By Mark Halpern
The Christmas Eve primetime game between the Cowboys and the Dolphins might not have had the conclusion the Cowboys fans wanted, but, in hindsight, they are in good shape with the last two games coming up against the Lions and the Commanders.
The Cowboys came into this game after a terrible loss to the Bills and had their sights on a rebound game, but it would have been against another of the best teams in the AFC, the Miami Dolphins. Like the Cowboys, the Dolphins are trying to win their division, and with the win, they didn’t accomplish that but are now a playoff team. As I said in our live show on Sunday morning, Hill would have a big day. It was not as big of a day as I had said, but it was like trying to cover a cheetah but with only two legs. Even with a problematic ankle, Hill had nine receptions for 99 yards. Hill’s is just one of the cogs in this wheel, but the Dolphins lost Jaylen Waddle early in this game, and to be honest, this kept the Cowboys in it. The Cowboy’s defense shut down the running game, but controlling all this speed is tricky. Tua was on top of his game, throwing for 293 yards and a touchdown. Stopping this offense was tough, but the defense kept them in it.
The offense was good but again reached the red zone and was even down to the one and failed to score any points, and there was the loss right there. The Cowboys’ offense has been electric over the last six games in the passing aspect of it. The running game has stalled badly. Pollard is a shell of what he was last year. Dowdle is learning and getting better, but there is no clear number-one running back, and that’s why I would have kept Zeke Elliot. The running game should average 130-150 yards a game, and they are barely breaking 100. Part of the reason is this offensive line is banged up, and from here on out, there are no breaks until the Super Bowl, so they will have to tough it out.
Mike Rifkin and I agreed to disagree on the penalties in the game, and Mike made the point that Chubb was being held all over, and he wasn’t wrong, but the same thing happened to Micah Parsons, and we can cross those out. This Dolphins team is excellent and very fast, and if they have any weaknesses, you can say injuries across the team.
The Cowboys must decide whether to play for the second or third position. They could make that move over a win to the Lions this week, but the Cowboys are a lock in the playoffs, and the Rams, Lions, Eagles, and 49ers are as well, with SF being the top team right now and will secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Cowboys would be wise to rest members of the offensive line, linebackers, and even a few in the secondary this week.
If the playoffs ended today, the Cowboys will be facing the Buccaneers in Tampa in the wildcard round, and Baker has them cooking, but can he beat the Cowboys in the playoffs will be the question?
The Sports Insanity Network 