By Brandon Simmons
Does the result of the Eagles-Cowboys game mean anything?
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night 33-13 in a performance that put Dallas at the top of the NFC East. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott put on a spectacular showing, throwing for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns, which out him at the top of the MVP conversation. For Philly, it was their 2nd straight loss and added to the narrative that perhaps they aren’t suited to return to the Super Bowl. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts threw for 197 yards and was sacked 2 times in this game. It’s a result that both teams are going to interpret in their own but will it be for better or for worse with each squad.
For Philadelphia, this should be a wake up call for them that their road is not as easy as it looks. Before their games with San Francisco and Dallas, they were the number one team in the league, record-wise. After these past 2 games, they don’t look anything like it. But you can really trace their dysfunction back to their bye week. They have given up at least 130 yards rushing in those 4 straight games. In that sae stretch, they have given up at least 30 points in 3 straight games. The Eagles know they need help on defense, which is why they made the signings of former Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard and former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard. However, they shouldn’t gloss over the lack of explosiveness that is in this offense. They have big play components but have to better in utilizing them to balance out their attack.
The Cowboys have a lot of ears perking up right now but can they actually keep this up. In previous years, Dallas has been playing well in the month of December, including beating the Eagles last season on Christmas Eve, but facing them without Hurts. The one thing that made Dallas impressive in Sunday’s win was they beat a team with a winning record. They won 2 straight games against teams with a record over the.500 mark and look primed to make an impactful playoff run. The question will then evolve into can they repeat this success against the top tams of the conference: the Eagles, 49ers and possibly the Deroit Lions, teams that are expected to make it past the first round. That answer might depend on how well Prescott plays. Dallas’ defense is superb but it’s going to take more than Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland going after the pick 6 record or linebacker Micah Parsons being a game wrecker. Prescott must be efficient with leading this offense and get this unit to keep putting points on the board.
Chiefs lose It on Offsides Call
The Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in a moment that extended well past the final whistle. The Chiefs were down by 3, when Chiefs QB Pat Mahomes threw a a pass to tight End Travis Kelce. Kelce was running down the field, became surrounded by 3 defenders and decided to throw a lateral to wide receiver Kadarious Toney, who ran the rest of the way for a touchdown. However, that call was soon called back when Kansas City was called for offensive offsides, because Toney was lined up in the neutral zone when the ball snapped. While wide receivers are allowed to be on the line of scrimmage, they obviously can not be across that line, but there is usually a process where they check with the referee to make sure they are good or the ref will let them know. According to Chiefs head coach, that did not happen in this particular case. This play sparked a huge reaction and debate from fans about number of things from how the officiating has been this season to the narrative that the Chiefs have benfitted from calls year.
Fans have every right to feel like Mahomes’ outburst is excessive but it doesn’t negate the fact the refs made an error, just like they have done in other games this season. It seems that every week there have been some sort of complaint about the officiating, especially when a big play is involved. In the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game, the refs called an illegal shift that negated a 50 something yard play. On review, it didn’t even look like such an occurred. Fast forward to this past Sunday, where another misstep by the officials was allegedly made. It’s not easy to believe the head coach of the team who did not benefit from the penalty, but it makes you wonder why would they allow the play to get off if they did speak with Toney. At that point of the game, everything is moving extra fast. The offense only has so much time to score, only so much time to line up and get set. That is a magnet for all the mistakes to be made. The evidence clearly shows he was offsides but if the proper procedure isn’t in place, then you can’t shoulder l the blame on the receiver. And if this is going to be a call that you want to make more than once, make sure all the right steps are taken towards enforcement.
Give Up on Super Bowl Rematch?
It was certainly ideal before the season started to have a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl, between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, but that might be a wrap, if this past weekend was any indication. Both teams had their weaknesses exposed from this season and they got the results they expected when that happens. The Eagles have struggled on defense, particularly against the run, all year and it has cost them in their losses. The Chiefs have had problems with finding another receiving option outside of Kelce. This group has the most drops in the NFL with 32. With numbers and performances like these, there’s no way that either of these teams can run it back in a matchup. There are other teams playing too good right now, equipped with better weapons. The Eagles and Chiefs will just have to even the odds elsewhere, if not this season.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to rookie quarterbacks making comebacks this past week. The New York Giants Tommy Davito and Tennessee Titans Will Levis each lead their team to come from behind wins late in the 4th quarter of their Monday night games. After a late touchdown by the Green Bay Packers, Davito and the Giants were down 22-21. He then led a drive for the game winning field goal, which put New York up 24-22 as time expired. Levis had a taller task, trailing the Miami Dolphins by 14 with over 3 minutes left in the game. Down 27-13, Levis led the Titans on a TD drive that cut the score to 27-21; the Titans got the ball back before the 2 minute warning and Levis led them on the game winning drive to go up 28-27. These were the 3rd and 4th game winning drives orchestrated by rookie QB’s this season, with the first 2 coming from Houston Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud.
No shutouts but R.I.P. to former Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wychek. Wychek passed away over the weekend after suffering a head injury frim an accidental fall. Many people remember Wychek as the one who threw the lateral pass in the “Music City Miracle” kickoff return play to Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson, who caught the ball and took it to the end zone, giving the Titans a playoff win over the Buffalo Bills. Thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to his family and friends.
Week 15 has arrived with a bonus selection of games to choose from. Saturday, the Detroit Lions will be hosting the Denver Broncos. Denver has been on a tear since starting 1-5 and look to make a huge playoff push if they can get this win. The game of the week will be the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Browns while the Ravens are fresh off an overtime victory against the Los Angeles Rams. It’s a matchup of Jacksonville’s speedy offense versus the stout Ravens defense which should provide for an interesting game. But until then…I’ll holla.