Finally, the Dallas Cowboys found a way to win a game without waiting until the last two minutes to decide the outcome. It was total domination basically from start to finish. The Rams were completely overmatched by the Cowboys in every way. And DeMarco Murray provided a surprising spark to the running game.
The game was well played across the board for the Cowboys. Obviously Murray gets the headlines and rightfully so after going for 253 yards on 25 carries. I'm not ready to say he is the next great Dallas running back but he will at least be a big part of the offense for the rest of the season. Maybe Felix Jones will return to his role as change up back now that we see how effective Murray is between the tackles.
Tony Romo played a solid game but he really didn't have to do much thanks to the dominating running game the offense had all day. Romo threw for 2 TD's and never threw a pass that was the least bit dangerous. And he smartly took a couple of sacks rather than forcing the ball down the field when he was under duress.
The defense kept Steven Jackson bottled up for the most part. Jackson did break off one big run and scored a TD but he managed only 70 yards on 18 carries. The Rams passing game didn't do much of anything all game long. And Mike Jenkins ran a better route than Brandon Lloyd to come up with a nice interception. Abram Elam also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble to stop a potential scoring drive by the Rams.
Dan Bailey has now made 15 consecutive field goals. I was ready to cut him after he missed a short kick against the 49ers but he has been money ever since. I'm assuming the Cowboys are waiting for David Buehler to get healthy so they can avoid an injury settlement when he is cut.
The good news for the Cowboys is that they looked like a quality team. Good teams handle poor teams with ease. The Cowboys did that. Of course that doesn't mean the Cowboys are playoff bound. It just means that they have the potential to be a playoff team this season. Now they need to start handling quality teams with a little more ease.
Next week is going to be a big test of just where the Cowboys are right now. The Eagles are only 2-4 but they have their backs against the wall. The Cowboys can essentially bury the Eagles' season but you can bet they will get the best shot the Eagles have. Next Sunday will be a big game without a doubt.
Real simple. They beat the Eagles next week and they'll take the division. They lose and they're done. I know it's only the 7th game of the year but that's my prediction based on the way they've played up til this point. I took nothing away from today's game because we played at home against a winless team who didn't even have their starting quarterback.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot more football to be played to say that the next game is make or break for the Cowboys. It's been over reported that the Cowboys have a soft schedule the rest of the way through (for the most part) and it's only getting tougher for the rest of the NFC East (comparatively).
ReplyDeleteWe don't have to beat out the Packers to reach the playoffs, just win an underachieving division. Seems like it's within reach, Win or Loss next week.
It was a needed win. Season is still young and plenty of games left. I still dont have much faith in Garrett as a coach....
ReplyDeleteMan, that game did not feel like domination to me. It was still 17-7 at the half and it seemed to go for a good long while where if the Rams scored one touchdown, it was a game again.
ReplyDeleteStill, I think everyone was hoping for a score like 34-7 and that's what we got. And we were hoping to run the ball against a team that had trouble running the ball, and we got that as well. And most people were probably hoping to see Dez produce in the second half and even that happened. So, a lot to build on and probably the game they wanted to have before the Eagles game. Possibly even better than an actual domination from start to finish just because they still have a lot to work on this week.
Not that they didn't have enough to worry about before. Still, they're better than the Eagles. Time to show it.
"Run the ball against a team that has trouble stopping the run" is what I meant to say.
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