2022 Cowboys: The Mike McCarthy Experience continues

TFisNEXT

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I hadn't seen a thread on this team yet so I'm starting one here.

First off, I think we're all surprised at how well Dallas played without Dak Prescott. Cooper Rush isn't flashy, but he's a totally competent backup....especially in the context of this Cowboys team which has supporting cast on both sides of the ball.

Defense feels like a legit Super Bowl contending unit. They trail only Buffalo in DVOA and EPA/play, and points allowed per game. Micah Parsons has picked up where he left off last year leaving a path of destruction behind him wherever he goes on the field.

Offense ironically (which was a juggernaut last year) is seriously flawed, at least so far. They haven't handled the loss of Amari Cooper well at all and Michael Gallup isn't back to full speed yet, even though he's been playing for a few games. The hope for Cowboys fans is that the offense starts becoming more efficient as Dak shakes off the rust having just come back from the thumb injury. He looked rusty for the first 2.5-3 quarters against DET but then seemed to get into a groove late that game. So we'll see.

Special teams has been great. KaVontae Turpin is in the top 5 in both PR and KR yards per return and Maher has been nails returning as PK after 2 years of Greg Zuerlein. DAL special teams trails only Baltimore in DVOA.

Biggest problem for Dallas at the moment is Philly is playing at contender level so they don't have a cakewalk to the NFC East title like they did last year. They also still have Mike McCarthy as head coach which of course means they in the top 5 in the NFL in penalties and penalty yards.


The cliff's notes version of this post is that Dallas looks like a pretty good team that could contend in the NFC if the offense can get back on track a bit with Dak back at the helm. I'm not totally convinced yet though of that happening. Dak hasn't totally looked the same since the calf injury in overtime against the Patriots last year. It's not the same injuries bothering him. I worry about the shoulder injury he had coming into the season. Now the thumb on the top of that. If he's the type of QB who sees a pretty notable dropoff from nagging injuries, then that doesn't bode well.
 

Rudy's Curve

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I thought LT would be a big weakness without Tyron Smith, but it seems Tyler Smith has handled it as well as possible so far. That's pretty damn impressive for a rookie who was considered raw and had to switch positions back right before the season. As a Bengals fan, I can certainly attest to how legitimate that defense is - Parsons is probably the DPOY, Lawrence is Lawrence and the rest of the unit fills out pretty nicely (seems Diggs has gotten burned a lot less this year). The obvious McCarthy caveats apply, but if Dak can overcome the thumb I think they're still the best team in the NFC.
 

BigSoxFan

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Not sold on the Cowboys being better than Philly but they'll get another game with, this time with Dak, to prove that. I do think it's close and I would rank them #2 right now ahead of everyone else. It's been a hard offense to evaluate with Dak injured, Gallup coming back, and Schultz being banged up as well. The running game has been pretty solid and the defense is quite good. I just love Parsons - such a fun player to watch. Definitely will be in the mix come playoff time but that's where McCarthy looms as a big issue.
 

Oil Can Dan

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Not sold on the Cowboys being better than Philly but they'll get another game with, this time with Dak, to prove that. I do think it's close and I would rank them #2 right now ahead of everyone else. It's been a hard offense to evaluate with Dak injured, Gallup coming back, and Schultz being banged up as well. The running game has been pretty solid and the defense is quite good. I just love Parsons - such a fun player to watch. Definitely will be in the mix come playoff time but that's where McCarthy looms as a big issue.
Christmas Eve, in Dallas, with Philly playing its third straight road game. Looking ahead a bit it kinda seems like the division may come down to that game...
 

TFisNEXT

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Christmas Eve, in Dallas, with Philly playing its third straight road game. Looking ahead a bit it kinda seems like the division may come down to that game...
They've had several late season games that were huge in deciding the division in the past 10-15 years


2009 @DAL (week 17)
2013 @DAL (week 17)
2014 @PHL (week 15)
2019 @PHL (week 16)

Could throw in 2008 too even though it wasn’t for division but it was for a playoff spot.
 

TFisNEXT

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That was the best Dak has looked since last season (prob that Sunday night blowout against Washington).

And holy shit, the RB split going forward needs to be like 70/30 Pollard/Zeke. Pollard is just way too explosive to be sharing touches 50/50 or 40/60.
 

TFisNEXT

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Been a while since this thread was updated.

Team still has the same glaring weakness as last year…discipline. They lead the league in most penalties and penalty yards. When they do have the rare fairly-clean game, you get results like the MIN game where they blew them out. But otherwise, they are just begging for another obscene penalty-laced loss in the playoffs like last year against the 49ers. The penalties are so infuriating because the talent is there.

There are some positives though:

1. Offense is really starting to look good with Dak back. He’s starting to get into a groove.

2. Defense continues to have the best pass rush in the league. They have been vulnerable against the run but they did tighten it up the last couple games after the double digit 4th quarter blown lead in Green Bay.

3. Special teams has been nails. Maher is deadly (those consecutive 60 yarders against MIN was awesome) and Turpin has been an awesome returner.
 

BigSoxFan

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Been a while since this thread was updated.

Team still has the same glaring weakness as last year…discipline. They lead the league in most penalties and penalty yards. When they do have the rare fairly-clean game, you get results like the MIN game where they blew them out. But otherwise, they are just begging for another obscene penalty-laced loss in the playoffs like last year against the 49ers. The penalties are so infuriating because the talent is there.

There are some positives though:

1. Offense is really starting to look good with Dak back. He’s starting to get into a groove.

2. Defense continues to have the best pass rush in the league. They have been vulnerable against the run but they did tighten it up the last couple games after the double digit 4th quarter blown lead in Green Bay.

3. Special teams has been nails. Maher is deadly (those consecutive 60 yarders against MIN was awesome) and Turpin has been an awesome returner.
Honestly, all the pieces are basically there. Dak is coming into his own a bit. Pollard/Zeke are wearing teams down. Lamb and Gallup are big play WRs and OBJ could be coming next. Schultz is a really good TE, especially in the red zone.

The defense has playmakers and really gets after it. Special teams is quite good.

The talent is there. The head coach is probably the biggest weakness this team has.
 

johnmd20

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That story is old. Jones has addressed it in the past.

With that said, I guess we should hang Jones in effigy for what he did 65 years ago.
 

TFisNEXT

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Honestly, all the pieces are basically there. Dak is coming into his own a bit. Pollard/Zeke are wearing teams down. Lamb and Gallup are big play WRs and OBJ could be coming next. Schultz is a really good TE, especially in the red zone.

The defense has playmakers and really gets after it. Special teams is quite good.

The talent is there. The head coach is probably the biggest weakness this team has.
If OBJ is game-ready at some point in the next 2-4 weeks, he could be a nice addition. The one ingredient the Dallas offense is missing is a speed burner. Having a guy like that would open up the middle even more for guys like CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz…plus help the running game.

OBJ 5 years ago wouldn’t fit but now he’s at the stage in his career where he doesnt need to be the Alpha.
 

BigSoxFan

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If OBJ is game-ready at some point in the next 2-4 weeks, he could be a nice addition. The one ingredient the Dallas offense is missing is a speed burner. Having a guy like that would open up the middle even more for guys like CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz…plus help the running game.

OBJ 5 years ago wouldn’t fit but now he’s at the stage in his career where he doesnt need to be the Alpha.
Gallup is pretty fast, no? But he seems like more of a straight line guy to me. Not sure what OBJ can realistically provide this year without much game action but he would be a very nice depth addition for the Cowboys. CeeDee and Gallup are obviously good but there’s not much behind them, as Noah Brown hasn’t popped like I thought he might. An injury to either current starter would have a pretty big impact on the Cowboys’ offense so OBJ would protect against that. And, when all healthy, a 3 WR set of Lamb, Gallup, OBJ is pretty awesome. Add Schultz to that along with 2 good RBs and all the pieces are there.
 

TFisNEXT

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Gallup is pretty fast, no? But he seems like more of a straight line guy to me. Not sure what OBJ can realistically provide this year without much game action but he would be a very nice depth addition for the Cowboys. CeeDee and Gallup are obviously good but there’s not much behind them, as Noah Brown hasn’t popped like I thought he might. An injury to either current starter would have a pretty big impact on the Cowboys’ offense so OBJ would protect against that. And, when all healthy, a 3 WR set of Lamb, Gallup, OBJ is pretty awesome. Add Schultz to that along with 2 good RBs and all the pieces are there.
Gallup has some speed but he’s never really been a true deep threat in his time with DAL. Amari always seemed to be the vertical guy. He’s a solid player though, sort of a jack of all trades at WR. A little speed, decent hands, and is surprisingly skilled at contested catches.

I think he could actually have a great season in 2023 when he’s fully back from the knee surgery. He’s still getting his feet under him but you can see the improvement almost weekly. There’s a reason Dallas re-signed him when everyone assumed he was on the way out after last year.
 

johnmd20

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Nah, just read the WaPo article about Jerry and his history with (but mostly without) Black coaches. It’s good.
That's not what I said.

But you keep bringing up 65 year old stories that were already known as a way to prove Jerry Jones is a terrible person, as if there isn't enough material on that topic from 2 to 10 years ago.
 

Van Everyman

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That's not what I said.

But you keep bringing up 65 year old stories that were already known as a way to prove Jerry Jones is a terrible person, as if there isn't enough material on that topic from 2 to 10 years ago.
What did I say you said? The article is new, the picture is new, the extensive interview with Jerry is new. It’s worth reading, good insight into the guy and, FWIW, not all negative.
 

Oil Can Dan

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Surprised at the lack of action in this thread.

Does this game even matter to either team? Philly very likely the 1 seed and Dallas very likely the 5 seed (playing the NFCS winner) regardless of what happens in this game. What looked like a juicy matchup a couple weeks ago has lost its luster.

If you were either coach would your approach to this game change given the situation? Would you scale back your game plan or plant seeds within it with the idea that you may see each other in the playoffs down the line?
 

Greg29fan

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It's gonna mean a whole lot to Gardner Minshew, and my guess is he uses the grief he has over Mike Leach's death and absolutely blows Dallas off the field, especially since the Cowboys secondary (and most of the rest of the team) completely stinks.
 

TFisNEXT

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It's gonna mean a whole lot to Gardner Minshew, and my guess is he uses the grief he has over Mike Leach's death and absolutely blows Dallas off the field, especially since the Cowboys secondary (and most of the rest of the team) completely stinks.
The season-ending injuries to Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis were pretty devastating for the secondary. They were both very solid cover corners which gave them a lot of depth in the nickel/dime packages. The rookie Bland has played really well though....but Kelvin Joseph is a big liability in the 3-4 WR sets now.

Cowboys will need their vaunted pass rush to come up really big in the playoffs to cover the weaknesses in the secondary.....and Dak and the offense will have to score a lot (which to be fair, they have mostly been doing since Dak's return).

At least they got good news on the LVE injury....prob only gonna miss a game or two. They'll need him healthy for the playoffs if the Cowboys are going to have any shot at beating a team like the 49ers with their run game.
 

TFisNEXT

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Surprised at the lack of action in this thread.

Does this game even matter to either team? Philly very likely the 1 seed and Dallas very likely the 5 seed (playing the NFCS winner) regardless of what happens in this game. What looked like a juicy matchup a couple weeks ago has lost its luster.

If you were either coach would your approach to this game change given the situation? Would you scale back your game plan or plant seeds within it with the idea that you may see each other in the playoffs down the line?
If I'm either team, I'm being very careful with starters down the stretch. Both teams are almost certainly locked into their respective seedings (1 for PHI and 5 for DAL) and they both have some health issues at key positions. Pretty decent chance they face eachother in the divisional round too.....if we assume MIN and SF win their home games in the first round and DAL has enough sheer talent to beat whatever chump team wins the NFC South.
 

BigSoxFan

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If I'm either team, I'm being very careful with starters down the stretch. Both teams are almost certainly locked into their respective seedings (1 for PHI and 5 for DAL) and they both have some health issues at key positions. Pretty decent chance they face eachother in the divisional round too.....if we assume MIN and SF win their home games in the first round and DAL has enough sheer talent to beat whatever chump team wins the NFC South.
If I’m Philly, there’s no way I risk further Hurts injury this week against a motivated team that will probably looking to literally hurt him given the relative likelihood of a January Round 3.

I would be pretty shocked if Dallas lost to the NFC South.
 

TFisNEXT

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Cowboys still somehow alive for division going into week 18....however, that is probably the maximum extent of the drama since Philly's opponent (NYG) is locked into the 6 seed. They have nothing to play for. About the only thing this situation does is probably force the Eagles to start Jalen Hurts when they probably would prefer to rest him until the divisional round. It doesn't sound like his shoulder is fully healed.

If you're the Cowboys, you probably play your starters at least for a half and then check the scoreboard at halftime to see if the Giants are surprising the Eagles or not. Then you can make a decision to bench if need be. Washington is starting a rookie who has never played a down in the NFL, so it's probably not too heavy of a lift for Dallas if it turns out the Eagles fuck it up and lose making a Dallas win matter.

But barring any major surprises, the next time we see the Cowboys after week 18 is going to be in Tampa Bay for the wildcard round.
 

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Not a Cowboys fan (though my brother is). It's possible the team just mailed it in not expecting any help from whatever guy on the street the Giants played at QB.
 

Oil Can Dan

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Maybe. But Dak led the league in interceptions this season while also missing five games (15 in 12 games). Something is up with him but I'm not sure what. The issue seems to be his decision making more than any physical ailment...
 

Greg29fan

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He's had a lot of bad luck on some of those picks, like literally hitting his own guy right in the hands and turning into INTs, but his decision making has been poor at times too...a perfect storm.

Any way I think they're going to get crunched on Monday regardless (never beaten Brady, and Tampa already worked them over in Dallas week one), plus the usual Cowboys curses like wearing the navy jerseys and not having won a road playoff game since the first NFC title game against SF in the 90s.
 

Oil Can Dan

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I will be surprised if they lose to Tampa just based on how awful Tampa has looked in the games I've seen them play this year. I mean in their last three games they need OT to beat the Colt McCoy led Cardinals, barely beat Carolina, and lost to Atlanta (granted with starters pulled in the 2nd quarter). And not long before that they lost to the Brownies and needed the Saints to crap down their leg in order to beat them by one point. I don't understand what happened vs Washington last weekend but Dallas should be able to overpower them relatively easily given that Dallas should be able to pressure Brady with their front-four and also shouldn't have any trouble with the Buccaneers "running game". Obvious respect to TB12 in the playoffs but I don't see it.
 

rodderick

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I don't think this version of the Bucs is capable of crushing anyone, maybe they somehow put everything together in the same game, but I doubt it. Will probably be a pretty ugly matchup, if one team runs away with it it'll be Dallas.
 

TFisNEXT

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I think a lot of Dak’s picks weren’t even that bad. Like someone said above, I think at least 5 of them were deflections right off his receiver’s hands. That said, he’s had some bonehead plays this year a bit more often than we’re used to. But he’s in his first season recently without Cedric Wilson and Amari Cooper. Big losses and he’s done admirably considering that imho.

It’s hard to gauge Sunday’s performance against Washington too. They certainly looked like a group that was not ready to play and that’s on McCarthy. OTOH, the Cowboys went out last year in week 18 and blasted the Eagles into the stratosphere dropping a 50-handle and then subsequently playing a horrific, flat, penalty-infused game against the 49ers the next week for a first round exit.

On paper, the Cowboys should drop-kick the Bucs given the matchups. Cowboys pass rush against weak Bucs O-line, and the Bucs anemic running game would have a hard time taking advantage of the Cowboys weakness on defense (their run defense). But it’s hard to trust McCarthy having these guys up to play.
 

TFisNEXT

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Not gonna lie: I didn’t expect the Cowboys to play a game as clean as they did. (Minus Maher turning into Chuck Knoblach)

Big credit to McCarthy for having them ready to play and seeing a pretty clean game from an execution standpoint. But let’s see it next week now…because they are going to have their hands full with a great 49ers team.

edit: and Dak was really impressive tonight. There is no doubt he had a lot of pressure on him and he delivered an almost flawless game after that first drive.
 

BigSoxFan

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Not gonna lie: I didn’t expect the Cowboys to play a game as clean as they did. (Minus Maher turning into Chuck Knoblach)

Big credit to McCarthy for having them ready to play and seeing a pretty clean game from an execution standpoint. But let’s see it next week now…because they are going to have their hands full with a great 49ers team.

edit: and Dak was really impressive tonight. There is no doubt he had a lot of pressure on him and he delivered an almost flawless game after that first drive.
Cowboys have a really good team when they’re “on”. The talent is there. When Dak is making good decisions, this is a tough team to handle. SF will be a really tough matchup but the Cowboys have the pass rush to make Purdy’s life difficult. Going to be a really fun game, I think. The Maher situation is going to be tough because this could be a game where a late FG wins or loses it.
 

Oil Can Dan

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@Tenn
@Wash
@Tampa
@SF

This will be their 4th straight road game. And on a short week, too. I still like their chances.
 

Greg29fan

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Very happy to be wrong about how this game was going to go; everything they did badly the last few weeks they seemed to do well tonight, especially in the turnover department.

I have no idea what to expect against the 49ers, though their running game is especially scary. Hopefully Dallas can carry the momentum from finally beating Brady and the other bad juju they overcame tonight and keep the "revenge tour" going.
 

trekfan55

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NFL has to be doing cartwheels over cowboys vs 49ers and giants vs eagles.
Fox got a dream matchup on both games.

Philadelphia vs NY Giants on Saturday night

The classic playoff matchup of SF vs Dallas on Sunday night.

And whatever matchup comes from that to the NFCCG (49ers please) will also be amazing.
 

Mystic Merlin

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So does that win eliminate any Sean Payton to Dallas scenarios?
I have to think so. By all accounts I’ve seen, Jerry likes McCarthy, who just oversaw the first Dallas road playoff win in thirty years and consecutive 12-win seasons.

I’m also skeptical Jerry wants a coach who would presumably demand personnel authority or may generally chafe at the level of unimpeded involvement Jerry has enjoyed under coaches like Garrett and McCarthy, so I think there would have to be clear pressure to move on from McCarthy for Payton to become an option.
 

TFisNEXT

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I’ve always thought McCarthy needs to make at least the NFC championship game to keep his job. We’ll see though. If they lose a close game against SF while looking good, maybe he survives.

I don’t think he survives if they get their ass kicked or if they lose a close game because of coaching blunders or lots of penalties (like last year’s wildcard loss vs SF). McCarthy was brought in to win in the playoffs. That was his selling point…fair or not.

I actually think he’s done a good job this season overall. The penalties came down drastically in the 2nd half of the season and his team never panicked after losing opening day in embarrassing fashion with Dak getting injured. He never played uber conservative with Cooper Rush either when Dak was out. But still, most of that doesn’t matter if they go out and get rolled in the divisional round. Jason Garrett always lost in the divisional round too.
 

luckiestman

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I’m just going to say this. I thought Fat Mike would flame out. I was wrong. Seems like the hit pieces I read about him were wrong.

12-5 once, maybe he got lucky or had a favorable sched.

12-5 again but now in the toughest division and missing your starting QB for a while?; that doesn’t seem like an accident. SF is tough and talented so it might end this weekend but I would be in no rush to fire him.

Why are we so sure Sean Payton is better?
 

TFisNEXT

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I’m just going to say this. I thought Fat Mike would flame out. I was wrong. Seems like the hit pieces I read about him were wrong.

12-5 once, maybe he got lucky or had a favorable sched.

12-5 again but now in the toughest division and missing your starting QB for a while?; that doesn’t seem like an accident. SF is tough and talented so it might end this weekend but I would be in no rush to fire him.

Why are we so sure Sean Payton is better?
Some of the credit goes to Dan Quinn (D-coord) too. He had that defense playing lights out when Cooper Rush was QB when they needed it most. They did regress some down the stretch but it’s hard to maintain dominance once they lost their #2 and #3 corners. Esp in today’s NFL where passing is emphasized. But they found their mojo again last night.

Quinn will be put to the test though this week where he faces a much stronger running game than TB offers. He’s going to have to commit to it and still defend the pass against a QB that is playing the opposite of an inexperienced rookie.

Dak is going to have to play another great game imho. SF is going to put up some points.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Some of the credit goes to Dan Quinn (D-coord) too. He had that defense playing lights out when Cooper Rush was QB when they needed it most. They did regress some down the stretch but it’s hard to maintain dominance once they lost their #2 and #3 corners. Esp in today’s NFL where passing is emphasized. But they found their mojo again last night.

Quinn will be put to the test though this week where he faces a much stronger running game than TB offers. He’s going to have to commit to it and still defend the pass against a QB that is playing the opposite of an inexperienced rookie.

Dak is going to have to play another great game imho. SF is going to put up some points.
I agree with you on Dallas' defense. They played great in the Rush games, and they played with a serious edge against Tampa the other night. They were blanketing receivers, and just destroying the TB offensive line.

I think the SF/Dallas game comes down to two things.

Can Dallas get pressure on Purdy (and have to get by an incredible offensive line to do it), while at the same time not allowing CMC to absolutely run wild on them in the run game and catching dumpoffs out of the backfield. If Purdy has time, Deebo/Kittle/Aiyuk will get open, and it will be pitch and catch like we've seen for weeks with SF's offense. If they get pressure, they need to also stop CMC, they need to be in their lanes, hold the outside edge, because CMC doesn't need much of a hole to find himself 8-9 yards down the field...

On the other side, it's all about Dak. Dallas' offensive line is very good, but so is SF's defensive line, so I suspect Dak is going to have to play a great game, both moving around in and out of the pocket, and be ready to throw the ball away rather than forcing stuff. I'm probably one of the biggest Dak defenders on this board, and I think he's got the goods, but this is going to be a test, that's for sure. I don't see the Dallas running game getting going on the road against this defense. Dak may need to throw for 350 and win a shootout for Dallas to pull this off, but I think he's capable of doing it.

And as much as I like Zeke, and he's so underrated in pass protection, Tony Pollard has to be the guy. His speed brings so much to the table on the outside, and in the passing game.
 

Justthetippett

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Even more than most games, I think this comes down to turnovers. Dallas has been very good at that this year, Purdy was loose early against Seattle and got away with a few. If Dallas can play as clean as they did against Tampa and get a few turnovers of their own, they’ll be tough to beat. Pressure from Parsons, Lawrence et al is also huge. The SF O-line has been playing really well. Dallas struggles to get pressure on grass (not sure if this is real or small sample size). It’ll be a fun game.
 

TFisNEXT

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Agreed on the pressure aspect. They need to get pressure on Purdy in this game to win. He’s looked damned comfortable in a clean pocket the last month…but if they can get a bit of pressure on him and maybe force a turnover or two, then they have a decent chance.

Otherwise, I think it will just be too much to overcome.The Cowboys are somewhat weak against the run, so that is concerning as well. If they just let Purdy hand off to CMC all day and throw in a few designed runs to Samuel, then it’s going to be a long day.

SF has very few weaknesses as a team but their pass defense is one of them. If the DAL O-line can protect Dak, then he has a good chance to take advantage…but slowing the SF pass rush is a lot easier said than done.
 

BigSoxFan

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NFL RB is such a grind of a position. Zeke looks absolutely cooked at 27. And his longest run of the season was…27 yards. That’s it.

This team is just the ultimate tease. The defense was really good but the secondary didn’t make many plays today and Diggs blew 2 opportunities on that final Niners TD drive.

On offense, Dak just always leaves you wanting more. CeeDee and Schultz are a nice combo but there isn’t much else there. Michael Gallup was coming off of an injury but he completely disappeared this year. This is why the team was courting OBJ heavily. They needed someone else and had to settle for TY Hilton of all people.

This will once again be a good team next year but they perpetually seem like a level below true contender status.
 

TFisNEXT

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NFL RB is such a grind of a position. Zeke looks absolutely cooked at 27. And his longest run of the season was…27 yards. That’s it.

This team is just the ultimate tease. The defense was really good but the secondary didn’t make many plays today and Diggs blew 2 opportunities on that final Niners TD drive.

On offense, Dak just always leaves you wanting more. CeeDee and Schultz are a nice combo but there isn’t much else there. Michael Gallup was coming off of an injury but he completely disappeared this year. This is why the team was courting OBJ heavily. They needed someone else and had to settle for TY Hilton of all people.

This will once again be a good team next year but they perpetually seem like a level below true contender status.
Dallas showed up today too which made it more infuriating. The defense did enough to win. Dak didn’t stop the playoff failure talk last week…just merely postponed it. He had the game for the taking today and couldn’t get it done. They didn’t need to score 30+.

And Mike McCarthy gets an assist for not even giving Dak the chance on that drive in the 3rd quarter tied at 9. You gotta go for it on 4th and 5 there. The defense was playing well and Dak probably could have used a confidence boost and that was a great opportunity. Instead, the predictable punt almost seemed to change the whole demeanor of the game. Despite the Cowboys being tied there, it felt like they had the upper hand most of the game. SF was dodging disaster with that Dak pick near end of half and then again earlier that 3rd quarter after the fumble the Cowboys recovered. Purdy had been under duress all game and looked flustered. Who knows how he reacts if Dallas goes for it and scores that drive and he gets the ball back trailing. Just spineless coaching.