NFL
By: Greg Rector
Cowboys 31 Dolphins 6
As expected the Cowboys took care of business to move to 3-0 on the season. The score however is not indicative of the game itself. An absolutely brilliant third quarter gave Dallas this win.
Keys to victory:
In my preview of this game I warned about playing down to an opponent. For about twenty minutes the Cowboys did just that. However unlike the past few seasons this game saw the Cowboys come out with a much better game plan in the second half. The coaches made adjustments and the players paid heed. Especially one Dak Prescott. In those 20 minutes of the first half he was making very poor decisions, throwing into double coverage, resulting in one INT. Simply put I think they were trying to put on a show unnecessarily. In the second half however the Cowboys showed up, and started taking what was given by the Dolphins. The result was 3 touchdowns and the victory. How’s this for a stat? After 3 games Prescott has two. yes just two second half incomplete passes.
The offensive line certainly did their job. Any game where you have two running backs over 100 yards rushing, you know the big boys were doing a fantastic job. The line has been so dominant with the return of Travis Frederick, they are something to behold. When they get it going, defenses are in trouble. Tony Pollard, was suppose to be much more a receiver out of the backfield threat versus being a rusher. Well I think after seeing him in the pre-season and now in 3 games, he can run with the ball just fine thank you very much. Will McClay, found a gem in the 4th round.
The Cowboys defense managed three sacks, and had good pressure on both Rosen, and for the brief time he was out there Fitzpatrick. There were a few plays that they looked bad on, but really weren’t threatened all that often by Miami. Late in the first half on the one drive that the Cowboys were threatened, they caused a fumble, which was recovered to end the threat. Robert Quinn, in his first game after sitting out with a two game suspension was relentless. It was needed since Crawford, and Woods were missing up front.
Overall a decent game, certainly not a complete game. You have to play for 60 minutes, the Cowboys played only played for 40 minutes. That cannot be repeated this week on the road against Alvin Kamara, and the Saints. I’ll give them a B- for the game.
You can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
