Eagles - Cowboys Takeaways
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| Was 24 Nnamdi Asomugha's Number? |
> Green wins the toss, takes the ball, because Aggro Is Everything
> Eagle Fan booed the ball falling off the tee, because, well, the tee had one job, and the fans are also very prescient
> Silver hit the world's longest onside kick and recovered, and how that happens, I have no idea
> Third and save the disaster early touchdown is Romo from the gun to WR Terrance Williams, easy cross on CB Cary Williams, and that happens all the damned time because Green does not have a CB1
> Murray all the way to the one, big surge from the vaunted Silver OL, then again for the easy score, and that's not the way to start
> Another terrible kick causes concern, but Huff's on this one
> WR Riley Cooper on the bubble screen dances for no reason and gets nothing, just because Cooper is utterly useless
> False start on two players, then a middling run for RB LeSean McCoy to set up third and 12
> Huge down to avoid continuing avalanche is Sanchez from the gun with time, but throws to some middle ground between McCoy and Cooper, and yeah, that's flat out horrible
> Dallas ST miscue allows for a 69 yard punt by P Donnie Jones, so, um, yay
> Murray for 3, Silver runs on first all the time now
> Romo with the non-grounding grounding that's all the rage now
> Third and 7 to keep field position and wake the crowd up is Romo from the gun to the wide-open TE Jason Witten for 21, couldn't have been easier
> Defense remains historically awful on third and long
> Near TAInt on a nice break on the ball by Williams on WR / PR / Thanksgiving Cheap Shot Artist Dwayne Harris
> 3rd and dear god in heaven get off the field for once is Romo to Witten, covered well by Jenkins, but the ball is perfect, and that's 17 more
> DE Vinny Curry nearly has the tip, but otherwise, rush not there
> Murray for nine on the automatic first down carry, and this game got out of hand fast
> RB Lance Dunbar for the relief carry and first down, Silver in figgie range already
> Romo with non-grounding grounding on the read screen
> 3rd and prevent the inevitable touchdown is Romo from the gun to Witten for the first, and it says something about the way this one went that I had that written down before it happened
> Romo to WR Cole Beasley, wide open, easy first, knife through butter
> Murray loses two, DT Fletcher Cox with his first play of the night
> Romo from the gun against max coverage, it actually works, non-grounding grounding, but let's throw a wildly after the play flag for funsies, because NFL officiating isn't seen as weak enough yet
> Murray with the inevitable first down run, gets two
> Romo to WR Dez Bryant over CB Bradley Fletcher, just too big and too long and too good, and yeah, I'm not talking about Fletcher
> Silver 14, Green 0, and as dominant as possible so far
> Actual ordinary kickoff, Smith to the 19, and if the offense doesn't do something fast, this one is going to just be the photo negative of the Thanksgiving game
> McCoy for a loss, then five, and ridiculously important third down is Sanchez getting sacked on a blitz
> I'm not feeling how the Sanchize's vaunted better than Nick Foles athleticism is an edge
> With each succeeding series since Thanksgiving, QB Nick Foles' chance to start 2015 rise
> 10-0 in first downs and counting
> Romo got away with grounding not grounding, which only takes 20 seconds to adjudicate now
> 127 to 0 on yards in the first quarter is hard to do, folks
> Murray for five, then loses a yard on a good hit by Jenkins
> Holding makes it 2nd and 15 rather than third and 7, hmm
> Injury to MLB Casey Matthews, and yeah, it's a loss because his backups are worse
> Beasley for 10 negates the holding call, and third and 5 instead of third and 7 is a false start as the pass rush looks like it has a pulse
> 3rd and 10 from the 30 is Cox sacking Romo to end the figgie, but a gift flag in the secondary is another first down, sure, why the hell not
> Williams called for being as physical with Bryant as Bryant is with him
> Honestly, just walk off the field and make the refs call flags for delay or unsportsmanlike, if it's going to be a joke, make it a joke
> Murray for a yard loss on the stretch, Silver calls time, Matthews back to the bench, having cleared the infamously pliable Eagles concussion test
> Romo to Bryant, who is open because of course he is, 26 yard touchdown, and if Fletcher was a horse, they'd have shot him by now
> Fletcher on the non-coverage, but if he had, it would have been a flag anyway, so whatevs
> Huff with a nifty roll to get a decent return, refs fix that with a flag
> Sanchez to TE Brent Celek for five, and the dream of a Green first down lives
> Cooper drops a catachable second down ball, and dear God, Stop Throwing It To Riley Freaking Cooper
> Third and prevent a historic embarrassment is Sanchez to RB Darren Sproles, and Praise Jebus, An Actual First Down
> Sanchez misses a wide-open Huff, high and terrible
> Sproles for three, then gets Celek, open over the middle for 23, high throw but the TE saves him
> S Orlando Scandrick with the Ow My Pancreas moment as everyone in the building knows it's bullsquat, and yeah, NFL, so long as you are taking everything away from the defense, take this, too
> McCoy for 12, big hole left, Silver forgets to fake an injury, so he goes again for 7
> McCoy stuffed on 2nd and 3, Sanchez had it wide open on a keep
> Refs call a wildly late flag for mutual nastiness, and hey, more tempo killed
> 3rd and 2 is Sanchez to TE Zach Ertz for a first, defensive holding declined, for 15
> That throw to Ertz showed nice accuracy on the short ball in tight quarters, and why people keep making the mistake of thinking that Sanchez is better than he is
> First and goal from the 5 brings in Polk, who powers it in and yeah, Silver doesn't have a great defense after all
> Down 21-7 with 8:32 left in the second quarter, and Silver getting the second half kickoff, is what NBC defines as "back in the game", because NBC is desperate for any game that keeps casual viewers late
> Bad coverage continues the rough night for the STs; Silver at their own 27 to start
> Murray for 2, DT Cedric Thornton with the non-fumble fumble recovery
> NBC reports on Silver's Xmas shopping, because we are all Silver Fans, and yeah, it never gets tiresome to hear how wonderful Dallas is
> Romo to Witten, first down, phonograph needle skips
> Murray for 4, and I think you could play all 11 in the box on first down
> Dunbar for nearly the first, playing defense with no push is fairly theoretical
> Third and make a mistake that would count as a stop is a sack for LB Connor Barwin, as Romo turtles up from his slipstream
> P Chris Jones whiffs badly, giving Silver only 23 yards of net
> Sanchez to McCoy in the flat for two, then to Ertz, who hurdles a man to convert the all-important first first down
> Sanchez to WR Jeremy Maclin for 11, and tempo now means something
> McCoy for seven, holes developing, then shows strength on the drag right run, another first
> Sproles trips for two, first time in 2014 that his feet weren't right
> Sanchez pumps wide, takes Celek middle, first down
> Sanchez to WR Jordan Matthews on the play action, bad drop of what would have been first and goal
> Sanchez to Sproles, Silver read the double screen, loss of three and the two-minute warning hits
> 3rd and 13 is a big damned deal, as any kind of conversion gets the score closer and maybe helps kill clock for Dallas later
> Sanchez with time, rolls, then non-ground grounds, and that was exasperating, given that any kind of yards makes a figgie try easier
> K Cody Parkey from 47 is just good, and yeah, he hasn't been the same since the groin injury
> Silver 21, Green 10, 1:48 left with one road team timeout
> Parkey's short high kick works, and the STs get Harris down at his own 11
> Romo from the gun hands to Dunbar, who gets 7; conservative but smart play call
> Romo to Williams, easy cross, first down, clock running, and the defense failing to take advantage of good field position was w a recurring motif to this game
> DE Vinny Curry drew a holding flag on the Wide Nine Memorial Formation
> Romo extends and airmails, better coverage by the suspect secondary that time
> Third and 17 with 15 seconds left is Romo throwing beyond the line of scrimmage and missing Williams
> Green declines the run off to force a punt, it's not blocked, and that's the half
> Parkey with the touchback, that looked healthy
> Murray for 4 despite penetration, then little, as Silver's predictable nature isn't helping them
> Third and 6 and might have a game is a false start, Terrance Williams jawing
> Third and 11 is long enough to be an automatic conversion, so Romo to Williams is just a festival of DPI
> If next year's first three draft picks next year are anything but DBs, Green Fan should riot
> 40 yard penalty, 3rd first down via penalty on Cary Williams already tonight
> Murray loses a yard, then Romo takes another shaky sack, this one going to Thornton
> 3rd and 19 is a near-automatic conversion, but for once, it's OPI, not DPI
> Honestly, if DPI is a 40-yard flag, why isn't OPI
> On 3rd and 5 to continue the comeback, Sanchez from the gun to Maclin, nearly an INT, but moved the chains
> Every game Sanchez plays is 1-3 INTs waiting to happen, really
> Sanchez to Maclin, misses, defensive hold gets sarcastic Green Fan cheer
> First penalty on S Barry Church in 2014, which is hard to imagine
> McCoy loses 2, dancing but not much room
> Sanchez to Maclin, hit while the ball is in the air, but not catchable and no bailout call
> 3rd and 11 is Sanchez to Maclin, huge play, 72 yards to the Silver 1, possible fumble at the close, but the WR is down
> Green races to get the play in, but Dallas challenges, and that works to take a challenge away from Silver as well
> Maclin wasn't able to get his block clear to get in, and also looked like he was running out of gas with all of the back and forth, but that play showed you just how susceptible the Silver secondary still is from 2013's historic mess
> Given Green's struggles in the red zone, a defensive timeout from a wasted challenge isn't the worst thing in the world for them, but still, useful
> Polk walks in for the easy score, and if you own McCoy in fantasy, yeah, it's not your year
> Missed gamble by CB Brandon Carr set up the score
> RT Jason Peters with the wipeout block, and it's Silver 21, Green 17, and Game Exists
> Poor kick, good coverage, Silver starts at the 15
> Romo curls away from Cox, completes to TE James Hanna for 12, embarrassing for the DL
> False start from the QB, then Murray into a run blitz by Jenkins for a loss of 4; great ankle tackle by the only starting DB in 2014 who should work here in 2015
> 2nd and 19 with loud crowd is Romo from the gun, incomplete to Williams, stopped by Cary, weak back foot play gave the CB time to react
> 3rd and 19 with this defense is no sure thing, and against a 3-man rush, Romo takes all day... and forgets about Curry, who separates him from the ball on a pump fake and wow, that's huge
> Cox on the recovery, and one more mile on the trip to Hawaii
> Sanchez waving the crowd for quiet, McCoy for yards, and S Terrell McClain with an idiot flag for more
> First and goal from the four for the lead is McCoy to the stick, nearly gets there, but nice recovery by LB Anthony Hitchens
> 2nd and goal from the one is Sproles to the wide drag, gets in, and that's a nice lead block from McCoy to make the play possible
> Green 24, Silver 21, and the comeback was, if anything, too quick and easy
> NBC showing us Eagles owner Jeff Lurie singing, and at least he knows the words
> Jerruh Jones with NJ Governor Chris Cristie, and yeah, Eagle Fan who lives in NJ and voted for him, you're soaking in it
> Murray for a yard on first, not working
> Romo from the gun and alone, Bryant open for 22, and if the rush doesn't get there and the protection isn't maximum, it's real damn easy
> Romo to Witten for 11, LB Mychal Kendricks to the QB a half second late, lucky to avoid a flag
> Murray for one, then gets through a run blitz for 21, big fail for the DL on that play
> Figgie range to tie already, Murray loses a yard to DT Bennie Logan
> 2nd and 11, alone in gun, Romo to Bryant, and he's got 22 more to the 2
> Murray in from the 2, and that was easy and predictable and says all kinds of misery to the defense
> Silver 28, Green 24 with snarls afterwards to make a Silver onside kick a winning idea
> Silver tries to get tricksy with a pop up kick, and Huff gets it back to the 21 with a moment of Serious Overthinking for Silver
> McCoy for 3, then Sanchez escapes pressure and pumps four times before getting it away
> 3rd and 7 with 12 seconds left in the third is a big damned deal, and it's Sanchez wide to Ertz, tipped ball to INT, and just a goddamn disaster
> Silver now with ball and lead to start the fourth, and have a 2-1 turnover edge
> If you are going to spot a team a 21-point lead, also giving them turnovers strikes me as absurdly generous
> Murray with the Dispirited Defense hole for 14, and yeah, crowd's dead and Not Good
> Murray for nothing, then the check down for 3
> 3rd and keep it a one-score game is a big damned deal, and it's Romo to Bryant, touchdown against the blitz, and yeah, someone might want to show Fletcher what the bench looks like now
> Cowboys 35, Eagles 24, and if Green doesn't put in CB Nolan Carroll just to lose in some other way on the next series, I give up on defensive coordinator Billy Davis as well
> Sanchez with an awkward sack, and just giving up on the running game when you are a tempo offense is a mistake
> Sanchez to Huff, great run after contact, and the rookie gets 44 to get them out of an immense hole; that play encapsulates why we need to see more of him, and less of Cooprer
> 15 more for sideline interference on Silver, and that's a new one on everyone
> McCoy for 1, then Sanchez misses a wide-open Celek, just the kind of mistake that makes the backup a backup
> Green timeout on third and 9 from the 31, then Sanchez to Ertz for 6, short of the sticks
> Parkey in to try from 43, essential, and the rook makes it, but figgies don't really matter when your secondary is a sieve
> Silver 35, Green 27, and feel free to try an onside kick now, Chip, given how terrible your defense is
> Harris fumbles, but gets it back, and it's Silver ball at the 20 the hard way
> A stand would be nice here, Defense
> Murray for 5, everyone in the yard can predict it
> Dunbar for 4, falling forward on the drag run
> 3rd and ye gads, still a game is Murray up the middle and nope, didn't get there
> Credit Logan for that, and honestly, as many chances and lead as Silver had tonight, holding Murry to 31 carries for 81 yards is kind of a miracle
> Jones with a good directional kick to neutralize Sproles; gunner wasn't blocked, either
> McCoy for 7 on the drag, then 7 more, but holding negates; C Jason Kelce with the laundry, and deserved it
> 2nd and 13 is Sanchez to Celek, got the first and down before giving up the ball... but the league's fastest offense can't snap the ball before a winning challenge
> NBC salts the wound with Jones and Christie kanoodling
> Murray loses 2 on Graham's penetration, runs clock, then hits Bryant, who is open by 10 freaking yards, cotton-soft first down
> Murray loses 4, Brandon Graham in for Cole and doing the work again, and maybe we should line him up at CB
> Romo misses Witten, and Murray with a hold makes it worse for them
> Romo too high for wide-open Bryant, unforced error to set up 3rd and 24 and prevent the figgie
> Romo shovels to Witten to get a dangerous 4 and save the figgie with 5:05 left; why they didn't just call a safe run there, we'll never know
> Bailey connects from 49 to make it an 11-point game
> Sanchez to Maclin, 10 yards and out, gunshy CB
> Sanchez pump fakes the DL to the ground, bad high INT bait goes to Cooper (WHY DEAR LORD WHY IS COOPER IN THE GAME), and three Silver players go Soccer Player post-whistle, so, um, sure
> Honestly, I don't get why the defense doesn't fake an injury after every positive Eagle offensive play, it's not out of the rules (yet), and it's dumb not to
> With sub DBs in, Sanchez doesn't get rid of the ball quickly, and it's a killer sack
> 3rd and 14 in 4-down territory is a weak backpedalling sack, and yeah, that's the second straight week at home where Kelly punted and capitulated
> Feel free to get those Foles jerseys off the clearance racks
> Murray twice for nothing, Dunbar once for little, burns the Green timeouts, and this game is in Laffy Time Mode
> Punt not blocked, Spoles fumbles but recovers, and yeah, the ST lost this game tonight, too
> Sanchez to Cooper for 17, two minute warning
> Sanchez with the coup de grace INT, and you can queue up Foles' healthy collarbone X-ray for Monday's press conference
> Pretty sure Cris Collingsworth achieved orgasm during that pick
> Al Michaels seems very invested in the Eagles' travel itinerary
> Green can still win the division, but will need to win out against Washington and New York (not a certainty, not the way this team has played in the last two weeks), and Indy to win on the road next week in Dallas (not likely, Indy isn't very good and won't have anything to play for)
> There's a very real chance that this team, with the chance a week ago at a bye, now won't even make the playoffs, and given the quality of the secondary and the turnover ways of the offense, well, it would suit them right
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