Blogging The Boys
An unsatisfying ending to a great game.
Brandon Aubrey and Brandon McManus traded short field goals in overtime, and Micah Parsons‘ highly anticipated return to Dallas ended with the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in a 40-40 tie Sunday night.
Dak Prescott and Jordan Love had three touchdown passes apiece in regulation, which included seven consecutive lead-changing TDs before McManus’ tying 53-yard field goal as time expired.
McManus kicked a 34-yarder as the clock hit 0:00 in overtime, just after Love’s pass into the back of the end zone fell incomplete with just a second remaining.
What started as the hyped return of one of the game’s elite pass rushers exactly a month after the Cowboys (1-2-1) traded Parsons to the Packers (2-1-1) ended up as the second dramatic duel of quarterbacks in as many home games for Dallas.
The Cowboys beat the Giants 40-37 in overtime two weeks earlier when Russell Wilson was starting for New York.
The Cowboys played well, particularly on offense.
Dak Prescott, QB
It began before kickoff when the All-Pro quarterback was seen leading the team’s huddle with a fiery speech that eventually spilled over into some explosive offensive plays for the Cowboys. It was a stagnant first quarter that gave way to a big play after big play from Prescott to his offensive weapons, especially George Pickens, but an option read saw the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback decide to take one in himself for a rushing touchdown as well. As is often the case, Prescott was hellbent on willing the Cowboys to win; and the nine words placed before the semicolon in this statement is a massive, massive undersell of what Prescott was able to do in this game and especially, once again, in the fourth quarter and overtime on his home field.
George Pickens, WR
Whoa mama, there goes that man. It was the perfect opportunity for Pickens to prove he could take over an NFL game as WR1, and on a primetime stage, no less, and he did not disappoint. After having not been targeted through much of the first half, his connection with Prescott took center stage toward the end of the second quarter — the two taking over to land haymakers against the Packers’ defense that included a touchdown that gave the Cowboys the first lead of the game just ahead of halftime; but he wasn’t done there. With only 50 seconds remaining and down four points, Pickens took a toss from Prescott for an extra 20 yards to make it 37-34 with less than a minute remaining.
How it ended.
Overtime
The...
