Why Cowboys defense winning on early downs is the ‘secret sauce’ to staying ahead of ‘Tush Push’ and Eagles

FRISCO, Texas — “Football is a game of inches and inches make the champion,” Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach and Super Bowl trophy namesake Vince Lombardi once said. 

While the saying “football is a game of inches” has since become cliche, it’s applicable to the Week 14 “Sunday Night Football” showdown between the 10-2 Philadelphia Eagles and the 9-3 Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys lost the first meeting this season between the two teams up in Philadelphia 28-23 where this fourth quarter, fourth-and-goal pass from Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott to second-rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker was ruled a touchdown but then reversed to inches short and a turnover on downs upon replay review. 

The Dallas defense limited the Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philly offense to their third-fewest total yards in a game this season (292), and their fourth-fewest net passing yards in a game this season (183), but the Cowboys came up just short as their offense, which is now the highest-scoring attack in the NFL (32.3 points per game), came up empty on drives inside the Philadelphia 30-yard line. Knowing just how close the margin between victory and defeat can be, the Dallas defense is looking to take their performance to the next level in the re-match between the two NFC East juggernauts. 

“It’s always one of the biggest games in football, if not the biggest,” Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons said Wednesday. “The intensity is always high, the emotions high, everyone wants to win. It’s a brawl. It’s always one where you got to get the ice bags ready.”

The Cowboys defense won the fight on four of the Eagles’ last six drives in Week 9, forcing four punts, the final three of which occurred as three-and-outs on Philadelphia’s final three possessions. However, the two touchdowns they allowed to Philadelphia on their first two drives in the…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/why-cowboys-defense-winning-on-early-downs-is-the-secret-sauce-to-staying-ahead-of-tush-push-and-eagles/

Author : Garrett Podell

Publish date : 2023-12-08 15:46:42

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.