Cowboys 30, Seahawks 23
It took me awhile to see the Cowboys game last weekend against the Seahawks because I was working during it and it wasn't on local TV so I couldn't even watch some of it at work. I finally got to see it last Thursday on DVR at my cousin's house. Even though the game is old, I just felt compelled to still give my thoughts on that game because it was a huge win for the Cowboys.
Before the Week 5 game against the Texans, I said that it was a big game because Dallas needed to win to get to 4-1 since it was probably going to lose to Seattle on the road. The team had a different idea, though. and shocked the NFL by picking up the most surprising win of the NFL season so far.
The victory has since lost a little shine because the Rams beat the Seahawks on Sunday but personally, I think Seattle is going to figure stuff out and get better. The Seahawks will be good again before the year is over. Plus, Dallas' win was at Seattle. Teams just haven't won there in recent seasons. The upstart Cardinals are the only other team to win there from the 2012 season through Week 7 this season. They won there last year. So I think that makes this win special.
The crazy thing about the win is it could have been worse. Dallas miscues, namely a fumbled snap and a muffed punt return by Dwayne Harris, gave Seattle 10 points. Plus, the Seahawks blocked a punt return for a TD. Take those three things away, and Dallas won going away. I will give Seattle the punt block, though. That is something it did well. The two turnovers by Dallas were on the Cowboys, though, and could have been cleaned up. So take away 10 points, and we are looking at a 30-13 win at Seattle.
After Dallas got down 10-0, it impressively marched down the field for a touchdown, a great response to what was surely a confident Seattle team and a crowd ready to bust loose, hoping for a blowout. There was an errant throw by Tony Romo near the goal line that could have almost made it 17-0 Seattle. Before his TD pass to tight end Gavin Escobar, Romo attempted a pass near Escobar but it was behind him. It was almost picked off by Seattle's Byron Maxwell. If he had grabbed it, he might have had a chance to run all the way back for a touchdown. Luckily, he didn't and the comeback was on (although with the way Dallas played, it could have overcome a 17-0 hole I think if it had not had anymore miscues).
The defense played a great game as I insinuated earlier. It was defending really short fields twice after turnovers and gave up 10 points. When Seattle actually had to mount a drive, the Cowboys gave up just six points. At the beginning of one drive, Percy Harvin returned a kickoff to the Seattle 42- yard line. The team gave up zero points on that drive. Later in the game, after a short punt, Seattle started at Dallas' 42-yard line. The game was tied at 20 with 10 minutes left. It was a huge moment in the game and Dallas only gave up three points on that drive. Overall, Seattle gained only 206 yards. With about 12 minutes left in the game, FOX put up a graphic showing that on third down, Seattle had to go an average of 10.6 yards during the game. In the second quarter, the Dallas defense didn't give up a single first down. For all the attention given the offense of Dallas, the defense really played a solid, solid game, probably its best of the season against the Seahawks.
DeMarco Murray of course had another great game, going for over 100 yards on one of the best rushing defenses in the NFL. Dallas continues to be bullish about the running game and controls the clock, keeping other offenses off the field.
Cowboys 31, Giants 21
I was somewhat worried going into this past Sunday's game. The Giants had typically played well at AT&T Stadium. They had rebounded from an 0-2 start and won three of four games. There was no way they were going to play as poorly as they did in their 27-0 loss at Philadelphia last Sunday. And Dallas was sure to come down a little bit from its high of beating the Super Bowl champions at their house. All of those things pretty much happened but it still equaled a 10-point win. This Dallas team just seems really focused and does a good job of taking games one at a time. It also knows how to win and how to hold itself to a high standard. After getting down 14-7, Dallas outscored New York 24-7 the rest of the way.
Murray rushed for 128 yards, becoming the first NFL player to start a season with seven consecutive 100-yard games. He broke Jim Brown's record of six. Jim Brown. Wow. A testament to the work of Murray and the offensive line this season, not to mention the coaching staff's commitment to the run. I do really hope Dallas can win a couple games here by comfortable margins and get Murray some rest.
Not to be overlooked is Romo. He has taken a bit of a backseat this season but is playing great football. He had a QB rating of a perfect 100 during the second half of Sunday's game and did not have an incompletion, going 9 for 9 for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 17 of 23 in the game 279 yards and three scores. Dez Bryant was the main beneficiary of Romo's efficiency, catching nine passes for 151 yards.
Dallas has three more games before its bye week: Redskins at home, Cardinals at home, and Jaguars in London. Hopefully, the Cowboys play solid football and beat the Redskins and Jaguars with no letdowns. The Arizona game will be interesting. The Cardinals have quietly taken a two-game lead in the NFC West at 5-1. Arizona has been a thorn in the sides of the Cowboys in recent seasons. On the road, that would be a tough, tough game. At home, I think it will be a great, close game Dallas might be fortunate to win. The Cardinals should not be underrated.
Dallas has a chance to continue building on what has been a great start to the season if it can take care of business in at least two of the next three weeks. I was thinking at the beginning of the year that Dallas might need to be 7-3 after 10 games to have a shot at making the playoffs and that seems more likely now than several weeks ago. The final six games -- at Giants, vs. Eagles, at Bears, at Eagles, vs. Colts, and at Redskins -- are a tough stretch for the Cowboys so that's why I think collecting lots of wins now is important.
It took me awhile to see the Cowboys game last weekend against the Seahawks because I was working during it and it wasn't on local TV so I couldn't even watch some of it at work. I finally got to see it last Thursday on DVR at my cousin's house. Even though the game is old, I just felt compelled to still give my thoughts on that game because it was a huge win for the Cowboys.
Before the Week 5 game against the Texans, I said that it was a big game because Dallas needed to win to get to 4-1 since it was probably going to lose to Seattle on the road. The team had a different idea, though. and shocked the NFL by picking up the most surprising win of the NFL season so far.
The victory has since lost a little shine because the Rams beat the Seahawks on Sunday but personally, I think Seattle is going to figure stuff out and get better. The Seahawks will be good again before the year is over. Plus, Dallas' win was at Seattle. Teams just haven't won there in recent seasons. The upstart Cardinals are the only other team to win there from the 2012 season through Week 7 this season. They won there last year. So I think that makes this win special.
The crazy thing about the win is it could have been worse. Dallas miscues, namely a fumbled snap and a muffed punt return by Dwayne Harris, gave Seattle 10 points. Plus, the Seahawks blocked a punt return for a TD. Take those three things away, and Dallas won going away. I will give Seattle the punt block, though. That is something it did well. The two turnovers by Dallas were on the Cowboys, though, and could have been cleaned up. So take away 10 points, and we are looking at a 30-13 win at Seattle.
After Dallas got down 10-0, it impressively marched down the field for a touchdown, a great response to what was surely a confident Seattle team and a crowd ready to bust loose, hoping for a blowout. There was an errant throw by Tony Romo near the goal line that could have almost made it 17-0 Seattle. Before his TD pass to tight end Gavin Escobar, Romo attempted a pass near Escobar but it was behind him. It was almost picked off by Seattle's Byron Maxwell. If he had grabbed it, he might have had a chance to run all the way back for a touchdown. Luckily, he didn't and the comeback was on (although with the way Dallas played, it could have overcome a 17-0 hole I think if it had not had anymore miscues).
The defense played a great game as I insinuated earlier. It was defending really short fields twice after turnovers and gave up 10 points. When Seattle actually had to mount a drive, the Cowboys gave up just six points. At the beginning of one drive, Percy Harvin returned a kickoff to the Seattle 42- yard line. The team gave up zero points on that drive. Later in the game, after a short punt, Seattle started at Dallas' 42-yard line. The game was tied at 20 with 10 minutes left. It was a huge moment in the game and Dallas only gave up three points on that drive. Overall, Seattle gained only 206 yards. With about 12 minutes left in the game, FOX put up a graphic showing that on third down, Seattle had to go an average of 10.6 yards during the game. In the second quarter, the Dallas defense didn't give up a single first down. For all the attention given the offense of Dallas, the defense really played a solid, solid game, probably its best of the season against the Seahawks.
DeMarco Murray of course had another great game, going for over 100 yards on one of the best rushing defenses in the NFL. Dallas continues to be bullish about the running game and controls the clock, keeping other offenses off the field.
Cowboys 31, Giants 21
I was somewhat worried going into this past Sunday's game. The Giants had typically played well at AT&T Stadium. They had rebounded from an 0-2 start and won three of four games. There was no way they were going to play as poorly as they did in their 27-0 loss at Philadelphia last Sunday. And Dallas was sure to come down a little bit from its high of beating the Super Bowl champions at their house. All of those things pretty much happened but it still equaled a 10-point win. This Dallas team just seems really focused and does a good job of taking games one at a time. It also knows how to win and how to hold itself to a high standard. After getting down 14-7, Dallas outscored New York 24-7 the rest of the way.
Murray rushed for 128 yards, becoming the first NFL player to start a season with seven consecutive 100-yard games. He broke Jim Brown's record of six. Jim Brown. Wow. A testament to the work of Murray and the offensive line this season, not to mention the coaching staff's commitment to the run. I do really hope Dallas can win a couple games here by comfortable margins and get Murray some rest.
Not to be overlooked is Romo. He has taken a bit of a backseat this season but is playing great football. He had a QB rating of a perfect 100 during the second half of Sunday's game and did not have an incompletion, going 9 for 9 for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He finished 17 of 23 in the game 279 yards and three scores. Dez Bryant was the main beneficiary of Romo's efficiency, catching nine passes for 151 yards.
Dallas has three more games before its bye week: Redskins at home, Cardinals at home, and Jaguars in London. Hopefully, the Cowboys play solid football and beat the Redskins and Jaguars with no letdowns. The Arizona game will be interesting. The Cardinals have quietly taken a two-game lead in the NFC West at 5-1. Arizona has been a thorn in the sides of the Cowboys in recent seasons. On the road, that would be a tough, tough game. At home, I think it will be a great, close game Dallas might be fortunate to win. The Cardinals should not be underrated.
Dallas has a chance to continue building on what has been a great start to the season if it can take care of business in at least two of the next three weeks. I was thinking at the beginning of the year that Dallas might need to be 7-3 after 10 games to have a shot at making the playoffs and that seems more likely now than several weeks ago. The final six games -- at Giants, vs. Eagles, at Bears, at Eagles, vs. Colts, and at Redskins -- are a tough stretch for the Cowboys so that's why I think collecting lots of wins now is important.
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