ARLINGTON, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys are still alive in their competition to reach the postseason, which will define their representative from the Eastern Division of the National Conference in the final week of the regular season.
The Cowboys did their job to the letter, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 37-17, and the Carolina Panthers knocked them out with their win over the Washington Football Team this Sunday.
Dallas played one of their most complete games of the season, even on the defensive side of the ball, where they once again stopped at the most important moments and snatched balls from their rivals, including two interceptions and a ball. loose.
More importantly, because it’s rarely seen in more recent seasons, the Cowboys were able to adjust on the game defensively.
“It’s not always the team that has the best record in the regular season, but the one that gets hotter,” Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton said after his team’s third straight win. “We just want a chance to get in. When you get to the playoffs, that’s when you get a chance to make the run.”
The Eagles, who ended up eliminated from the playoffs mathematically, scored in their first two offensive series, in which quarterback Jalen Hurts looked indefensible, leading his team 75 yards in 11 plays and second with a pass of 81 yards at the finish reactivated receiver Desitgen Jackson.
From there, the Dallas defense reacted, although linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was not due to an ankle injury and the plays of his substitute, veteran Sean Lee, are increasingly limited.
But defensive wing Randy Gregory gave his best game of the season, far beyond the six tackleas, his 1.5 catches and the loose ball he caused in the final quarter, when the game was still on the line. …
Beyond the stats, Gregory was a constant presence on the defensive over Hurts and against Philadelphia’s rushing attack.
“We looked completely different than we did two weeks ago and the credit goes to the players,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “As long as we have a chance we will compete. The only thing we can control is our work and there is a lot to do this coming week.”
On offense, Dalton played as they intended him to, when before the start of the season he was hired as Dak Prescott’s replacement.
Dalton went 377 yards with three touchdown passes and just one interception. He was accurate in several passes, especially the two scoring to Michael Gallup, who gave another recital to the position.
Gallup and Amari Cooperation had identical 121 yards, including receptions of 55 yards and 69 yards respectively. Cee Dee Lamb added another 65 yards in just three complete passes; a 52 yards, in addition to his touchdown.
And all sheltered for the second game of the season with over 100 yards (105) by Zeke Elliott, who after missing the previous week due to injury, this Sunday had one of his most complete games of the campaign.
“For us the easiest thing would have been to surrender five or six weeks ago,” Elliott said. “We never did, even though a lot of things weren’t on our side. But we’re competitors. The whole team is competitive. Now we need to win next week and have some help from the guys we just beat.” .
The Cowboys played their last regular-season game of 2020 against 30,141 fans, bringing them to an average of 27,378 over the eight games they played, all with spectators in the stands of their AT&T Stadium.