Another late-game heart-stopper for the Dallas Cowboys and another entry into ‘Murder by the Numbers’. This game looked like a double homicide given the way both teams shot themselves in the foot at the worst possible times.
The Cowboys jumped to a 14-3 lead by the end of the 1st quarter, but were held scoreless up until the final frame. Luckily for the Cowboys, they won 20-17; thanks to a game-winning 56-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein as time expired.
Considering all that happened in between, it’s not hard to see how fortunate the Cowboys were to win this game. On several occasions, the Chargers helped a short-handed Cowboys defense with costly penalties (12 penalties for 99 yards) and two critical interceptions – including one inside the Dallas red zone. Let’s go in-depth and look at the key numbers that helped the Dallas Cowboys improve to 1-1 on the season.
8.75 – Tony Pollard’s Yard per Touch from Scrimmage
Given the explosive output many were expecting from Dallas, it does feel a little underwhelming at first glance. Except for the catch and lateral by Ceedee Lamb to end the first half, Dallas only had one passing play of 20 yards or more.
However, when you take a closer look, Dallas’ explosive plays came from handing the ball off to Tony Pollard. Pollard carried the ball 13 times for 109 yards (8.4 yards a carry), and delivered with runs of 16, 23, and 28 yards. He added an extra element in the passing game as well, with 3 catches for 31 yards.
For those screaming for the Cowboys to be more balanced and incorporate the running game, this is the type of results you want to see. Pollard’s YPC was nearly one yard more than Dak Prescott averaged per pass attempt (7.6). Tony Pollard gives Dallas a great compliment to Ezekiel Elliott; and perhaps the best running back tandem in Dallas since Felix Jones and Marion Barber.
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85 – Dak Prescott’s Completion Percentage
It’s another encouraging week in the Dak Prescott revenge tour. The Cowboys were without Michael Gallup and La’El Collins, but Dak Prescott was unbothered; picking up right where he left off from Week 1. The results may appear to be underwhelming, but Prescott looked relaxed and composed in the pocket. More importantly, he looked decisive; hitting seven different receivers.
Dak Prescott completed 23 of 27 attempts on the day. It could’ve been even higher, too. Two of his incompletions seemed to be a miscommunication with one of his receivers, while another was arguably a penalty against a Chargers defender on a 4th down throw to Amari Cooper. The icing on the cake was Prescott’s game-winning drive that took the final 3:49 off the clock. Prescott went a perfect 5-5 on his pass attempts before setting up the game-winning kick.
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9 – Quarterback Hits on Justin Herbert
It may not have looked like it for much of the game, but the Dallas defense without Randy Gregory and Demarcus Lawrence got plenty of pressure on Justin Herbert. With the Dallas defense, it feels like it’s hard to give them credit; Somewhat because they had such low expectations coming in from last season, but also because they don’t have many household names.
The Chargers were missing right tackle Bryan Bulaga and it was nice to see the Cowboys take advantage of the situation. It wasn’t uncommon to see Justin Herbert flushed from the pocket before taking a hit. Micah Parsons led the charge in that department with four quarterback hits and a crucial sack; one that forced the Chargers to settle for a field goal instead of an opportunity to take the lead late in the game. After last week, the pass rush needed a performance like this. Albeit a work in progress, hopefully this can serve as a sign of things to come.
