By Mark Halpern
Missed it by that much {more like 35 feet}
Last night we saw a great football game between the defending world champs and the Dallas Cowboys. The game, for the most part, was excellent. Both teams came out firing, with Tampa putting the first score up and to no other than Gronk. The Cowboys, for the most part, played well. There were a few drops here and there during the passing game, the running game I’ll touch on, and of course, the reason we lost.
Dak Prescott returned to the gridiron last night after a horrific injury last season but, you would not have noticed it at all. Prescott came out firing and shook off all the rust or questions about his health on his first throw, which was an 18-yard completion to Cooper. Dak was firing on all cylinders and completed passes to every first-string player. Dak had a massive night, completing 42 passes for 403 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. This is far better than most analysts were saying he was going to do. In our live Thursday night show, I said Dak would have 300+ yards 3 total TD’s, and I was brushed off and smirked. Dak is back, folks, and he shows no signs of last year’s injury hampering him at all.
The running game was nonexistent, which had most Cowboys fans wondering if Zeke was hurt? The Cowboys planned to make it a passing night after seeing what defense schemes they were being shown. With Zack Martin out, the offensive line was weakened but still played a great game. Zeke was not going to run anywhere with the looks they were being given, so they turned to the pass. Zeke, however, came up big in the blocking game. He picked up many players coming on the blitz to give Dak more time, which we didn’t see from him last year. The same thing is to be said for Tony Pollard, who saw more looks in the passing game than running schemes.
The wide receivers had a big night for the Cowboys. Cooper and Lamb both eclipsed the hundred-yard mark, and both scored touchdowns in the game. Michael Gallup also had 36 yards, but he injured his right leg during the game and will be missed for a few weeks. Cedrick Wilson had a good game, and I expect him to be stepping up along with Noah Brown while Gallup will be unavailable. Both tight ends were featured, and I expect them to do more blocking for Zeke next Sunday.
The Defense did not have a horrible day but a rough one. One big positive was that they forced three turnovers in the game and kept the Cowboys in the mix. However, you can only give Tom Brady so much time, or he will beat you, and that is what he did. The Tampa o-line kept Brady off the ground and gave him time to complete passes to Antonio Brown, Godwin, and Gronk. Antonio Brown constantly beat Anthony Brown on the night to the tune of 118 yards and a score. The Cowboys needed to play better coverage in the secondary and get more pressure on the quarterback or see the same problems next week.
I have seen many fans blame the fact that the Cowboys lost due to the non-call on offensive pass interference in the game’s waning moments. The Cowboys lost because their placekicker Greg Zuerlein missed a chip-shot 31-yard field goal that shanked left. He then missed an extra point later on. Those four points were the difference in the game and cost the Cowboys their first win of the year. That is why the Cowboys lost, plain and simple.
With the run game being nonexistent this week, I expect to see a better sample of it in the next few weeks. The Cowboy’s only lost by 2 points. Both teams played very well, and next week’s challenge of the Chargers will be another good test for this potent offense.
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