Dec 4, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
Dez Bryant(88) raises his arms after Dallas Cowboys wide receiver
Cole Beasley(11) scores a touchdown in the second half of their game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field . The Cowboys won 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys went into Chicago with a mission in week 14, win and hope that the Eagle lose so week 15 can be for the division lead. The Cowboys handled their business and Seattle beat the Eagles to set up “The Showdown” part 2. Before we can really look at that game we take a look back at the win with a delayed reaction. It was pretty good game, but there were some things the Cowboys really need to address this week. Since this was a win let’s look at the positives first.
1. Special Teams Were Special – A blocked punt and a blocked PAT were just two of the positives from the special teams. The Cowboys were constantly able to get pretty decent field position which helped them maintain momentum in the game. The only negative was the dropped onside kick from Escobar. As I have said before there is never enough focus on the special teams, which is why I wanted to list them first.
2. Cole For Christmas – Cole Beasley was involved in this game. Finally, the Dallas Cowboys involved other players instead of DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant, and Jason Witten. The Bears had little answer for Cole and it showed with a pretty good night for him. If they can involved Terrance Williams, Lance Dunbar, and Gavin Escobar in the pass game more this really could be the best offense in the league.
3. Line Play, Yes Both – Both lines played really well in this game. The offensive line allowed Murray to run and pickup 3rd downs which helped keep the Bears off of the field. On defense the line got some pressure, more on that in a minute, and played smart on screens. The trenches were controlled by the Cowboys and it showed. They will need to do the same thing against the Eagles next week.
Not everything was roses, let’s see the three negatives.
1. Killer Instinct? – Again the Cowboys have issues with putting a team away. I get that in the NFL you don’t want to really blow your opponent out so bad that they look like a terrible team, this isn’t college. But, they allowed the Bears to get back into the game for a minute there. You never see the Patriots allowing teams to creep up back in. They go for the kill and don’t let up, if this team wants to make it to the Super Bowl they need that instinct.
2. Pressure, Not Sacks – While the defensive line played well there were still large gaps of the game that the lack of getting to the QB showed. Josh Brent‘s return could help here, but it is obvious that the Dallas Cowboys need more in the way of a pass rush. This puts a lot of pressure on the secondary and that could really burn them. I am not sure what Marinelli can do, but he needs to figure it out.
3. Who is Brandon Carr? – Everytime I watch Brandon Carr play it is like he tries to be a different CB depending on who he is lining up against. He is not a finesse CB, but sometimes try to play like one. If he would stick to what he does best and not try so many techniques that are not his strong point he might have a better game. I do like that they put him on the bigger WR, but there is just something wrong with his technique.
There it is, week 14 Delayed Reaction. As we look ahead at week 15 and the Eagles, let me know what you think the positives and negatives were.