Tag: Good Bad & Ugly

Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys win despite missed opportunities, run-game failures, clock issues

From @ToddBrock24f7: The end result brought a sigh of relief, but the Cowboys’ 20-19 win was plagued by some troubling issues as a postseason appearance looms.

The Cowboys won, but barely. Saturday night’s 20-19 thriller may have provided tons of drama for football fans, but it also gave the Cowboys plenty to address (and their fans even more to be concerned about) as they look ahead to the playoffs.

Sure, there was much to celebrate after the star-studded night that saw Jimmy Johnson enter the Ring of Honor. CeeDee Lamb had a record-setting night in front of the franchise’s legends, and Dak Prescott turned in another magnificent performance. Defensive veterans DeMarcus Lawrence and Jourdan Lewis put on a clinic, and Brandon Aubrey continues to be the best roster addition the club has made in some time.

But the team’s self-scout is going to be long and involved after this one. The Dallas running game looks to be in serious trouble, the defense’s soft coverages almost cost them big-time, and Mike McCarthy’s play-calling continues to confound in key situations. Add in more clock management snafus, getting torched on another fake punt, and ill-timed turnovers that kept points off the scoreboard and the visitors in the game, and there’s suddenly a good deal of bad and ugly to parse out after a very welcome win.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Lamb’s disappearing act, Prescott under pressure contribute to Miami meltdown

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys’ 22-20 loss in Miami saw the defense suffer death by a thousand cuts and was helped by officials mostly ignoring Micah Parsons.

Christmas Eve brought the Cowboys a big fat lump of coal as the Dolphins played Grinch to any hope Dallas had of racking up a road win over a truly good team before the postseason tournament. The 22-20 loss wasn’t as humiliating as the previous Sunday’s defeat in Buffalo, but it was far more frustrating because this time, the Cowboys were in a position to win.

The offense started strong and even overcame an early miscue before disappearing almost entirely for two whole quarters and then surging back late, while the defense was so concerned with preventing the big play that they forgot to defend the little ones and let the Dolphins kill them with a thousand cuts.

Self-inflicted wounds continue to haunt the team against quality opponents, and a troubling trend with one Cowboys player in particular has gotten way beyond ridiculous.

Dallas can still match its 12-win total of the past two seasons if they win out, but if they’re going to go deeper than last year’s playoff run, it sure looks like it’ll take a belated Christmas miracle.

Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly from Sunday’s meltdown in Miami.

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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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Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys’ fast start, timely takeaways sullied by drops, gaffes

From @ToddBrock24f7: Even in a 20-point win over the East leader, there’s room to improve. We look at a dropped TD, a costly fumble, and a special-teams snafu.

It’s hard to find too much to complain about in a 20-point smackdown over your most hated rival on primetime TV to move into a first-place tie atop the division standings. Week 14’s 33-13 win over Philadelphia was perhaps the best and most complete game against a top-tier opponent the Cowboys have played in several seasons.

But as with any performance in the NFL, there are things that can be improved upon as the Cowboys continue their churn into toughest part of their regular-season schedule. While Dak Prescott played another good game that likely keeps him in the MVP conversation and the defense kept the star-studded Eagles offense out of the end zone entirely, Dallas coaches will still have plenty of learning opportunities for the Cowboys players in this week’s film study.

From the moments where focus was lost to the ever-present specter of injury, and then- of course- just a few of the things that went exceptionally well, here’s our weekly look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from this weekend’s game.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys survive questionable play calls, excessive penalties to beat Seahawks

From @ToddBrock24f7: Dak Prescott continued to impress. But DaRon Bland getting torched and a dubious decision late nearly cost the Cowboys a Week 13 win.

Week 13’s instant classic between the Cowboys and Seahawks certainly had its ups and downs. Dak Prescott continued to perform at an MVP-caliber level, and CeeDee Lamb stayed red-hot in a win that provided 76 combined points, 800-plus yards of offense, and was just the fifth game in NFL history with zero punts.

But the Dallas defense seems to have cooled considerably from their hair-on-fire start to the season, and fans watched on as their newest star-in-the-making was brought back down to earth by a relentless passing attack aimed straight at him.

Add in an absurd number of penalty flags thrown, frustratingly mediocre red-zone numbers, and a head-scratching decision in the waning moments, and the Thursday-night rollercoaster had Cowboys Nation feeling all the feelings before it was over.

Here’s a look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the team’s 41-35 win.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Deep-ball patience pays off, lack of LB depth concerning in Thanksgiving win

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 45-10 final only looked like a romp. While plenty went right for Dallas, there is much to address before the hardest stretch of games.

A win over Washington was just the satisfying ending that Cowboys fans were hoping to end their holiday with. But despite the 45-10 final that looks great on paper, anyone who watched the game knows it was actually very close for most of the afternoon.

Dallas overcame a shaky start- perhaps due to the short week of prep- and finally got their offense on track, thanks to a patient approach to one particular aspect of the play sheet. The defense, however, gave up uncharacteristic numbers that may cause concern with a slate of tough opponents coming up. And penalties and a missed kick are among the other items worth noting as the all-important third “trimester” of the regular season is about to begin.

You know about the turkey-leg touchdown celly and DaRon Bland’s record-breaking moment, but here’s a deeper look at what really made up the good, the bad, and the ugly after the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day victory.

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Good, Bad & Ugly: Cowboys pass rush pops, Wildcat flops vs Panthers

From @ToddBrock24f7: Micah Parsons & Co. gave Bryce Young fits in Sunday’s win, but the Wildcat needs work and Zack Martin suddenly looks very human.

The Cowboys lapped the competition in the home city of NASCAR, but they waited until the home stretch to put the pedal to the metal. The 33-10 final provided plenty of highlights, especially during that fourth-quarter onslaught of points, proving that the Dallas offense, when they flip the switch, is always at least capable of going high-octane and leaving almost any opponent in the dust.

It wasn’t all green-flag racing for the Cowboys, though. While the defense came crashing in on Bryce Young early and often, there are still some tune-ups needed before the caliber of opponents improves dramatically after Thanksgiving.

And while the team is tinkering back at the shop, there was a weird little hiccup every time the offense punched the button labeled “Wildcat.” Might want to get that looked at before the race to the 2023 finish line.

Here’s a look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Cowboys’ big win in Carolina.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys WRs come alive in win, penalty problems continue

From @ToddBrock24f7: There was a lot to love about the Cowboys’ record-setting day, but Jourdan Lewis and Neville Gallimore offer room to improve.

Things got off to a shaky start for the Cowboys in Week 10, but the offense quickly found their footing and turned in a monster day, rolling up 640 yards of offense and scoring seven touchdowns on 12 drives in their 49-17 thrashing of the rival Giants.

Much of the coming days will be spent dissecting all the ways in which Dallas dominated, from Dak Prescott’s surgical precision to CeeDee Lamb’s record-setting haul to the defense preventing Big Blue from converting a single third down.

Of course, not everything went perfectly, and the Cowboys coaches will have things to harp on over the next week of practice as the team prepares to face another struggling opponent in Carolina. (Get ready to hear a lot about cleaning up stupid penalties.)

Here’s just some of the good, as well as the bad and the ugly from Sunday’s- ahem- giant victory.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys’ aggressiveness approach vs Eagles for naught

From @ToddBrock24f7: Dak Prescott’s mobility and aggressiveness on 4th were good. Relying on young players in huge moments and the officiating? Not so much.

The Cowboys’ Week 9 visit to Philadelphia was billed as one of the biggest games of the season. It lived up to the hype, with the Cowboys coming within literal inches of upsetting the Eagles before a capacity crowd of Philadelphia faithful.

The game truly had everything, including plentiful helpings of good, bad, and ugly. The good for the Cowboys will obviously be overshadowed by coming out on the short end of the 28-23 final score, but it’s there. Another strong outing from Dak Prescott, a big night from CeeDee Lamb as he continues to boost his stock among the league’s receivers, and a record-breaking effort from kicker Brandon Aubrey, were, to note, a few positives.

As in any disappointing loss, though, the bad and the ugly seem to make for longer lists. Much will be made of the lack of a Cowboys run game, the preponderance of questionable penalties, the porosity of the Dallas defense in the red zone and on fourth downs, and why several Cowboys stars seemed to disappear completely in this massive game with huge implications.

But all that’s just scratching the surface. Here’s our weekly look at the goodest, the baddest, and the ugliest from the Week 9 loss.

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Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys’ OL overcomes shaky start, playmakers shine in 23-point win

From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys’ 43-20 win had plenty to celebrate, but there are concerns on the offensive line and the margin could have actually been bigger.

After the first few snaps for the Cowboys’ offense, it looked like the team had come out of the bye week more rusted than rested. But after a third down Rams penalty gave Dak Prescott and company a new set of downs, and new life, he and the team made the most of it. Four of the first five Cowboys drives ended in points (and the one that didn’t was a tip-ball interception that turned the ball over to L.A. on the doorstep of the end zone).

Add in a pick-six from DaRon Bland and a blocked-punt safety, and it was a dominating 33-3 lead before the two-minute warning of the first half. It wasn’t all perfect, as Dallas let the Rams narrow the gap after the break before finally slamming the door. The 43-20 win could have actually been bigger; the Cowboys incredibly missed on multiple scoring opportunities.

The complaints are nitpicky after a 23-point win, though, and there’s plenty to celebrate before turning attention to Philadelphia. Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of Week 8’s big win.

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