Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys are back in the win column after a convincing 37-22 win over the New York Jets. It was the first time they had beaten the Jets on the road since 2003 in Bill Parcells’ first year as the Cowboys coach. The Jets entered this game winless, but so were the Chicago Bears before Dallas came to town and laid out the red carpet for Caleb Williams and their offense, so we weren’t sure what to expect in this one. Despite being banged up all along the offensive line and in the wide receiver corps, the Cowboys came out with their engines roaring and ready to thrust themselves back into playoff contention. Here on 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ win over the Jets on Sunday.
Considering how much heat the defense takes on a weekly basis, we have to start off by giving them huge props. The Jets ultimately finished with 22 points on the day, but 16 came in garbage time in the fourth quarter. Never were they a threat. The defense came away with some big stops on third down, and even a couple of fourth-and-short stops. Even more surprising was how they handled Justin Fields. They held this season’s leading QB rusher to just 26 yards on seven rushing attempts. And he was under pressure all day with the defense finishing with five sacks, with James Houston leading the charge with 1.5 sacks. It was such a great showing from a unit that has been struggling all season.
It’s not always exciting, but the Cowboys’ offense has turned into quite the efficient unit. They continue to beat opposing defenses in different ways. Starting with a reliable running game, the Cowboys put up 180 rushing yards. The passing game looked sharp as Dak Prescott finished with 237 passing yards and four touchdowns. It was a great balance of offense as the team finished with 29 rushes and 29 passes. The rushing attack was efficient, averaging over six yards per attempt. You couldn’t have scripted it much better, especially when you consider…
Not only did the Cowboys’ offense again look like a well-oiled machine, but they did so despite being without four starting offensive linemen. Four! The Cowboys were already without Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker, but on Sunday, they also didn’t have Tyler Smith or Tyler Guyton. That meant they rolled with the following group:
LT Nate Thomas – 7th round draft pick
LG Hakeem Adeniji – 6th round draft pick
C Brock Hoffman – undrafted free agent
RG T.J. Bass – undrafted free agent
RT Terence Steele – undrafted free agent
That’s five offensive linemen who were drafted at picks 180 or later (or not drafted at all). Never can I remember such a low-draft pedigree offensive line come together and play so well. Besides paving the way for a stout running...
