a high-tempo, feed-the-squad mojo on their second drive, and didn’t look back. Although he was pulled midway through the third after yet another defensive touchdown put Dallas up 49-7 over their division rival, Prescott was the leading force to this rout.

Dallas ended up winning 56-14 as Prescott completed 28 of 39 throws for 330 yards and four passing touchdowns. Even more remarkable than the numbers, Prescott set an NFL regular season record, becoming the first QB in history to complete scoring throws to a wideout, tight end, running back and offensive lineman.

It was clear this offense, led by OC Kellen Moore, wanted to silence the doubters. No points were scored on the opening drive but promise was shown. Getting the ball right back on a Trevon Diggs’ interception, Prescott would hit his most reliable targets in WR Amari Cooper and TE Dalton Schultz twice respectively to march the offense downfield with ease. This set up a beautiful play design and break in the Washington defense setting Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott up for the walk-in touchdown.

More of the same would occur on the offense’s third drive of the evening. Prescott would target RB Tony Pollard and WR CeeDee Lamb consecutively while adding WR Cedrick Wilson to the mix midway through the drive. After Prescott’s first incompletion of the game targeting Pollard, he’d return to his safety blankets in Schultz and Cooper, the former for yet another beautifully-designed score.

The offense stayed hungry. Prescott would share the ball, targeting and connecting on passes with five different receivers, on a drive that ultimately ended in a big man touchdown for OT Terence Steele.

Just to put the icing on the cake, Prescott would take the very next drive and complete history, hitting Cooper on a beautiful catch at the pylon to complete the historic quartet.

Prescott came out in the second half but after two stalled drives and yet another defensive touchdown, a majority of the offensive starters would take a seat. The final stat line included another 21 yards on the ground but more importantly put an end to the recent slump the offense has been in over the last couple of months. Prescott was the brightest star but the team will need several repeat performances moving forward, starting with a high-powered battle against the struggling Arizona Cardinals next week.

[vertical-gallery id=689080][lawrence-newsletter]

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott rescued souvenir TD ball from stands for OL Terence Steele

Terence Steele spiked his first-ever TD ball into the luxury suites, so RB Ezekiel Elliot went back to get it for him. | From @ToddBrock24f7

When the play was called, Terence Steele didn’t want anyone to think he’d be getting the ball. After the play was over, he was quick to get rid of it again.

Thanks to a quick-thinking teammate, though, he got it back.

The football is now a souvenir the Cowboys’ 310-pound offensive lineman will treasure for the rest of his life, a memento of his contribution to a historic obliteration of the rival Washington Football Team.

But it almost went home with someone else.

The Cowboys offense were set up on the Washington 1-yard-line, ahead 28-7 late in the second quarter. Coordinator Kellen Moore sensed an opportunity to run a play they’d been working on for a while and had even tried the week prior in New York.

They called a timeout to get the personnel exactly right.

Steele, who had already been in the game at left tackle, slid over to the right tight end position and declared himself eligible, as required by rule. Ty Nsekhe came on to fill Steele’s left tackle slot. Lineman Connor McGovern lined up in the backfield as blocking fullback. Seven beefy linemen on the field at once for what looked to all the world like it would be a goal-line carry for running back Tony Pollard.

Only after bumping his man at the line, Steele peeled off and broke for the end zone. He turned to find Dak Prescott’s pass floating his way.

The second-year undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech who has done everything the team has asked, at multiple positions along the offensive line and subbing for future Hall of Famers, logged the first reception and touchdown of his football career.

“When they called the play, I just tried to play it off as normal,” Steele said after the game. ” I didn’t want to get too excited or anything. I just wanted to keep everything as normal. When the play happened, that’s every O-lineman’s dream, to catch a touchdown. I blocked and I just tried to get my head around as fast as possible. And it was there. I caught it. Perfect ball from Dak.”
It was, in fact, his first catch and score. At any level of football.
“I’ve always been an O-lineman. I’ve never touched the ball in my life. Never ever ever ever.”

So the big man can be forgiven, perhaps, for not exactly knowing what to do with the ball afterward. The personal significance of the moment may have been lost in the excitement of the moment. So Steele unleashed a monstrous spike in celebration.

 

“Steele was super excited,” running back Ezekiel Elliott explained to the media after the Cowboys’ 56-14 win. “He spiked it so hard, it bounced almost into the second level of the stadium. But it went to the suite area.”

“That was a spike with some authority to it,” guard Zack Martin said. “Last year, Zeke gave him a ball, and he kind of had a weak spike. So he made up for it tonight.”

With that spike, for Steele anyway, the moment was over. He trotted back to the sideline with his teammates, stopping to surprise head coach Mike McCarthy with an enthusiastic- and forceful- bear hug.

“I had to check my teeth because he jammed right into me,” McCarthy deadpanned in his postgame press conference. “A lot of anticipation, because obviously when you call those plays, you’re looking for the reaction. It looked like Terence stumbled coming out of it, and then you see Dak put a little air on it. It’s looked good for a couple weeks, so it was good to get it called.”

“The last couple of weeks, Kellen’s been trying to get an O-lineman a touchdown,” Martin added. “We tried to get McGovern one last week. I think this week, we had a good feeling they were going to get sucked in, and Terence was going to be open there. It was great for the big guy to get a score.”

On the TV broadcast, Al Michaels stated that Steele was the first Cowboys offensive lineman to score a touchdown since the legendary Rayfield Wright in 1968. While Wright did, in fact, haul in a 15-yard touchdown catch versus the Eagles that season, the future Hall of Famer had not yet made the positional switch to tackle. When he caught his score in ’68, he was still considered a tight end.

So as it turns out, Steele’s touchdown may be even more historic than originally thought.

“He earned it, every bit of it,” lineman La’el Collins said. “He earned it. He’s been working his ass off since he got here. He’s gotten better. He’s proven it. He’s proven it.”

“Steele’s a hell of an athlete,” Elliott agreed. “He can run, he’s definitely got great hands.”

But as he returned to the sidelines, Steele’s hands were empty. The ball from his highlight-reel moment was up in the stands.

And that’s when Elliott sprang into action. Not even on the field when Steele’s number was called, Elliott ran to the section of field-level suites where the football had landed and asked for it back.

“I want to say thank you to whoever caught that ball and gave it back to me out there,” Elliott said afterward. “I think that’s a big tradition when you go to the NFL: you’ve got to keep that first touchdown ball, so thank you for giving the ball back.”

Elliott reportedly arranged for the fan who gave back the ball to get a replacement pigskin, but the one Steele actually caught for his big-man touchdown will remain in his possession, thanks to his heads-up teammate.

“Shout-out to Zeke, because I want that ball,” Steele said. “That’s something I’m going to cherish forever.”

[vertical-gallery id=689080]

[listicle id=688769]

[lawrence-newsletter]

‘I still got it:’ DeMarcus Lawrence’s pick-six wows Cowboys teammates

Lawrence’s second career interception added to the team’s locker room bet, but also calls into question the veteran’s Madden ratings. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys defense came in to their Week 16 game leading the offense by two in their much-ballyhooed turnovers-to-touchdowns intrasquad bet. Trevon Diggs’s interception on Washington’s first play from scrimmage extended the lead to three.

But when two first-quarter scoring passes from quarterback Dak Prescott brought things a little too close for comfort, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence took matters- and a Taylor Heinicke throw- into his own hands for one of the plays of the night in a 56-14 Dallas romp.

“In all honesty, the quarterback just threw the ball right in my direction,” Lawrence told reporters following his fourth game back after a two-and-a-half-month absence with a broken foot. “I was lucky enough to get my hands on the ball and make it into the end zone. I don’t know how I made it into the end zone; I just made it.”

The interception itself was impressive, to be sure. The 40-yard return for a touchdown, though, is what had the Cowboys locker room talking.

“D-Law’s been extraordinary since his return,” rookie linebacker Micah Parsons said. “He just creates a lot of opportunities for everyone, he’s so effective in the pass game and the run game. He’s just a force when he’s out there. I told him, ‘You’ve got a little bit more juice than I thought you had left.'”

“He’s fire,” cornerback and league interception leader Trevon Diggs raved. “Like, he’s really fast. Madden needs to stop changing his ratings, too. I think they’ve got him at, like, an 80-something. He’s definitely a 90 speed on Madden. Need to fix that.”

The eight-year veteran agreed once it was brought to his attention.

“Yeah, you know, Madden has been slacking the last couple years on my speed and stuff,” Lawrence said. “I feel like they got the picture tonight.”

“I’ve got to show the young boys that I still got it,” the 29-year-old said with a smile.

Lawrence’s second career pick- and his first touchdown- made an impression on his offensive counterparts, too.

“Nothing was more impressive than D-Law’s pick-six today,” running back Ezekiel Elliott gushed. “I was impressed with the stiff-arm, the high knees, making the last guy miss on the sideline… he looked like he’s been playing offense his whole life. I think he said was an all-state tight end on the sideline, so you saw that today.”

But Prescott was quick to point out that Lawrence’s brilliant play still only counts as one turnover in the bet.

“That doesn’t double up the points, by any means,” Prescott joked in his postgame press conference. “It was impressive. If anything, I thought that maybe we need to get him in over there at the jumbo-Y position and maybe get him a pass.”

“Well, I’ll say what was echoed on the sideline: we probably need to find a wrinkle or two for him,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy concurred. “Just a great play by DeMarcus. If you look, he had the double-[team] on the rush, and the way he came off and played the quarterback’s eyes, just a phenomenal play.”

And just the latest phenomenal play in what has been a remarkable season for the Cowboys defense, its first under coordinator Dan Quinn. The unit now leads the league with 33 takeaways, 10 more than they logged in all of 2020, and still with two games to go.

As for the bet, Lawrence’s pick didn’t provide quite enough pad for the defense on a night when Prescott and the offense got its groove back to the tune of six trips to the end zone. They take a plus-two lead into Week 17, even if Lawrence thinks his pick-six should carry bonus points.

“Offense be cheating, bro. They only gave us the turnover, not the touchdown,” he told reporters. “They won the battle today, but we’re coming back strong next week.”

Despite earning the praise of his teammates for providing the athletic highlight of the night, Lawrence almost certainly won’t be lining up as a receiver for a trick play in the red zone anytime soon.

No way is he adding to the offense’s touchdown totals. He’s got a bet- and maybe much more- to win with the Cowboys’ reinvented defense.

[vertical-gallery id=689080]

[listicle id=688253]

[lawrence-newsletter]