Santa took a break from the North Pole to pay a visit to AT&T Stadium on Saturday. Boy did he deliver! America’s favorite sports franchise, the Dallas Cowboys were at home and desperately needed a jolt going into the last few games of a wonderful season.
At 10-4, the Dallas Cowboys pulled off a come from behind win versus divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. To say it was a nail biter would be an overstatement. In true Cowboys fashion, Dallas had its millions of fans at the edge of their seats. Playing with a backup quarterback, analysts expected the Dallas Cowboys to annihilate the Eagles; however, it was a different story. The story line; the Dallas Cowboys NFC East title hopes are still alive and well if the Cowboys can win the next two games and Philadelphia goes fishing, somehow.
In a game that featured only one punt, the game was a no-hold barred chess match that pivoted with each and every play. For Dallas fans, the game had all the sentiments of past defeats where the team would play well, but fail to execute at key points of the game. As a matter of fact, with just :20 seconds left in regulation, the Philadelphia Eagles were in position to send the Cowboy fans home with coal in their stockings. Down, Set, Hut……. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew took the snap at the Philadelphia 25-yard line, handed off to running back Miles Sanders and as he maneuvered through the scrappy line, his arm was hit! The ball shot out Sanders arms like a cannon inciting a mad scramble mostly dominated by Cowboys defenders. As the players from both sides were peeled away from the wreckage, #42 Anthony Barr emerged with the ball securing a Cowboys win.
Both Dak Prescott and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew played exceptionally well. Gardner went 24/40 for 355 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, which both were 50/50 balls where the receiver was in position to possess. Dak, on the other hand, was under immense pressure. Not by the Philadelphia Eagles, but rather by the media. After posting mediocre results in his last two outings, it was imperative for Dak Prescott to show up. I would say Dak showed up, and showed out! Although Dak had an interception, at least it wasn’t in a game-defying moment. The defense wasn’t great, but when they needed to respond, they answered the call.
The big conclusion everyone will criticize is the Cowboys inability to walk away with the game without the presence of Philadelphia MVP candidate quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is out nursing an injury. To be quite honest, the Eagles looked poised and on point with Minshew behind center. From the opening drive you could tell that the Eagles had a game plan and intended on executing it. After trailing early 0-10, the Cowboy faithful were starting to grumble with disappointment. The Minshew led Eagles managed to convert on 67% of third downs which made it impossible to keep the Cowboys defense off the field. The Cowboys defensive pressure was pretty much non-existent in the first half; however, by the second half, you could see the defense imposing their will.
The key playmakers showed up on a night where the rush game was ineffective. Newly positioned wide-out, T.Y. Hilton made his presence felt with a 53-yard catch in the second half to get the Cowboys inside the red zone. Michael Gallup hauled in one touchdown as he picked up critical catches in the game amassing 36 yards on 4 catches. Of Course Dalton Shultz and Jake Ferguson did their due diligence from the tight end position, but once again it was CeeDee Lamb who carried the mail with 10 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Overall, the Dallas Cowboys stuffed the stockings of #CowboysNation and with the win, we are dreaming of the Dallas Cowboys 2023 Super Bowl. ~ CYA There!!
