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Ralph Vacchiano
NFC East Reporter
Just one hour of football into the NFL season, Micah Parsons declared that the Dallas Cowboys had “the best defense in the National Football League.”
On Thursday night, that defense was lucky the Dallas offense was there to bail it out.
Oh, that defense might have come through when it mattered most, stopping the Seattle Seahawks three times on fourth downs in the final 7:04. But make no mistake: Dallas got away with one against Seattle. Their defense very nearly cost the Cowboys a much-needed win by giving up 406 yards and getting called for 10 penalties.
They can thank Dak Prescott and the offense for saving the day and letting them escape with a 41-35 win.
Prescott, who looks more and more like an MVP candidate every game, led the Cowboys to points on eight of their nine drives. The offense held the ball for more than 36 minutes and racked up 411 yards. But they were constantly left counterpunching, trying to make up for a defense that couldn’t get out of its own way.
To be fair, the defense had its moments — especially late. Those three fourth-down stops were huge. The Cowboys’ go-ahead touchdown was set up by a fourth-down stop by DeMarcus Lawrence with 7:04 to go. And they stopped Seattle again on fourth down with 3:11 and then 1:07 remaining when their heavy pressure forced Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith to throw the ball away both times.
But the defense gave away much more than it took. There is no doubt they have plenty of talent. They have the potential to be as great as they think they are. But the danger for a Cowboys team that has its sights set on the Super Bowl is that their defense is also capable of some pretty terrible things.
[Vacchiano: 5 reasons why the Cowboys really can win Super Bowl LVIII]
Like in the first half, which was stunningly bad for a defense that had given up just 37 points in the last three games. Seattle started fast against them, taking the…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/dak-prescott-bails-out-shaky-dallas-d-as-cowboys-hold-off-seahawks-41-35
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Publish date : 2023-12-01 05:18:45
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