Football <\/p>\n
The Dallas Cowboys<\/a> won another football game. Yes, it was against the lowly three-win Carolina Panthers<\/a>, but it still counts. This isn\u2019t good news if you were holding out for a great draft pick, but if you like watching your team win, today was a good day for you. It took a bit, but the Cowboys started getting things going on offense and defense. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys 30-14 win over the Panthers.<\/p>\n For the third-straight game, Rico Dowdle set a new career-high for rushing yards. Against the Panthers, Dowdle had 25 carries for 149 yards (6.0 ypc). He is averaging over 130 yards per game in that span. Every week he looks better. Dowdle is running with more energy, showing great shiftiness, and has become a hard north-and-south runner. He\u2019s been the team\u2019s grinder and it\u2019s worked well.<\/p>\n What makes Dowdle\u2019s resurgence even more impressive is how the Cowboys are pulling this off with a banged-up offensive line. Every week they are dealing with a new injury. They started the day down two starters, Zack Martin (out for the year) and Cooper Beebe (concussion). This week, backup guard T.J. Bass got hurt forcing the team to shuffle once again. Left tackle Chuma Edoga moved to right guard and rookie Tyler Guyton took his spot at left tackle. Surprisingly, the offensive line held things together well with Dowdle running and Cooper Rush only getting sacked once. Not too shabby.<\/p>\n Even without Dak Prescott throwing him the ball, CeeDee Lamb is a star. He finished the game with nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. It was his first 100-yard performance since Rush took over at quarterback. On the Cowboys’ first scoring drive, it was all Lamb as he accounted for 62 of the team\u2019s 77 yards. He only had three catches, but he had to work for them as a couple of passes were underthrown. It didn\u2019t matter though as Lamb made the necessary adjustments and came away with the catch. The Cowboys were finally in business.<\/p>\n With the first half winding down, it looked like the Cowboys were on the cusp of scoring a touchdown and going up 17-0 in the game. But just before we could get excited, things took a bad turn when Rush fumbled the ball. The Panthers jumped on it ending the Cowboys’ possession. Then, on their very next play, Bryce Young found Jalen Coker wide-open for an 83-yard touchdown. Instead of 17-0, it was a 10-7 game.<\/p>\n Just as quickly as the Panthers shifted the momentum at the end of the first half, they immediately gave it back when they fumbled on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter. Osa Odighizuwa got to Young causing the ball to come loose. Chauncey Golston was quick to pounce on it. Five plays later, the Rush found Jalen Tolbert in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. Just like that, the Cowboys were back up by 10.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right. You heard correctly. Tolbert scored a touchdown. It\u2019s been an underwhelming season for the team\u2019s third-year wide receiver. He hasn\u2019t had a game with more than three catches since October and his biggest play came on the game-winning catch against the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a>. But now he has another big play as he hauled in a nice touchdown catch while keeping both feet in bounds. It was his only catch of the game, but it was a big one. Speaking of his only catch, his teammate Jalen Brooks also had a catch, and it too went for a touchdown, the first of his career. It was nice to see either of these two do something meaningful as these plays have been few and far between from the Cowboys’ depth receivers.<\/p>\n Mike McCarthy had chances to allow Cowboys\u2019 kicker Brandon Aubrey to attempt a record-breaking field against the New York Giants<\/a> on Thanksgiving inside a warm, turfed stadium such as AT&T, but he chose not to each time. Against Carolina, one of those opportunities showed up as he had a chance to kick a 70-yarder right before the end of the first half. Sadly, the kick never had a chance. It was wide left and considerably short. The Panthers tried to return it, but it didn\u2019t turn into anything. Oh well, it was still fun to watch. <\/p>\n Bryce Young had a rough game. He was sacked six times. The Cowboys pass rush gave him all sorts of fits as five different players recorded a sack. But most of the damage came from the Cowboys defensive linemen from their 2021 draft class – Micah Parsons, Osa Odighizuwa, and Chauncy Goltson. They each had four tackles in this game and at least one sack (Parsons had two). They were stripping the ball, pouncing on fumbles, and just creating all types of problems for Young. <\/p>\n These three defensive linemen were drafted by the Cowboys in 2021.1. NORTH AND SOUTH RICO<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. ANOTHER SHUFFLE FOR THE OLINE<\/strong><\/h2>\n
3. LAMB IS SPECIAL<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. COSTLY SWING<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. RETURNING THE FAVOR<\/strong><\/h2>\n
6. THE TWO JALENS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. THE 70-YARD ATTEMPT<\/strong><\/h2>\n
8. MICAH AND FRIENDS<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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They each had at least one sack today.
All three are still in their rookie contract, but that will change this offseason. pic.twitter.com\/mQ62tlzlVG<\/a><\/p>\n