Three things we learned about the Dallas Cowboys after beating the Philadelphia Eagles
By Carl Daley
The Dallas Cowboys just swept the Philadelphia Eagles and can clinch the division in Week 15. So what happened in Week 14? Let’s take a look.
The Dallas Cowboys just pulled off a clutch overtime win against a bitter divisional rival, the Philadelphia Eagles. The defending Super Bowl champs looked poised to spoil the Cowboys playoff push, however, some late heroics by Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper put the game away for Big D. So what did we really learn in Week 14?
Dak Prescott is a gamer
I do not believe Dak is an elite quarterback by any means, but he is a competitor. He is a gamer, a player who can rise to the occasion when his name is called or when the game is on the line.
But still establishing a lead and making simple throws still elude him. Dak must have missed on four or five deep balls in the first half of the ballgame but that was alright because no touchdowns had gone on the board.
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The minute the Eagles tied things up, the Dallas Cowboys offense kicked things into another gear. Dak saw no reason to not take advantage of these deep looks that the Eagles defense were giving him. Let’s not forget the Eagles secondary has been devastated with injuries so this is not an elite group that Dallas faced.
A quarterback like Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck would attempt to pick apart the Eagles secondary, Dak did it when the team’s backs were against the wall. Dak would complete 42 of 52 passing attempts for a 77.8 completion percentage, three touchdowns, two interceptions, a fumble, 455 passing yards, and a QBR of 104.9.
Those are the best numbers he has ever produced in the NFL in regards to yard totals. Dak struggled mightily in the first half and you can easily argue that had he punched in some of those chances deep, this game would have been over far sooner however his missteps interrupted that.
2. Amari Cooper is worth a first round pick
Now with the division all but clinched we can finally sit here and say, that the Amari Cooper trade was a good thing. The guy is a freak who has the ability to be a threat from anywhere on the field.
Not to mention that Dallas would not be selecting all that high in the draft and that pick could essentially become as valuable as a second rounder if the winning continues. Cooper has shown he is every bit as good as he was when he was drafted to the Oakland Raiders.
He has become Dak Prescott’s security blanket and managed to put together one of the most impressive outings of his career. Cooper finished the game with 217 receiving yards, 10 receptions, 21.7 yards per catch, and three (that’s right, THREE) touchdowns.
Cooper is on pace to go over 1,000 yards and could hit double-digit touchdown figures by the time Week 17 is over.
3. Ezekiel Elliott continues to prove he is the best/most consistent back in football
Todd Gurley fantasy owners would have to agree with me today (trust me I was one of them). Ezekiel Elliott is relied on so heavily in the Dallas Cowboys offense that he easily has the most responsibility out of any running back in the NFL.
28 carries that gained 113 yards on the ground. He recorded 12 targets through the air that gave him 79 yards. While touchdowns were missing from his totals, Elliott dominated this contest.
He has to be right next to or slightly ahead of Gurley at this point in the season when it comes to yardage totals, and a few more big games could land him the rushing title.
Expect Dallas to continually run Zeke until the sun on the regular season sets.
- Published on 12/10/2018 at 17:00 PM
- Last updated at 12/10/2018 at 11:46 AM