Dallas Cowboys find another way to win
by Jean-Jacques TAYLOR
DETROIT – Given the opponent, it was the Cowboys' most pathetic display of defensive football this season.
By far.
Don't let anyone convince you it wasn't.
Not Wade Phillips. Or Jerry Jones. Or the players.
The Cowboys didn't force a turnover. Didn't record a sack against the NFL's worst offensive line until the game's last play. And didn't stop the run against the NFL's worst rushing attack.
Still, they beat Detroit.
Somehow.
For that, they earned their first division title since 1998, and most players walked out of the locker room wearing big smiles and white baseball caps with matching T-shirts proclaiming them NFC East champs.
With their 28-27 victory Sunday afternoon, the Cowboys secured at least one home playoff game. They should be ecstatic. Hopefully, they partied all the way home on the 2½-hour flight.
But it would be a mistake to ignore the problems the Lions illuminated, despite the Cowboys improving to 12-1.
We all know this defense has to perform better, if the Cowboys are going to reach their ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.
After all, the players are willing to tell anyone and everyone they're capable of getting to the Super Bowl, so we're going to continue holding them to the championship standard they've established for themselves.
The free-falling Lions, now losers of five consecutive games, had their way with the Cowboys' defense.
By halftime, Detroit had 16 first downs, more than Dallas had allowed in four games. More rushing yards (107) than in nine games. And more yards (257) than in five games.
Theories abound.
Perhaps, the Cowboys simply didn't respect the Lions, a possibility given Detroit's string of poor performances during the last month. Of course, that's probably changed after Detroit rolled up 390 yards, including 152 yards rushing, and 25 first downs.
Maybe, the derogatory comments from Bradie James and Terence Newman toward quarterback Jon Kitna backfired and inspired Detroit. For those of you out of the loop, Kitna ripped the Cowboys' defense, and James and Newman in particular, after the Lions beat Dallas in their final game of last season.
Last week, Newman said he had enough money to pay any fine he received for hitting Kitna. James, who wouldn't shake Kitna's hand before the game, made it clear he wanted to punish Kitna.
Neither one busted a grape, as we used to say growing up, as it related to Kitna. Afterward, though, each was complimentary of Kitna.
"I've never seen that kind of stuff – what someone says before a game – affect a ballgame," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
Jones and his players credited the Lions for their game plan. Detroit ran the ball 32 times for a 4.8-yard average per carry and hogged the ball for more than 32 minutes.
The rare offensive balance kept the Cowboys' defense discombobulated. It never found a rhythm.
Neither did Phillips, who handles most of the defense.
"The goal is to win," Newman said. "We're not happy with the way we played, but you always take the win."
As poorly as they played on defense, these Cowboys showed why they're different from their predecessors. These players are relentless.
They play the game the right way. They don't ever quit on a play. Or a game.
Sooner or later, they figure someone will make a play to win the game. Then it won't matter how many yards or points they gave up.
That's the approach they used to beat Detroit.
After Jason Witten's fumble at the Detroit 1, the Lions converted two third downs and moved to their 36. Dallas had only one timeout left, so one more first down would've given Detroit a win and kept the Lions in the playoff race.
Nose guard Jay Ratliff dropped Kevin Jones for a 2-yard loss on second-and-7 with 2:26 left as the Cowboys used their final timeout. Greg Ellis harassed Kitna into an incompletion.
The Lions punted. You know how the story ended.
"We refused to lose. We didn't play our best ball," James said, "but we found a way to win.
"No one cares how many yards we gave up – we don't. When people pick up the paper on Monday, all they want to know is if we won."
They did. Again.
Somehow.
DETROIT – Given the opponent, it was the Cowboys' most pathetic display of defensive football this season.
By far.
Don't let anyone convince you it wasn't.
Not Wade Phillips. Or Jerry Jones. Or the players.
The Cowboys didn't force a turnover. Didn't record a sack against the NFL's worst offensive line until the game's last play. And didn't stop the run against the NFL's worst rushing attack.
Still, they beat Detroit.
Somehow.
For that, they earned their first division title since 1998, and most players walked out of the locker room wearing big smiles and white baseball caps with matching T-shirts proclaiming them NFC East champs.
With their 28-27 victory Sunday afternoon, the Cowboys secured at least one home playoff game. They should be ecstatic. Hopefully, they partied all the way home on the 2½-hour flight.
But it would be a mistake to ignore the problems the Lions illuminated, despite the Cowboys improving to 12-1.
We all know this defense has to perform better, if the Cowboys are going to reach their ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.
After all, the players are willing to tell anyone and everyone they're capable of getting to the Super Bowl, so we're going to continue holding them to the championship standard they've established for themselves.
The free-falling Lions, now losers of five consecutive games, had their way with the Cowboys' defense.
By halftime, Detroit had 16 first downs, more than Dallas had allowed in four games. More rushing yards (107) than in nine games. And more yards (257) than in five games.
Theories abound.
Perhaps, the Cowboys simply didn't respect the Lions, a possibility given Detroit's string of poor performances during the last month. Of course, that's probably changed after Detroit rolled up 390 yards, including 152 yards rushing, and 25 first downs.
Maybe, the derogatory comments from Bradie James and Terence Newman toward quarterback Jon Kitna backfired and inspired Detroit. For those of you out of the loop, Kitna ripped the Cowboys' defense, and James and Newman in particular, after the Lions beat Dallas in their final game of last season.
Last week, Newman said he had enough money to pay any fine he received for hitting Kitna. James, who wouldn't shake Kitna's hand before the game, made it clear he wanted to punish Kitna.
Neither one busted a grape, as we used to say growing up, as it related to Kitna. Afterward, though, each was complimentary of Kitna.
"I've never seen that kind of stuff – what someone says before a game – affect a ballgame," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
Jones and his players credited the Lions for their game plan. Detroit ran the ball 32 times for a 4.8-yard average per carry and hogged the ball for more than 32 minutes.
The rare offensive balance kept the Cowboys' defense discombobulated. It never found a rhythm.
Neither did Phillips, who handles most of the defense.
"The goal is to win," Newman said. "We're not happy with the way we played, but you always take the win."
As poorly as they played on defense, these Cowboys showed why they're different from their predecessors. These players are relentless.
They play the game the right way. They don't ever quit on a play. Or a game.
Sooner or later, they figure someone will make a play to win the game. Then it won't matter how many yards or points they gave up.
That's the approach they used to beat Detroit.
After Jason Witten's fumble at the Detroit 1, the Lions converted two third downs and moved to their 36. Dallas had only one timeout left, so one more first down would've given Detroit a win and kept the Lions in the playoff race.
Nose guard Jay Ratliff dropped Kevin Jones for a 2-yard loss on second-and-7 with 2:26 left as the Cowboys used their final timeout. Greg Ellis harassed Kitna into an incompletion.
The Lions punted. You know how the story ended.
"We refused to lose. We didn't play our best ball," James said, "but we found a way to win.
"No one cares how many yards we gave up – we don't. When people pick up the paper on Monday, all they want to know is if we won."
They did. Again.
Somehow.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:41 PM
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