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The Dallas Cowboys found a way back into the win column on Sunday Night Football. Here are three hot takes from the game as we analyze what went right and what went wrong.
Dec 18, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick (32) celebrates making an interception in the fourth quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. Dallas Cowboys won 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Cowboys have righted the ship. They earned their twelfth win of the season last night, besting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 26-20. That win pushed them to 12-2 on the season, tied with only the New England Patriots for the best record in football.
With two games left to play, the Cowboys can wrap up home-field advantage with a win. Just one win. And earning the right to play every playoff game at home will be very important for the Cowboys. Let me show you why.
Hot Take #1 – Home-Field Advantage
As of right now, the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks are the only teams from the NFC to have clinched playoff berths. If the season ended today, the other playoff teams would be the Lions, Giants, Falcons and Redskins. Of those teams, only one has a road record above .500. On the flip side, the Dallas Cowboys are 6-1 at AT&T Stadium.
Clearly, playing at home is a huge advantage for the team. Not only that, but the other playoff teams all perform very well at home. The Giants and Lions, who are the main threats to the Cowboys for home-field advantage, each have only 1 loss at home. The Cowboys would be best off playing in Dallas as much as possible.
Dec 18, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) slides as Tampa Bay Buccaneers middle linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) tries to tackle him in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. Dallas Cowboys won 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Hot Take #2 – Offensive Miscues
Now, a win is a win.
I’m not going to try to downplay that at all.
Winning twelve games in the NFL is a very hard thing to do.
More from The Landry Hat
But when the calendar turns to January, the Dallas Cowboys need to stop beating themselves with penalties, failed trick plays, etc.
All season the Cowboys have been fairly disciplined with penalties.
But recently, they seem to be piling up.
That hasn’t been helping their 3rd down situations either.
When penalties stack up on 1st and 2nd down, the Cowboys find themselves in 3rd and 10+. More often than not that leads to a punt.
If the Cowboys expect to win big in January, and hopefully February, they will need to fix that.
Secondly, this probably isn’t as big of a deal as it will be made out to be, but Dan Bailey missed two field goals in this game.
Granted, they were both 50+ yards, but he is usually automatic under 55.
Maybe it has something to do with his injury earlier in the season, but this is something to keep an eye on.
Dec 18, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) is sacked in the fourth quarter by Dallas Cowboys defensive end Benson Mayowa (93) and David Irving (95) at AT&T Stadium. Dallas beat Tampa 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Hot Take #3 – Defensive Playmakers
The defense is trending up in Big D. And that might even be short selling it. This unit has been nothing short of outstanding these past few weeks. The pass rush is finding a way to get home consistently. Two of the Cowboys defensive ends, Benson Mayowa and David Irving, filled in remarkably for the injured Demarcus Lawrence.
As a quick side not, David Irving deserves more playing time. He has been outstanding when he is on the field and I would go as far as to say he should be this teams starting left end.
Rookie defensive tackle Maliek Collins notched another half sack, putting him at 3.5 on the season. The aforementioned Irving noted 1.5 and had a pass deflection. Defensive tackle Terrell McClain forced a fumble.
Sean Lee flew around the field again tonight. At this point, that is almost to be expected. He is showing the league why he is one of the premiere linebackers. Lee is proving that he should have his name right next to Luke Kuechly in the discussion for best 4-3 linebacker in football.
And let’s not forget the secondary. As a unit, they forced 3 interceptions. One for Byron Jones. One for Jeff Heath. And, last but not least, one for Orlando Scandrick. There really isn’t much to complain about when it comes to the defense.
Conclusions
The Dallas Cowboys are the best football team in the NFL. For the rest of the year they should be considered the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy come February. If the offense can clean up their penalties and the defense can continue to play lights out, the sky is truly the limit for this team.
To hear my thoughts live during the Cowboys game, be sure to follow @JLongPass on Twitter. Go Cowboys!
