The Dallas Cowboys 6-6 put an end to their negative series. In the 38:14 win against Washington Redskins 5-7, after a quiet start, they profited from the opponent’s mistakes. Later on, the offensive line dominated in the usual manner. Hopes for the playoffs are still alive. For Washington, this seems to have been the case in this respect.
Another game for the cowboys without Ezekiel Elliott. Another game for the cowboys without Sean Lee. But while on the offensive side there were big problems at first, on the defensive side in the pass rush department they were successful. One reason for this was the persistent injury-related incidence of the Redskins’ offensive line. With 21. different formation Kirk Cousins (26/37,251 YDS, 2TD, 2INT) had to be protected.
Offensive problems didn’t make for a very exciting start, but the cowboys got some expensive mistakes on the other side of the table, which could be converted into a 17-point lead just before the halftime break. Just as Tackle Morgan Moses was injured, the protection for cousins broke in even more often. Returnee Trent Williams also limped from the field to start the second half. There were also big problems in their special teams, which hurt the guests.
Dak Prescott (11/22,102 YDS, 2TD) did not try to pass most of the time in the second half, partly because of a slight hand injury which he had suffered shortly before the end of the first half. But this was no problem at all. The running game under Alfred Morris (27 CAR, 127 YDS, TD) took full effect in the second round. Behind a strong line, the Elliott replacement was able to deliver a very strong game.
The same applies to Dez Bryant. The Wideout played with high intensity one of its best games of the season. The duel against Josh Norman clearly went to Dez. The Redskins didn’t have any answers to the Cowboys-Offense in the second round. Turnovers, drops and penalties were also a very heavy burden to be faced by the players themselves in the event of a continual backlog.
Dallas Cowboys (6-6) – Washington Redskins (5-7)38:14 (0:0,17:7,0:0,21:7) BOXSCORE
Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys):
“I have great confidence in myself and the crew. We have played a lot with the ball, played cowboy football and scored a very important victory. I’m very proud of this team.”
Kirk Cousins (Washington Redskins):
“We got off to a good start, but unfortunately we made too many mistakes today or couldn’t finish Plays. We’re now at 5-7. Not where we want to be. But we know our situation with all the injuries. We’re trying to evaluate every game and be a professional football team by the end of the year.”
After the game began with major problems for Dallas’ offense, the efficiency with which Dallas could run his run game in the second round was surprising. A big factor here was the offensive line. She could win the duel at the Line of Scrimmage and let the first contact against Alfred Morris come about very late. The run through the Redskins could hardly be stopped.
For Washington, there were hardly any opportunities to play plays with longer dropbacks, as the pressure was simply too great and the protection has broken down too often. Without three starters from the original formation, too much quality was lost. In its formation the lineup was still usable for fast layouts, but longer routes could not be run. This limited the offense of the Redskins enormously.
Dallas’ Pass Rush dominated against the Redskins’ decimated O-Line. One who got his money’s worth was DeMarcus Lawrence. He took his chances for 4 tackles and 2 sacks. Also in the game against the run he was successful with 2 tackles for space loss.
Crowder has been one of Cousins’ favourite play stations in the last few games. The Wideout entered the game with high expectations, but could not live up to them. During his first trip to the Red Zone, he was not up to par with his playcaller on a short pass and reacted too late when he could only touch the ball, which led Dallas to the interception. In the following punt, crowder fumbled during the return attempt. The cowboys took over again. In the second quarter, Crowder was lucky when he was just “down” with a possible fumble.