ANTONIO BROWN

By: Mike Rifkin

During the third quarter of the Bucs 28-24 victory over the Jets Antonio Brown took off his jersey, pads, and undershirt and ran off the field. There have been reports that coach Bruce Arians asked Brown to go back into the game and Brown said no. Arians said he isn’t talking about Brown and he is no longer a Buccaneer, but my thing is if you have a guy like Brown and you want to talk about the positive, you have to talk about the negative. 

Last October Arians told Peter King of NBC Sports “He screws up one time, he’s gone.” This wasn’t Brown’s first screw up as he was just coming back into the lineup due to an injury and was suspended for three games for having a fake vaccination card. Yes circumstances dictated the need for Brown to play after with Chris Godwin being out for the season with a torn ACL. Antonio Brown was a major force in the Bucs winning the Super Bowl last season he had eight catches for 81 yards and two touchdowns in three games. Brown when he returned from his suspension said “It’s a lot of drama. It’s a lot of drama you guys create, a lot of drama that people create that want stuff from me. But that’s just a part of life, a part of being in the position. I can’t control what people want from me, I can’t control what people write about me, I can’t control what people say about me. All I could do is get up every day and be the best person I can be, and when I get a chance to do my job, do my job the best way I could do it, and that’s what we had today.” The problem with what Brown said is that the media is not the one who creates the drama, it’s  Brown who has put himself in this spot and it’s a narrative he created. 

Brown has now been essentially kicked off of three different teams. The other stuff had been because of off the field problems, but now it has slipped to on the field. Bruce Arians said on Monday “ It was very hard,” “ I wish him well. If he needs help, I hope he gets some. It’s very hard. Because I do care about him.” Antonio Brown doesn’t need to be thinking about playing football or what is next in his career, Brown needs help. If he will not help himself the NFL should step in and offer to get him the help he needs.

Season’s Beatings

By: Mike Rifkin

On Sunday the Miami Dolphins seven game winning streak was snapped with a 34-3 loss to the Titans, and later in the day the Dolphins were officially eliminated from Playoff contention.  For the second consecutive season the Dolphins entered week 17 in a Wild Card spot and got thoroughly handled by a team that is going to the playoffs. 

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who entered the game with a 70 percent completion percentage was 18 – 38 for 205 yards and an interception. He also had three fumbles in the game. Yes Tua wasn’t good, but the other flaws on the Dolphins offense really showed up. Tua was sacked four times and as a team the Dolphins ran for 74 yards, yes the score dictated the play calling but the Dolphins don’t have the weapons on offense to put up 30 points per game. On offense the Dolphins average 19.3 points per game with one game left to play, so the biggest thing they have to do this offseason is improve on that. 

The major catalyst for the team’s recent performance has been the defense. In six of the seven games during the streak the defense has allowed 17 points or less and held teams to under 300 total yards. The defense which last season feasted on turnovers and having a +9 turnover differential, during this streak they have forced  14 turnovers. After eight sacks of Saints quarterback Ian Book last night, Miami now leads the NFL with 45 sacks. Against the Titans the Dolphins had one sack and did not force a turnover. The defense gave up 198 yards rushing WITHOUT DERRICK HENRY. For the season teams averaged 4.4 yards per carry against the Dolphin defense, on Sunday the Titans averaged 5.0 yards per carry. The Dolphins defense tried to keep them in the game but the inability to get off on third down was also a factor as the Titans were 7-15 on third downs. The offense’s inability to continue drives with the Titans run game caused the defense to tire out. 

For the second straight season with the playoffs in their grasp the Dolphins didn’t show up. They were overmatched by a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Yes the seven game winning streak was fun and saw a lot of things but this team needs to take a step forward. With one game remaining before the offseason the ultimate question is what happens primarily with Tua? Do they go out and get Deshaun Watson? Do they look at Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers or do they feel Tua is the guy and they have to build around him. Those are offseason questions but the team will look to play spoiler against the New England Patriots who can win the AFC East.

John Madden An NFL Legend

Passes away suddenly at 85

By Mark Halpern

On Monday, December 28th, John Earl Madden, Legendary Coach of the Oakland Raiders and NFL Analyst, passed away at 85. He passed suddenly and from Natural causes. He was loved by the NFL community, from its fans to its heads in the NFL front office.

    Madden got his start in the NFL in 1959 when he played as a tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 21st round of the draft, mind you. In today’s draft, it didn’t go past 8 rounds. Unfortunately, Madden suffered a horrible knee injury and never played for the Eagles. Madden Knew his chances of playing in the NFL just went out the window, but his love of the sport turned him to coaching, and in 1966 he met Al Davis, which was the beginning of a great relationship. In 1967 Davis promoted Madden to oversee the LineBackers, and just two years later, he was named head coach. After ten years of building a great team, Madden took them to Super Bowl XI in 1977 and won. A Madden Legacy was Born.

     After some health issues, Madden retired from coaching only to find himself in the announcing booth calling games on CBS and FOX. He was put with Pat Summerall, and over the next 21 years, the two of them had some of the best broadcasts aired on national television. The two of them worked so well together there was no time for dead air because when one of them stopped, the other chimed in and kept the conversation going. The final game of their long-time partnership ended with them doing Super Bowl XLIII in Feb 2009. I don’t believe in my generation that we will hear two perfect analysts in a booth again.

     John Madden had his name attached to the most significant selling sports game franchise of all season. In 1991, the Nintendo company released the first Madden game for its Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was one of the most sought-after games of that year. It was the first Football game that made you feel like you were playing the game. Over the next 23 years, we have seen this game evolve, and the graphics in today’s game make you feel like you are paying as your favorite character. Madden gave his advice for the game inserting many plays he used over his tenure in Oakland and his knowledge of Football. Like MLB, The Show is the staple video game for baseball; Madden is the staple game for Football.

In 2006 Madden was elected into the Nfl Hall of Fame as part of the Oakland Raiders. The News of his passing struck me hard as I have admired him from his knowledge of the sport of Football, and his attachment to the NFL game Madden was legendary. I have collected one madden game since its inception. SO from 1991-2022, I have games from SNES, N64, GAME CUBE, THE WII. XBOX 360 AND XBOX 1S. When I heard the announcement of his passing, it was like a little of my childhood/adulthood died, and that is how the old man sees it.

The Dallas Cowboys Win the NFC EAST

Destroy the WFT 56-14

By Mark Halpern

 This game was scheduled because someone in the higher-ups thought this would be a very close game and with serious playoff consequences on the line. Before the game, the Cowboys were on the field doing warmups, and a flash came across the Jumbotron “THE DALLAS COWBOYS HAVE WON THE NFC EAST” with the Tennessee Titians just edging out the 49ers 20-17. With the defeat of San Francisco, the cowboys by conference, and head-to-head wins, the Cowboys won the NFC East. So not only are the Cowboys in the playoffs, they will host a first-round home game. As it stands today, Dallas would face Philadelphia. 

     Even though the Cowboys knew that they were in the playoffs, many people said it was time to rest Zeke, Dak, Cooper, and Zach Martian. That isn’t going to happen cause, as of today, the Cowboys are one game behind the Packers for the top seed and a bye week. The Packers must win out, and they face two formidable division rivals in Detroit and Minnesota. Division games are played with a little more intensity because of bragging rights. 

     The Dallas/Washington game itself was an embarrassment to the fans of the no-name football team. For the first time in the last few weeks, Dak Prescott looked like he did at the beginning of the year. He seemed lighter on his feet, his passes were on target, and he threaded the needle several times. Dak threw for 365yard and 4td in the game. Mind you; this was only in the first half. They could have brought him back in the second half to play and go for the record, but since we are almost at the end of the season, why not rest the big 4 {DAK, Zeke, Cooper, and Martain.} Zeke Elliot had a quiet day, but he was pulled from the game after the first half. Zeke did chip in 45 yards and scored 2 touchdowns on the day. Cooper had  7 rec 5 yards, and 1td. Dalton Schultz has been fire this season and has totaled 8 receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.

      The Defense kept on just getting better. On the first play, Heineken threw a drunken pass that was supposed to be to Terry McLaurin but was picked off by no other than #7 Treyvon Diggs. That gives him his 11th interception tying the great Everson Walls back in 1981. He isn’t worried about records; he wants to go out every weekend and win the game. 

       Demarcus “Tank” Lawrence is back at full strength as he played phenomenally. He had 4 tackles 2 of which were for a loss. Several QB hits/pressures, and he tipped a pass at the line, snagged it out of the air, and took it back for a touchdown. With Lawrence, Parsons, Gregory, Kneal and Vanderesch, and The No-Fly Zone of the Cowboys secondary, I believe it can handle the task of any high-powered passing office.

       The Offense had its best day in the last 5 weeks. Dak looks healthy, and Zeke is getting better; Armani Cooper and Gallup are almost 100%, and the Cowboys will have starting right tackle Tyron Smith back on the line against Cardinals.

       Even with the Cowboys locking up the NFC East and a playoff berth, they still have 2 games left to play, and they are against teams fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. This weekend Dallas will take on the Arizona “depleted Cardinals” on Sunday at 4pm. This is a massive game for both teams, and since that bye week is still attainable, I expect to see the same Cowboys that were on the field against the WFT. It wont be an easy game but Dallas should keep the winning bus moving to keep pressure of Green Bay

Streaking Fins

By: Mike Rifkin

Monday night the Miami Dolphins defeated the New Orleans Saints 20-3. It was the seventh consecutive win for Miami. The Dolphins are the first team in NFL history to win and lose seven consecutive games in the same season. With this streak the Dolphins now own the last wild card spot in the AFC. 

The major catalyst for the team’s recent performance has been the defense. In six of the seven games during the streak the defense has allowed 17 points or less and held teams to under 300 total yards. The defense which last season feasted on turnovers and having a +9 turnover differential, during this streak they have forced  14 turnovers. After eight sacks of Saints quarterback Ian Book last night, Miami now leads the NFL with 45 sacks. There have been a lot of standouts on defense including All- Pro Cornerback Xavien Howard and linebacker Emmanuel Ogbah. But the young guys on this defense have also been impressive in Safeties Brandon Jones and Jevon Holland and rookie Pass Rusher Jaelan Phillips who is second on the team with eight and a half sacks.

Those are not the only young guys playing well as rookie receiver Jaylen Waddle is five catches away from breaking Anquan Boldin’s record for most catches in a rookie season. Waddle has 96 catches for 941 and five touchdowns on the season. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has also played well during the streak. On the season the second year quarterback has a 70.1 completion percentage with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.  One thing that I believe has also fueled this streak is now the team knows who their quarterback is. Prior to the trade deadline there was a lot of chatter that the Dolphins were going to acquire Deshaun Watson from the Texans. I think a lot of that may have gotten into Tua’s head a little bit and the team’s as well. Now it is hard to judge Tua the offensive line is one of the worst in the league, the team has no run game and outside of Waddle and tight end Mike Gesicki the outside weapons are not great. For context Waddle has 96 catches, Gesicki has 67 catches the next closest player has 46. Now whether the Dolphins continue their pursuit of Watson will have to wait until the offseason.

A lot of people look at the winning streak and the first thing they ask is who were the other quarterbacks that the Dolphins have beaten. That list would be Tyrod Taylor, Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, Mike Glennon, Zach Wilson, and Ian Book. Outside of Lamar this is not a great list but this is the NFL and winning seven in a row is not easy. The NFL is not college where you can make your own schedule, you play who you have to and nobody is going to apologize for taking advantage of the situation. The only two things standing in the Dolphins way are former quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Bill Bellichick. Whether they make the playoffs or not this team showed a lot of fight coming from 1-7 to 8-7 controlling their own destiny.

Welcome To The Jungle

By: Mike Rifkin

On Sunday the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens 41-21.  Yes, the Ravens had to start Josh Johnson at quarterback because of Lamar Jackson’s injury and Tyler Huntley being placed on the Covid list and the Ravens have a ton of injuries but this was a statement by the Bengals. The Bengals had not swept the Ravens in a season series since 2015. In the season series the Bengals outscored Baltimore 82-38 in the season series. Quarterback Joe Burrow had a 71.4 completion percentage 941 yards seven touchdowns and an interception in the season series against Baltimore, including 525 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday.  For the first time since 2009 the Bengals have swept both the Ravens and the Steelers.

At 9-6 they sit at the top of the AFC North with two games to play. Those two games will be a test to this team as they play the Chiefs and Browns to end the season. The Bengals have won two in a row after losing two in a row. A year after tearing his ACL quarterback Joe Burrow has a 69.9 completion percentage 4,165 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 105. Joe Mixon, who is second in the NFL in rushing, Ja’marr Chase, Tee Higgins who both have over 1,000 receiving yards and Tyler Boyd the Bengals have one of the most dynamic offenses in the league.  The Bengals have only been held to under 20 points three times this season, they average 27.3 points per game. 

The Bengals offense will get most of the headlines but the defense has been very good as well. In the offseason the lost pass rusher Carl Lawson to the Jets and replaced him with Trey Hendrickson who signed a four year 60 million dollar contract with the Bengals is fifth in the NFL with 14 sacks. The Bengals as a team have 41 sacks which is sixth in the NFL. Last season they had 17 sacks which was dead last in the NFL. Lou Anarumo, who is in his third season as defensive coordinator, has seen his defense improve. Last season this defense gave up 26.5 points per game, this season they have given up 21.6 points per game. Last season they gave up 148 yards rushing per game and this season they give up 92 yards rushing per game.  

Zac Taylor should be one of the frontrunners for Coach Of The Year because nobody saw this coming from the Bengals.The Bengals have made a lot of progress this season and if they get into the playoffs don’t overlook them because they can be a very dangerous team not just this season but going forward.

Sub-Urban Area

By: Mike Rifkin and Bill Murphy

Urban Meyer is one of the best coaches in the history of College Football. The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Meyer this offseason to lead their franchise. It was a failure from the start. The Jags have fired Meyer after 13 games. Meyer’s firing was the first time since 2007 the first time a non interim head coach was fired before the season was over, the last one being Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Bobby Petrino who was fired at 3-10 .  According to Tom Pellisero of NFL Network tensions are boiling over in Jacksonville. This is just the latest in a troubled 2021 for Meyer.

Chris Doyle was hired by Meyer to be director of sports performance. Doyle was the strength and conditioning coach at the University of Iowa for 20 seasons before a separation agreement was made. The agreement came after former players accused Doyle of racist remarks. Doyle resigned a day or so later. Urban said “Chris Doyle came to us this evening to submit his resignation and we have accepted. Chris did not want to be a distraction to what we are building in Jacksonville. We are responsible for all aspects of our program and, in retrospect, should have given greater consideration to how his appointment may have affected all involved. We wish him the best as he moves forward in his career.” Urban Meyer also said he and Doyle had “great relationship and he vetted him thoroughly with Trent Balkee and Shad Khan.” He didn’t otherwise he wouldn’t have made the hire in the first place. 

Then there is the Tim Tebow signing. He played quarterback for Meyer at the University of Florida and they won two National Championships together. Tebow had been out of Football for six years and tried to play minor league Baseball. But his old college coach signed him in May but not as a quarterback, as a Tight End, a position Tebow hadn’t played at the NFL level. It got a lot of media scrutiny and rightfully so, Tebow was cut in August but if Urban Meyer wasn’t the coach would Tebow have even gotten this chance? 

After a Week 4 loss to the Bengals Meyer stayed in Ohio to spend time with his family instead of going back with his team. Then a viral video started making the rounds of Meyer getting grinded on by a young woman. Urban later apologized to his team, but why could he not fly back to Jacksonville? It was a Thursday Night game. Just go back and fly back to Ohio on Friday, a coach is supposed to lead and Urban Meyer has not led by example. Jacksonville’s management after the incident said that Meyer needs to regain their trust. Not only did Meyer  lose faith from the front office , there was also lack of faith  from  the players, at the end of one practice when the team broke they yelled “ grinder “ at the end of the huddle.  

Now there is this report from Tom Pellisero that Meyer got into an argument with veteran receiver Marvin Jones, one of the locker room leaders. It got so bad Jones left the facility only to be called back by assistant coaches. Meyer also has reportedly called his assistants losers and has them defend their resumes. HE HIRED HIS ASSISTANTS so why are you challenging, when it is you who should be challenged. Urban is a great college coach but this is a whole different ball game. In a 37-7 loss to the Rams Meyer benched running back James Robinson after a fumble. He had one of his assistants to stop Robinson from coming back in. Rookie Quarterback Trevor Lawrence questioned Meyer on the sideline and eventually Robinson came back in. Lawrence said “ Bottom line James is one of our best players and he’s got to be on the field and we addressed it and I feel like we’re in a good spot and the whole team we’re good.”  No Trevor you aren’t in a good spot because leaks like this don’t come from good teams. The Jaguars aren’t competitive in a lot of games and if they were this stuff wouldn’t happen. 

Meyer was asked on Monday if defensive back Andre Cisco would get more playing time with four games left in the season. Meyer’s response was “Cisco is playing a little bit more, I believe. I don’t have his numbers in front of me, but that’s a conversation.” On Sunday against the Titans Cisco played a grand total of 0 snaps on defense, but did force a fumble on Special Teams. If you don’t know how many snaps a guy played just say that, instead Meyer continues to look clueless.  Then on Wednesday former Jags kicker Josh Lambo accused Meyer of kicking him before a game. Lambo said “ I’m in a lunge position. Left leg forward, right leg back. Urban Meyer while he is in the stretch says “Hey dips-t make your f-ing kicks tonight and kicks me in the leg.”  When Lambo told him to stop kicking him , Meyer responded with “I am the F***king head coach, I’ll Kick you all I F***k want . 

Lambo said Meyer didn’t bother to call the Special Teams Players by their names. It was “ Kicker, Punter, Long Snapper or S-Bag, Dips-t, or whatever the hell it was.”  This is not a way you treat your players. Coaches are supposed to show their players respect and believe in them. 

Urban Meyer is not a leader. Urban Meyer wanted to blame everyone else, but the person who was the ultimate problem. The ultimate problem is Urban Meyer is a greedy, selfish individual who will never get a second chance in the NFL. And if I am being honest I don’t know if he will ever get another major college opportunity. 

Link to Tom Pellisero article:  

https://www.nfl.com/news/tension-boiling-over-between-coach-urban-meyer-jaguars-players-staff

The Buck Starts Here

By: Mike Rifkin and Mark Halpern

Even though baseball is in a lockout the Mets still make news and for this season the news has been all positive. On Saturday the Mets hired Buck Showalter as their new manager. This is the first time the buck will start and end at the same place. Showalter has managed the Yankees, Diamondbacks, Rangers and Orioles and has a career record of 1,551-,1,517. Showalter last managed the Baltimore Orioles in 2018.  Showalter has experience in New York, as he managed the Yankees before they went to their four consecutive World Series. Showalter knows what it means to thrive in New York and deal with the cheers and boos.  Steve Cohen has said repeatedly how much he wants to win. Everything that Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler have done this offense signifies that the Mets want to win right now

Buck was the perceived favorite to replace Luis Rojas as the manager. Even the famous Mark “Old Ops Guy” Halpern predicted this at the end of the season last year. The prior two managers the Mets hired were first time managers. Buck Showalter will bring accountability to the organization. He will not put up with nonsense and will have no problem dealing with any pre Madonna’s that could come his way. Showalter said “ There is accountability and responsibility and (New York) isn’t for everybody. We are going to find out who it’s for and who it ain’t.” Luis Rojas was heavy in the analytics, I think Buck’s experience and feel for the game will certainly help. Showalter said about analytics “If you think that I’m going to let somebody beat us by having analytical information or because someone on the staff doesn’t understand it, I’m not going to talk about it. We’ll show you.” Buck is a three time AL Manager of the Year, last winning the award in 2014. The only individual we know that will be on the coaching staff currently is Jeremy Hefner was brought back as the pitching coach. Showalter said about Hefner at his introductory press conference that “ he is very impressed with Hefner and I can’t wait to get back on the phone with him.” Showalter is the latest excellent move from the Mets this offseason after adding Max Scherzer, Mark Canha, Eduardo Escobar and Starling Marte to the roster. A roster that is already very talented with guys like Jacob DeGrom, Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, etc… Last season the Mets made history by being in first place for 103 days and wind up having a losing record. 

 Do I think the Mets are done making moves? No, I would still like to see them add another arm in the rotation and the bullpen once the lockout ends. A lot of analysts have predicted that even with all the signings that the Mets are one of the teams to sign Kris Bryant.  Buck Showalter said about owner Steve and Alex Cohen “The love and passion that Steve and Alex have for the Mets and the things they are willing to do, that’s exciting.” All of this is music to Mets fans ears because there is a new sheriff in town and the Buck starts with him.

One Giant Question

By Mike Rifkin

The New York Giants announced that they are shutting down quarterback Daniel Jones for the rest of the season due to a neck injury. Jones, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Duke, had a 64.3 completion percentage  with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, he also ran for 298 yards and two touchdowns. In his career Jones has a 62.8 completion percentage with 45 touchdowns and 29 interceptions, while running for 1,000 yards and five touchdowns. Jones’s career record is 12-25 and the Giants as a team have not made the playoffs since 2016. The Giants have a lot of questions this offseason and one of the biggest ones is if they should exercise the fifth year option on Jones? Jones’s fifth year option would cost the giants 21.3 million dollars. 

Nobody can say the Giants never gave Jones talent around him including signing wide receiver Kenny Golladay to a massive contract this offseason. Jones’s offensive lines have always been a problem and for the Giants that’s been a problem for years. But Giants fans keep waiting for Jones to take that next step or giant leap as a lot of young quarterbacks have. They have seen glimpses of that if you watch the Saints game or the game at Washington earlier in the season, but Jones has not been consistent since coming into the league. Jones said today “ I have spoken to Joe (coach Joe Judge) and we’ve had conversations about being the starter next season. There are things he expects me to improve on and I understand that and take it very seriously. That is my kind of approach.” I thought coming into the season this was a make or break year for Jones but even though at times he showed glimpses there are other times where he still makes rookie mistakes. I like the fact that he understands he has to show improvement but I have a hard time just handing him the starting job once again. 

There are a lot of good quarterbacks who will be on the market this offseason with Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson (legal situation pending), and maybe even Derek Carr. There could be other names like Jimmy Garopolo but I don’t know how much of an upgrade that really is. The Giants also have trade ammunition with two 1st round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft after they acquired the Bears first in this past draft. Right now those picks would be fifth and sixth overall. Now if the Giants are uncomfortable trading both those picks, trade one and their 2023 first round pick to get one of these guys if they want. Or the other route would be to sign Teddy Bridgewater or someone along those lines to at least compete with Jones.

If I was running the show with the Giants I would be more interested in Wilson or Watson (legal situation pending) than Rodgers. Watson is 25 years old and the thing that could entice Houston the most is it would mean trading him out of the conference. Now if Russell Wilson expresses interest in coming to New York that is something to definitely explore. The Giants have a lot of questions to ask themselves this offseason and one of the biggest ones is do they believe in Daniel Jones to give him 21.3 million dollars?

Dallas vs Washington

Boys D too strong for WFT O

Record 9-4

By Mark Halpern

The Dallas Cowboys took on the Washington Football Team for another important divisional battle on Sunday. This was the first meeting this year between the divisional rivals, and Washington has been on a hot streak lately, so Dallas had to come to play, and they did, but they didn’t.

    The Dallas offense was not the game’s story as many analysts thought it would be. The Dallas offense sputtered through this game. Dak Prescot was not looking his best as he passed for 211 yards 1td and 2 int. He seems uncomfortable, and that could be that his calf has not entirely healed yet. Zeke Elliot was showing that his knee is a real problem. He only had 45 yards rushing and chipped in one reception for 15 yards. He was seen hobbling towards the sidelines many times but kept fighting to come back in. Tony Pollard was not available for this game with a foot injury, so Corey Clement was thrown into the mix and did what he was asked to do, and that was to be a change of pace player as he finished with 44 yards on 13 attempts of his own. Cooper had the lone touchdown catch in the game, and Cee Dee Lamb and Gallup had 60 yards each on the day. The offensive line was somewhat shaky, giving up 4 sacks on the day. All in all, the offense looked weak.

     Now on the other side of the ball, the Cowboys showed why they are one of the most feared defenses in football. This was the first game since opening day that Lawrence, Parsons and Gregory, and Gallimore all were on the field together, and they didn’t disappoint. Between the 4, they amassed 8 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, and 7 qb pressures. This was a huge missing piece of the defense for a while. The defense also forced and recovered 3 fumbles, 1 TD, and 1 interception on a beauty of a play by Randy Gregory. The Dallas defense was too much for Taylor Heinicke as he was constantly being pressured and being hit, the run game was nonexistent, and receivers weren’t open. Washington did have one fantastic play, and that was a Cam Simms 43 yard catch with Diggs right there stride for stride. That play lit a fire under the ass of the rest of the WFT team, but by that time, it was much too late as Dallas ended up winning 27-20, moving them to 9-4 on the season.

     A win is a win, whether by a blowout or one point. I have been listening to broadcasters criticizing the Cowboys for not winning by 20 more points. At the end of the game, all that matters is a score. Yes, I think the Dallas offense was weak and tired and didn’t look themselves at all but, in no way do I think they gave up after being up by so much. If the Dallas defense doesn’t have the game they had, it is very possible Dallas could have lost. However, they won, and they travel to New York next weekend to face the 4-9 New York Giants, who are just plain horrible. The big key to this game is that with a win, Dallas will win the NFC East and clinch a playoff berth and still have a good chance at a bye week if they keep winning. This team needs to jump this offense, and with the chances of winning the NFC East next Sunday, this should be the motivation that is needed.