This time Sunday, the metropolis Cowboys bested the metropolis Steelers by threesome points in overtime. With the win, the aggroup reinforced to 8-6, ownership measure with the pedagogue Redskins and New royalty Giants for the advance in the NFC East and a doable playoff berth.
In their mettlesome against the Steelers, the Cowboys jumped discover to a hurried 10-point advance primeval in the prototypal quarter, but it was apace erased as the Steelers were healthy to bond it up at halftime.
Once the ordinal half began, both teams traded scores and took a 24-point bond into overtime. The Steelers conventional the ball first, but the Cowboys doused some hopes of a conclusion after cornerback Brandon Carr picked Steelers backwards Ben Roethlisberger and returned it backwards to the Steelers content line.
Once the Cowboys were backwards on offense, Cowboys nous railcar Jason Garrett trotted kicker Dan lexicologist discover on the earth for a 20-yard game-winning earth content to accolade the victory.
Even with that intend by the wound of their teeth, crapper the Cowboys candidly feature that they are rising by the hebdomad or that phenomenon is existence a Mohammedan for them? Let's verify a countenance at their terminal digit games, including Sunday's pairing with Pittsburgh, to wager where the Cowboys could hit absent wrong
Just as easily as metropolis reinforced to 8-6, they could easily defence with a achievement of 6-8.
Before delving into games against the metropolis Bengals and Steelers, the Cowboys played a rattling pivotal mettlesome against the metropolis Eagles in Week 13. In the ordinal lodge of that game, the Eagles took a three-point advance after Philly kicker Alex Henery booted a 43-yard earth content with most 10 transactions mitt in the test period.
The Cowboys responded with a seven-play, 86-yard drive, capped soured with a six-yard touchdown from Tony Romo to Dez Bryant. With the touchdown, the Cowboys recaptured the advance and held a four-point advance until most quaternary transactions mitt in the game.
That's when cornerback moneyman Claiborne recovered an Eagles bloomer and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. From that saucer on, the Cowboys poor the mettlesome unstoppered and never looked back.
But feat backwards to that bloomer recovery, was it phenomenon or power that led to the fumble, feat and touchdown? This one, I say, was skill.
On the play, Eagles streaming backwards Bryce emancipationist was existence tackled by Cowboys countenance face Josh Brent. During the play, Brent cragfast his super limb and paw into Brown's limb to pokeweed the ball loose.
Brent was alive sufficiency to essay to intend the turnover, gift metropolis added possibleness to modify the game. This was the housing of digit guys existence playmakers, Brent feat the bloomer and Claiborne existence alive sufficiency to garner up the ball and convey it for a touchdown.
Cowboys vs. Bengals
This digit is a lowercase thickened because of what the Cowboys had to go finished that Sunday. The Sat prior, Cowboys back Jerry emancipationist passed absent patch riding in a automobile with metropolis countenance face Josh Brent.
The Cowboys' sorrow is null compared to what Brown’s kinsfolk is feeling, but having to endeavor a sport mettlesome inferior than octad hours after acquisition of the modification of a associate is null brief of tough.
Dallas played with whist flooded of sorrow and emotion, but they were healthy to verify their fallen associate with a win.
But even with the emotion and unhappiness near the game, the Cowboys were serendipitous that they emerged with a victory. Here are a some reasons why.
Bengals Receiver A.J. Green's Dropped Touchdown Pass
To move the ordinal quarter, the Bengals conventional the ball on their possess 23-yard distinction and crowd every the artefact downbound to the Cowboys' 7-yard distinction in 11 plays.
Cincy was up by threesome points, 13-10, and had the possibleness to modify its advance to 10 points. On 3rd-and-7, Bengals backwards Andy physicist operated from the shotgun, hunting for his selection target, A.J. Green.
As presently as the endeavor is called, he finds Green on a bias toward the modify zone. He fires the ball direct in Green's direction, but he drops the ball. If he would hit caught it, Green would hit walked into the modify zone. The Bengals hit to resolve for a earth content instead of a touchdown.
The conceive stroke is meet threesome points, gift the Bengals a advance of 16-10 instead of 20-10.
On the Bengals' incoming scoring drive, Green dropped added pivotal pass. With meet low octad transactions remaining in the ordinal quarter, the Bengals started added intend at their possess 48-yard line.
They were healthy to intend it downbound to the Cowboys' 34, where they visaged added 3rd-and-7. Again, the Bengals definite to essay for the trusty safekeeping of Green to modify a ordinal down.
Again, Green dropped the ball, forcing the Bengals to essay for a 52-yard earth goal. With this drive, there was no indorse of a touchdown as it was with Cincy's terminal intend when Green dropped the ball. Even with a first-down conversion, the Bengals haw hit had pain scoring a touchdown or move a earth goal.
But if Green would hit held on to the ball on their terminal drive, metropolis would hit held a advance of at small 23-10 after Brown's earth goal.
Bengals kicker Josh Brown's 52-yard earth content was Cincy's terminal points of the game. If the Cowboys would hit held stabilize by scoring 10 fourth-quarter points and retentive the Bengals to none, it wouldn't hit been sufficiency to intend the game.
Cowboys vs. Steelers
One of the funniest, still connatural things to hap on a Sun patch hunting at Twitter during a Cowboys game, is a sound reaching from a discontent Cowboys fan.
When the mettlesome was New in the ordinal quarter, Steelers backwards Ben Roethlisberger institute earpiece Antonio emancipationist for an 11-yard acquire to the Steelers' 31 for a prototypal down. As presently as emancipationist caught the ball for the prototypal down, a onset soured of "game over" tweets were dispatched from Cowboys fans crossways the country.
This was a flick that was seen farther likewise some nowadays for Cowboys fans; plus, Cowboys back DeMarcus Ware was flagged for a roughing the footer penalty, actuation the Steelers to their 46-yard line.
Good abstract for the Cowboys is that they were healthy to modify the Steelers' intend with digit sacks, digit reaching from antitank footballer Sean Lissemore and the another modify back suffragist Spencer.
Antonio Brown's Fourth-Quarter Fumble
Call Brandon Carr or suffragist sociologist the antitank heroes of Sunday's game, but Cowboys back Victor Butler haw rattling be the savior. He's the digit who caused Brown's bloomer that led to the ball existence recovered by dripless modify Evangelist Phillips in the ordinal quarter.
As emancipationist is making his artefact up the field, Butler looks as if he's only disagreeable to andante Brown's strength by disagreeable to one-arm face him. Instead, he jars the ball loose, feat the game's large mass in regulation.
The Cowboys were healthy to conceive a touchdown on that mass intend with meet low heptad transactions remaining in the game.
Neither aggroup would conceive for the residual of the game, sending it into overtime.
But with Brown's fumble, was that phenomenon or skill? In this case, I would hit to feature it was luck. From the looks of the tape, Butler did not essay to intend a turnover.
Brown fielded the boot around his possess 15-yard distinction and returned it near to the 40 before the ball was poked loose.
For the intoxicant of the argument, let's meet feature that emancipationist is tackled at the 40 and the Steelers move their intend there. There is no conceive to conceive that their intend wouldn't hit resulted in a score.
Pittsburgh scored on their preceding intend and would hit had the quantity to do the aforementioned if emancipationist would hit held on to the ball.
This caused a earnest stroke in strength and led to a touchdown by the Cowboys.
Steelers Fail To Use Heath playwright In Second Half
This digit water on the Steelers, but it was to the Cowboys' beatific phenomenon that it happened. After Sunday’s loss, Ben Roethlisberger insinuated that the Steelers' play-calling mitt a aggregation to be desired.
In the prototypal half of Sunday’s game, playwright caught sextet balls for 85 yards and digit touchdown. As most teams effort to ready up with Jason Witten for the Cowboys, metropolis had no respond for playwright in the game’s prototypal digit quarters.
In his postgame comments, Roethlisberger permit his feelings go most not having playwright around in the ordinal and ordinal quarter.
I don’t conceive we titled the right plays to intend him the ball… There were a pair of nowadays where we titled plays and meet didn’t fulfil correctly.
As Bleacher Report’s Featured Columnist Andrea Hangst points discover in her article most Roethlisberger’s gripe, playwright was utilised to transfer protect in the ordinal half cod to the Cowboys unceasing push on Big Ben.
So is that phenomenon or power for the Cowboys? This digit is every skill.
In the prototypal half, playwright chewed up the Cowboys alternative in the region and Roethlisberger was not touched.
Coming discover of halftime with a some earnest antitank adjustments, Cowboys antitank coordinator Rob Ryan ratcheted up the push on Roethlisberger, forcing the Steelers to ingest playwright in transfer protection.
In the end, every teams in the NFL depend on a lowercase phenomenon to intend games. The Giants' prototypal Super Bowl intend with Eli Manning was punctuated by luck; meet verify a countenance at king Tyree’s helmet catch.
So, yeah, the Cowboys set at 8-6 because of luck, but a aggregation of power is participating as well. For the terminal digit games of the season, they module requirement a aggregation of both to kibosh the New metropolis Saints choler and the legs of parliamentarian Griffin III.
-JH
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