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Robert Gauthier via Getty ImagesHead coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy, stated throughout the offseason that he didn’t want to light up the scoreboard offensively. Instead of having the best offense in the NFL, he only wanted to run the ball and win games. It made a few people laugh.
He must have had the ideal Monday night.
Although not very impressive, Dallas’ offensive performance was adequate. The Cowboys’ defense was strong, Dak Prescott produced a couple of big plays, and they managed to win the game with a single, lengthy drive. With just over two minutes remaining, Dallas went downfield for a field goal and a 20-17 advantage. Subsequently, Stephon Gilmore intercepted the play after Micah Parsons had a massive sack, and the Cowboys managed to hold onto the victory.
Lovely? Nope. However, following a significant win over a strong Chargers squad, the Cowboys are now 4-2.
Both offenses struggle
Three-quarters of the game was spent inactive. The score was tied 10–10 at the end of the fourth quarter. When facing Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, the Cowboy’s defense was doing its job; yet, Dallas’ offense was accomplishing nothing. The fourth quarter opened with a few plays made by Prescott.
Prescott improvised when he saw Tony Pollard in the center of the field, hitting the running back and seeing him break free from a tackle to go 60 yards, sparking the Cowboys’ offense. It fulfilled every desire that the Cowboys had. Following a penalty that put them in a second-and-12 situation, Dallas gained a first down at the Chargers’ 3-yard line when CeeDee Lamb found himself wide open and Prescott hit him for 15 yards. Dallas led 17–10 after Prescott found Brandin Cooks for a short touchdown pass.
Up until then, Prescott and the Cowboys offense had been unremarkable. However, the offense only needed a few big plays to grab the lead because the defense was playing such a strong game. After that, a significant error on special teams cost the ball.
The game tied late into 4th quarter
The return ended in a disaster as the Cowboys forced another punt. When the ball bounced away and Dallas’ Jalen Tolbert was being pushed into the returner, he acted as though someone from the Cowboys had touched it and it was a live ball. The issue was that no one had ever touched it. When Tolbert got his hands on it, it was a live ball. After a strange play, the Chargers recovered and took over at Dallas’ 20-yard line.
With just over seven minutes remaining in the game, the Chargers faked it to Austin Ekeler, rolled out Herbert, and Gerald Everett was wide open for the touchdown and a tie.
At that moment, the dream becomes a clock-eating drive that culminates in the go-ahead points. Although Dallas’ offensive hadn’t been very strong up until then, it managed to put together a lengthy drive. The drive and the clock continued after a defensive penalty on third-and-long. On third-and-6, Prescott hit Lamb nicely for eighteen yards. Then came Cooks’s next spectacular third-down pass. When it mattered most, Prescott performed well. With 2:19 remaining, the Cowboys took the lead thanks to a field goal after he failed to stop an open Pollard in the end zone on a third down. Four minutes and fifty-two seconds were spent on the drive.
Herbert had an opportunity to win the game, but the circumstances worked perfectly in favor of the Cowboys. The Cowboys realized they just needed to rush the quarterback because Dallas is capable of doing so. Parsons’s moment to shine has arrived. After Parsons made a tremendous sack on the next play, Herbert found Gilmore with an interception to seal the victory for Dallas on the third play.
Style points are not a concern for the Cowboys. Although supporters may bemoan the offensive difficulties, their head coach may find that comforting.
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