We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

**RoundingThird** · 11-10-2017, 12:18 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

The League Recap: Week 9

Injury Report:

Bears TE Zach Miller - Torn Quad - 6 weeks
Bears WR Kendall Wright - Dislocated Ankle - 2 weeks
Bears HB Jeremy Langford - Broken Collarbone - 3 weeks
Bears LT Charles Leno, Jr. - Torn Abdominal - 1 week
Bears C Eric Kush - Torn Groin - 17 weeks
Bears WR Reuben Randle - Broken Ankle - 17 weeks
Bears OLB Pernell McPhee - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 13 weeks (IR)
Bengals LT Corey Robinson - Fractured Forearm - 2 weeks
Bills HB LeSean McCoy - Upper Arm Fracture - 2 weeks
Bills CB Shareece Wright - Pulled Groin - 2 weeks
Bills CB E.J. Gaines - Fractured Knee Cap - 21 weeks (IR)
Broncos DE Billy Winn - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Buccaneers HB Doug Martin - Torn Shoulder - 3 weeks
Buccaneers OLB Mike Mohamed - Torn Shoulder - 3 weeks
Cardinals LG Mike Iupati - Torn Shoulder - 4 weeks
Cardinals TE Troy Niklas - Torn Knee Cartilage - 3 weeks
Cardinals OLB Alani Fua - Torn Pectoral - 17 weeks
Cardinals MLB Deone Bucannon - Torn PCL - 39 weeks (IR)
Chargers DT Corey Liuget - Broken Collarbone - 4 weeks
Chargers TE Asante Cleveland - Fractured Hip - 17 weeks
Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill - Broken Ribs - 2 weeks
Chiefs DT Bennie Logan - Partial Torn PCL - 1 week
Chiefs TE Gavin Escobar - Torn Shoulder - 4 weeks
Colts HB Christine Michael - Broken Ankle - 17 weeks
Cowboys HB Ezekiel Elliott - Ruptured Disk - 2 weeks
Cowboys LG Jonathan Cooper - Torn Abdominal - 1 week
Cowboys SS Robert Blanton - Broken Ribs - 2 weeks
Cowboys QB Luke McCown - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 10 weeks (IR)
Dolphins OLB Koa Misi - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Dolphins CB Tony Lippett - Torn Achilles - 17 weeks
Dolphins OLB Raekwon McMillan - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Dolphins LG Ted Larsen - Torn Tricep - 17 weeks
Dolphins MLB Lamin Barrow - Broken Ankle - 17 weeks
Dolphins LT Avery Young - Torn MCL - 32 weeks (IR)
Falcons MLB Nate Irving - Fractured Foot - 1 week
Falcons WR Devin Fuller - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
49ers MLB NaVorro Bowman - Upper Arm Fracture - 5 weeks
49ers DE Elvis Dumervil - Torn Shoulder - 3 weeks
49ers OLB Reuben Foster - Torn Bicep - 7 weeks
49ers OLB Ahmad Brooks - Broken Hand - 3 weeks
49ers OLB Malcolm Smith - Torn Pectoral - 17 weeks
49ers WR Vincent Jackson - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 15 weeks (IR)
Giants WR Odell Beckham, Jr. - Pulled Groin - 3 weeks
Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul - Dislocated Ankle - 4 weeks
Giants DT Corbin Bryant - Torn Tricep - 17 weeks
Giants CB Mykkele Thompson - Torn Achilles - 17 weeks
Giants RG Jessamen Dunker - Torn Tricep - 17 weeks
Jaguars TE Carson Tinker - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Jets HB Matt Forte - Broken Toe - 2 weeks
Jets WR Quincy Enunwa - Fractured Elbow - 17 weeks
Jets CB Corey White - Torn Achilles - 17 weeks
Jets WR Devin Smith - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Jets DE Sheldon Richardson - Torn Achilles - 42 weeks (IR)
Jets QB Josh McCown - Torn Pectoral - 19 weeks (IR)
Lions DE Kerry Hyder, Jr. - Torn Achilles - 17 weeks
Packers HB Ty Montgomery - Torn Quad - 1 week
Packers DE Kenny Clark - Partial Torn ACL - 4 weeks
Packers TE Beau Sandland - Fractured Hip - 17 weeks
Packers CB Herb Waters - Torn Rotator Cuff - 17 weeks
Patriots WR Julian Edelman - Broken Collarbone - 3 weeks
Patriots DT Malcom Brown - Partial Torn MCL - 4 weeks
Patriots DE Lawrence Guy - Dislocated Ankle - 5 weeks
Patriots CB Eric Rowe - Partial Torn ACL - 3 weeks
Raiders DE Mario Edwards, Jr. - Broken Collarbone - 2 weeks
Rams TE Dennis Pitta - Fractured Hip - 17 weeks
Rams DE Dominique Easley - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Rams WR Bradley Marquez - Broken Ankle - 17 weeks
Rams LG Rodger Saffold III - Torn Pectoral - 29 weeks (IR)
Ravens MLB C.J. Mosley - Torn Abdominal - 2 weeks
Ravens DT Brandon Williams - Torn Bicep - 2 weeks
Ravens TE Benjamin Watson - Broken Thumb - 4 weeks
Ravens HB Danny Woodhead - Fractured Foot - 7 weeks
Ravens CB Tavon Young - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Ravens TE Crockett Gilmore - Torn MCL - 17 weeks
Ravens HB Kenneth Dixon - Torn PCL - 17 weeks
Ravens LG Nico Siragusa - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Ravens LG Alex Lewis - Torn Rotator Cuff - 17 weeks
Redskins TE Jordan Reed - Torn Bicep - 7 weeks
Redskins RG Brandon Scherff - Torn Abdominal - 4 weeks
Redskins OLB Trent Murphy - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Redskins HB Robert Kelley - Broken Hand - 2 weeks
Redskins HB Chris Thompson - Broken Collarbone - 4 weeks
Redskins HB Keith Marshall - Fractured Knee Cap - 17 weeks
Saints DT Nick Fairley - Torn Pectoral - 17 weeks
Saints OLB Dannell Ellerbe - Torn Achilles - 17 weeks
Seahawks HB C.J. Prosise - Broken Collarbone - 3 weeks
Texans HB Alfred Blue - Ruptured Disk - 4 weeks
Texans RT Derek Newton - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Titans OLB Brian Orakpo - Upper Arm Fracture - 6 weeks
Titans SS Brynden Trawick - Dislocated Ankle - 2 weeks
Titans OLB Victor Ochi - Torn ACL - 17 weeks
Titans HB Derrick Henry - Torn PCL - 37 weeks (IR)
Vikings QB Sam Bradford - Torn Knee Cartilage - 2 weeks
Vikings SS Andrew Sendejo - Torn Bicep - 5 weeks
Vikings HB Bishop Sankey - Torn ACL - 17 weeks

Transactions:

Signed:
None

Released:
None

Team Statistics Leaders:

Offense:

Total:

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Passing:

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Rushing:

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Points/Game:

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Defense:

Total Yards Allowed:

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Passing Yards Allowed:

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Rushing Yards Allowed:

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Points Allowed:

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NFL League Leaders - Updated: Nov 7, 2017
Passing		YARDS	Rushing		YARDS
	1. Drew Brees	2,489		1. Le'Veon Bell	748
	2. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT)	2,446		2. LeGarrette Blount (PHI)	745
	3. Tom Brady (NE)	2,409		3. Marshawn Lynch (OAK)	734
	4. Matthew Stafford (DET)	2,273		4. Doug Martin (TB)	728
	5. Russell Wilson (SEA)	2,233		5. Devonta Freeman (ATL)	719
Receiving		YARDS	Interceptions		INT
	1. Larry Fitzgerald	831		1. Wesley Woodyard	5
	2. Antonio Brown (PIT)	806		2. Byron Jones (DAL)	4
	3. DeAndre Hopkins (HOU)	769		3. Vincent Rey (CIN)	4
	4. Corey Davis (TEN)	711		4. Terrance Mitchell (KC)	4
	5. Golden Tate III (DET)	679		5. Kayvon Webster (LAR)	4
Tackles		TACK	Sacks		SACK
	1. Kwon Alexander	98		1. David Irving	18.5
	2. NaVorro Bowman (SF)	85		2. DeMarcus Lawrence (DAL)	16.5
	3. Benardrick McKinney (HOU)	81		3. Brandon Graham (PHI)	12.5
	4. Mark Herzlich (NYG)	81		4. J.J. Watt (HOU)	10.5
	5. Derrick Johnson (KC)	79		5. Derrick Morgan (TEN)	10.5

**thesportsguru11** · 11-10-2017, 12:43 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Dak's interceptions are getting tough to watch. Nice job getting to 6-2, nevertheless, and exciting to see two of your own leading the league in sacks. That first round bye race is certainly going to be tight, but the win streak and positive momentum Freday and co. have been building will certainly help out.

Good work on the midseason write-up.. I'm with you on the whole tie game issue. I kinda wish the NFL would adopt the college rules surrounding overtime, but to each his own.

**RoundingThird** · 11-11-2017, 12:19 AM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Originally posted by thesportsguru11

Dak's interceptions are getting tough to watch. Nice job getting to 6-2, nevertheless, and exciting to see two of your own leading the league in sacks. That first round bye race is certainly going to be tight, but the win streak and positive momentum Freday and co. have been building will certainly help out.

Good work on the midseason write-up.. I'm with you on the whole tie game issue. I kinda wish the NFL would adopt the college rules surrounding overtime, but to each his own.

A lot of the interceptions are a result of two thing: Almost no time to throw, and seemingly lock down coverage on every play. No matter how much I tweak the sliders, which of course I am still doing, I can't seem to find an answer to either of these. I think I have the running game where I want it though. The two games that Morris went off for over 200 were examples of rushing being too easy, and for last week's game I had scaled them back too far (apparently). At least I have that all taken care of.

On a real life note, UConn at Fenway is just 7 days away, and I got to witness my first basketball game tonight in quite some time, so at least there's a distraction to the rebuilding product on the gridiron, although I strongly believe in what Edsall is doing. Being at Fenway will be nice though, regardless of the weather. I didn't make it to a Sox game this year, so this will be a nice consolation, then I come home for Thanksgiving Break that entire week, with plans to court a female companion. Life is good.

**RoundingThird** · 11-11-2017, 12:16 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Gameday Preview: Week 10

Hello, Atlanta! The brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be shining tonight as the Cowboys head to town to take on the reigning NFC Champs.

This stretch was supposed to be the gauntlet of the Cowboys' schedule. Last week against the Chiefs, this week against the Falcons, the Eagles, Seahawks, and Raiders looming down the stretch? Well, the Falcons, like their counterparts of KC last week, sit at 4-4, and have been stuck in the mud through the first half of their season. The most unusual thing for these Falcons, playing their inaugural season in their luxurious new home is the ineptitude they have had at home. They're still looking for their first win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, after losses against Green Bay, Buffalo, and Miami. How nice would it be to get their christening win against the 6-2 Cowboys, and everything Dallas represents, to get their season back on track and stay in the NFC South race. It must be noted, however, that the Falcons are on a three game winning streak, since they haven't played a home game since October 15. They were 1-4, but have played their way back to respectability.

Matt Ryan is still in charge of this offense, but most of the early season struggles could be traced back to new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. The most obvious explanation for the team's struggles was the still developing relationship between Sark and his offense, but over the last three weeks, a win in New England, putting 40+ on the Jets, and winning a battle in horrible weather in Carolina, they have started to click, so now they are nothing to be messed around with. Running the ball, the Falcons are known for their two-headed monster of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, but this year, it has been all Freeman, who has been in the top 5 in rushing all season long. Of course, the strength of the Falcons offense, as we all know, is the hands of Julio Jones, but he is by no means Matty Ice's only weapon. Add in the receiving abilities of Freeman to go along with Mohamed Sanu, Sr., who RoundingThird saw play in college at Rutgers against UConn. Atlanta also likes Taylor Gabriel, and the young Justin Hardy, another player RT saw in college at East Carolina, but not in person. Lastly, but certainly not least, there's tight end Austin Hooper, in his second year from Stanford, and a graduate from the California HS football power De La Salle. The Falcons have been cookin' recently, but how will they fare at home, the place that has been their kryptonite?

In most regards, this defense is the same as the one that shut down Tom Brady for two and a half quarters in last year's Super Bowl. We all know what happened after that, but that's neither here nor there. In fact, the front line has a couple newbies that only makes the unit more intimidating. The Falcons are VERY high on their rookie DE Takk McKinley out of UCLA, and free agent signing Dontari Poe brings additional veteran experience to the mix. Of course, we can't forget about the hard-hitting Adrian Clayborn up on that line.

The Atlanta linebackers are probably the most interesting unit in football. You have a rookie, a guy who came out of retirement, and two young studs that have proven themselves. Those guys, in order, are: Duke Riley, Zach Orr, Deion Jones and Vic Beasley, Jr.. Finally, it seems like the Falcons have had the same secondary for decades, even though none of these guys are that old. Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford can compete with any of the league's top receivers, while Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal can patrol centerfield as well as Mike Trout. Yikes.

Matchup Preview *|* November 12, 2017

@

Dallas Cowboys
(6-2, 3-1 Away)

Atlanta Falcons
(4-4, 0-3 Home)

Offensive Stats Comparison
2,995 (#19)	Total Offensive Yards	3,002 (#18)
1,572 (#31)	Passing Yards	1,894 (#26)
1,423 (#1)	Rushing Yards	1,108 (#7)
23.4 (#21)	Points Per Game	29.8 (#9)

Defensive Stats Comparison
2,209 (#1)	Total Yards Allowed	2,840 (#8)
1,659 (#2)	Passing Yards Allowed	1,936 (#11)
550 (#1)	Rushing Yards Allowed	904 (#11)
130 (#1)	Points Allowed	222 (#19)

Injury Report
HB Ezekiel Elliott (Back) 2 weeks		MLB Nate Irving (Foot) 1 week
LG Jonathan Cooper (Abdomen) 1 week		WR Devin Fuller (Knee) 17 weeks (IR)
SS Robert Blanton (Ribs) 2 weeks
QB Luke McCown (Shoulder) 10 weeks (IR)

Game Notes
Time: 4:25 PM EST TV: FOX (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews) Streaks: Cowboys: W5 Falcons: W3 Last Meeting: Falcons 39, Cowboys 28 - Arlington, Texas (09/27/2015) Last Week: Cowboys 17, Chiefs 13 Falcons 27, Panthers 24

**RoundingThird** · 11-16-2017, 12:35 AM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Game Recap: Falcons 37, Cowboys 34
Classic Freday come back falls short after defense's day off,
loss of iron man Witten

Plays like this basically summed up the day. Taking nothing away from Devonta Freeman, who deserved every bit of today's big performance, the Cowboys looked slow to the ball all day and refused to tackle. This was Freeman's second TD of the first quarter, a score that made it 14-7 Atlanta.

What if I told you the Cowboys defense decided to take the day off? Forget that it was bound to happen. With the struggles of the Cowboys offense, how bad of a blowout do you think this would have been? All things considered, 37-34 is not too bad. Dak Prescott looked like the leader he was last season. He took every hit, and got back up. He didn't get frustrated after a cheesy Madden fumble in the red zone, or after his bad luck pick six, both in the second quarter. He didn't get aggravated when the Falcons defense gave him seemingly no passing lanes; he made plays with his legs instead. All in all, Dak played his best game of the year, and he almost led a comeback that would have mirrored the Patriots' Super Bowl comeback against these very same Falcons in terms of shock value. It was 30-7 at halftime. That's right.

Atlanta took the ball first and made the Cowboys look like the high school team everybody can't wait to play, but then again, that's how the Cowboys defense looked for most of the day, except for Byron Jones, who continues to make UConn proud, DeMarcus Lawrence and David Irving, who continue to do their thing in the sack department. Every Falcons receiver in the first half seemed to be wide open, and this first drive was no different. After quickly getting the ball to the red zone, Devonta Freeman finished the job from 8 yards out. The Cowboys countered with one of their cleanest drives of the season. Ryan Switzer had a kick return to remember, spinning, juking, stiff arming, refusing to go down. He got across midfield and had a shot at taking the distance, but ran out of steam and was caught from behind from some unknown Falcons linebacker. Making all those guys miss sure takes up a lot of energy. But, the Cowboys still got to start in plus territory, and after a quick first down run from Alfred Morris, who was otherwise held down for the second straight game, and dump off pass, the Cowboys found themselves in the red zone. Dak quickly found out how stingy the Atlanta pass coverage was, having to scramble far more than he wanted to. But, on the first drive, the result was a desirable one. Prescott took it in himself from 4 yards out on third down, tying the ballgame up at 7. But remember, this was the defense's day off. 118 seconds of game time later, Freeman ran straight up the middle to the parting of the Sea of Dallas, for a rather easy 12 yard touchdown. 14-7 Atlanta.

A poorly thrown deep ball by Prescott was picked off (the only turnover I deem to be legit) and set up the Falcons next drive. Somehow, the Cowboys held the Falcons at the goal line, and Matt Bryant settled for a 25 yard field goal, a distance he could make with his eyes closed. The Cowboys went three and out, and Taylor Gabriel had a dazzling 30 yard punt return to give the Falcons a very, very short field. But again, the Cowboys didn't look too pathetic. DeMarcus Lawrence broke through on third down for the Cowboys' first sack of the day, causing the flood gates to open (in terms of sacks, not anything else). More importantly, Bryant came out for another field goal, keeping it a two score game.

The Cowboys wanted to take as much time on their next drive as they possibly could, knowing a score to end the first half, then another to start the 3rd quarter (since they would get the ball) would get them the lead. Alfred Morris converted a 3rd and 3 on the ground, taking a huge hit in the process. Two plays later, looking for Dez Bryant on a crossing route, and waiting a little too long, Dak's pass hit off Bryant's fingertips and floated up into the air, then down into the waiting hands of Deion Jones. To take a line from the great Ken "Hawk" Harrelson, he gone. The pick six put Atlanta up 27-7, and gave the Cowboys a little more urgency.

I hate when this happens. It's bad luck, and there's nothing you can do. Deion Jones gets the tip ball, after knocking Dez Bryant out of the way, and...

Proceeds to take it to the house, showing his prize to all the adoring Falcons fans in the shiny new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Going with a no huddle now, the Cowboys actually started to move the ball before halftime. Cole Beasley made a great grab on third and long after Prescott got sacked, then Jason Witten went up and snagged a first down throw. But, Witten did not get up. Oh man. This is a man who has a Joe Thomas type of streak going. The man does not miss snaps, much less games. He was holding his shoulder, and the entire Cowboys team took a knee while he was being attended to. Coach Freday came onto the field in tears. Jason Witten had torn his shoulder. The streak was over.

On the very next play, the Falcons dropped back into a deep zone coverage, leaving Dak with plenty of room to run. Being extra careful, making sure to cradle the ball with two hands, he took off, picking up nearly 20 yards down to Atlanta's 11 yard line as the two minute warning approached, when somehow, a hit jarred the ball loose (even with two hands on the football). After a literal scrum broke out for a couple seconds, Vic Beasley, Jr. was the man with the ball. That missed scoring opportunity for the Cowboys proved to be the difference in the game. Atlanta, meanwhile, tacked on another Matt Bryant field goal before the first half expired to take a 30-7 lead, without having to punt the football.

The secret to a Freday comeback? Never lose faith. The Cowboys head coach stuck with the plan coming out of the locker room, liking what he had seen on offense, just citing a need to finish off drives. And, what do you know? Boy did that first drive out of the locker room look pretty. Prescott marched his troops right down the field very confidently, showing that he still had faith in his teammates, even after the loss of Witten, his favorite target in the Freday offense. On just the 7th play of the drive, Dak threw and absolute strike to Brice Butler right off an in cut. 30-14. Here we go. Now it was time for the defense to step it up. The Falcons got a couple of first downs, with Freeman on the ground, who finished a carry or two short of 200 yards, absolutely torching the Cowboys #1 defense, but right as they reached midfield, their drive fizzled out, and on third down, there was DeMarcus Lawrence, re-introducing himself to Matt Ryan. We got a stop! Don't think it was just DeMarcus Lawrence. David Irving deserves credit as well. He got free just as often, but Matt Ryan was able to throw it away, despite taking big hits, since he could see Irving coming. Lawrence was on his blind side. Anyway, Dez stood at his own 10 for the punt return, and decided to play the odds and let it bounce. At about the 1/4 yard line, the ball stopped rolling. If the Cowboys really wanted to get back in this game, they had to go 99 3/4 yards. But, guess what? They did. A two yard run by Morris gave Dak all the room he needed to start moving the ball, with both his arms and his legs. His leadership was inspiring everybody on the Dallas offense, as personnel substitutions were platooned. Down in the red zone, the Cowboys came out with Brice Butler and Cole Beasley out wide, Geoff Swaim at tight end, Ryan Switzer in the slot on one side, and backup/3rd string HB Darren McFadden in the other slot. It was McFadden who caught the pass over the middle, and used that new found motivation to stretch with all his might for the end zone, just barely getting the ball across the plane before his knee touched. Dak made a similar push on the two point conversion, coming inches away before being stood up by two different Falcons. Even though the Cowboys had cut it to 30-20, it was still a two possession game, for now.

The Cowboys came out of the locker room inspired, and this play by Darren McFadden shows the kind of effort the Cowboys' offense was playing with, rallying around their leader.

Devonta Freeman took this opportunity to tell the Cowboys that he wasn't quite done slicing them up like a Christmas ham. He set up the play action for Ryan, who hit Julio for a huge gain on third and short, putting the Falcons in the red zone as the third quarter came to a close. The Cowboys stood tall, for two plays, bringing up a 3rd and 3 from the 5. On the last play of the third quarter, Ryan floated one over to Eric Saubert on the sideline. Anthony Brown could have had a pick six, and went all out for it, but missed. The smarter play would have been to make sure Saubert couldn't get his feet in bounds. He did a little shimmy in order to do so, also reaching for the end zone, but coming up short. It was good for a first down, however, and on the first play of the fourth, Freeman took it in for the third time. 37-20.

Dak led another heroic drive, losing Terrance Williams to a sprained ankle part way through. Coach Freday loved watching Dak step up and put the team on his back. Once again, basically the only source for offense (having abandoned the run), Dak got the Cowboys into the red zone, before finishing the job himself after finding no passing lanes. He got out of the pocket and ran it right up the middle for 4 yards and his second rushing touchdown of the day. Dallas was back in it. 37-27. With 8 minutes left, the Cowboys had a shot, but needed the ball back quickly. Thank you, DeMarcus Lawrence. The man sent from Heaven struck again, sacking and stripping Matt Ryan in the early stages of the ensuing drive. After the Cowboys defensive line and the Atlanta offensive line made fools of themselves trying to fall on the ball, Justin Durant came out of nowhere to save the day for Dallas. With a short field this time, Dak Prescott methodically, yet hurriedly, moved the ball down the field, using only a handful of plays that he could trust, given how stingy the Falcons' coverage had been all day. On the same play he called to hit Brice Butler for a TD in the third quarter, he found Ryan Switzer for the rookie's first catch and first TD, at what could be considered the perfect time. With 4:08 to play, the Cowboys had cut the lead to 37-34, and still had all three timeouts to work with.

I love you, DeMarcus Lawrence. He retook the NFL lead in sacks today, overtaking his brother on the opposite side of the D-line, but no sack on this day was bigger then this sack and strip of Matt Ryan that gave the Cowboys the chance to cut the lead to three in the waning stages of the ball game.

Hey, Rook! After starting the day with a high octane kickoff return, Ryan Switzer gets his first NFL catch and first NFL TD, working on Brian Poole (34).

Today, however, it just wasn't meant to be. The Devonta Freeman show got the the Cowboys one last time. Dallas just looked lethargic all afternoon when it came to stopping the run, and by time the Cowboys ran out of timeouts, the Falcons were in victory formation in the red zone. But, it's okay. We were bound to lose at some point. And these sliders? Looking more and more realistic by the minute. We are much closer to figuring this thing out. At least we have a two game cushion over Philly heading into next week's SNF showdown in the Big D.

Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons
Nov 12, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Dallas Cowboys (6-3)	7	0	13	14	34
Atlanta Falcons (5-4)	14	16	0	7	37

Team Stats Comparison
	DAL	ATL
Total Offense	410	455
Rushing Yards	152	192
Passing Yards	258	263
First Downs	24	21
Punt Return Yards	17	43
Kick Return Yards	257	53
Total Yards	684	551
Turnovers	3	1
3rd Down Conversion	10-14 (71%)	1-7 (14%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-5-0 (100%)	7-3-3 (86%)
Penalties	1-5	1-10
Posession Time	23:50	24:10

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		DAL	ATL
8:58	(ATL) D. Freeman 8 yard run (M. Bryant kick)	0	7
4:48	(DAL) D. Prescott 4 yard run (D. Bailey kick)	7	7
2:50	(ATL) D. Freeman 12 yard run (M. Bryant kick)	7	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		DAL	ATL
11:20	(ATL) M. Bryant 25 yard FG	7	17
8:31	(ATL) M. Bryant 47 yard FG	7	20
6:38	(ATL) D. Jones 52 yard INT return (M. Bryant kick)	7	27
3:12	(ATL) M. Bryant 39 yard FG	7	30
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		DAL	ATL
8:50	(DAL) B. Butler 8 yard pass from D. Prescott (D. Bailey kick)	14	30
2:57	(DAL) D. McFadden 8 yard pass from D. Prescott (Conv failed)	20	30
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		DAL	ATL
11:56	(ATL) D. Freeman 1 yard run (M. Bryant kick)	20	37
8:17	(DAL) D. Prescott 4 yard run (D. Bailey kick)	27	37
4:08	(DAL) R. Switzer 6 yard pass from D. Prescott (D. Bailey kick)	34	37

Dallas Cowboys
PASSING	C/A	YDS	TD	INT
Dak Prescott	29/43	290	3	2
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Dak Prescott	14	112	8.0	2
Alfred Morris	12	40	3.3	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Brice Butler	4	59	14.7	1
Geoff Swaim	5	59	11.8	0
Alfred Morris	7	59	8.4	0
Jacob Hanna	2	31	15.5	0
Jason Witten	2	22	11.0	0
Cole Beasley	2	20	10.0	0
Terrance Williams	3	17	5.6	0
Darren McFadden	2	11	5.5	1
Dez Bryant	1	6	6.0	0
Ryan Switzer	1	6	6.0	1
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	FUM	TD
Byron Jones	11	0.0	0	0
Xavier Woods	10	0.0	0	0
Anthony Brown	7	0.0	0	0
DeMarcus Lawrence	7	5.0	0	0
Anthony Hitchens	7	0.0	0	0
David Irving	5	0.5	0	0
Orlando Scandrick	4	1.0	0	0
Jaylon Smith	3	0.0	0	0
Sean Lee	3	0.0	0	0
Chidobe Awuzie	3	0.0	0	0
Tyrone Crawford	2	0.0	0	0
Stephen Paea	2	0.5	0	0
Justin Durant	2	0.0	1	0
Kyle Wilber	1	0.0	0	0
KICKING	FG	XP	PTS	LONG
Dan Bailey	0/0	4/4	4	--
PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	IN20
Chris Jones	3	153	51.0	0
KICK RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Dez Bryant	5	138	27.6	0
Ryan Switzer	3	119	39.6	0
PUNT RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Dez Bryant	1	17	17.0	0

Atlanta Falcons
PASSING	C/A	YDS	TD	INT
Matt Ryan	19/23	316	0	0
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Devonta Freeman	24	196	8.1	3
Matt Ryan	3	-3	-1.0	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Julio Jones	5	116	23.2	0
Austin Hooper	3	68	22.6	0
Mohamed Sanu, Sr.	2	43	21.5	0
Eric Saubert	4	35	8.7	0
Devonta Freeman	2	25	12.5	0
Levine Toilolo	1	15	15.0	0
Taylor Gabriel	1	10	10.0	0
Tevin Coleman	1	4	4.0	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	INT/FUM	TD
Duke Riley	12	0	0/0	0
Robert Alford	12	1.0	0/0	0
Ricardo Allen	9	0.0	0/0	0
Keanu Neal	8	0.0	1/0	0
Takk McKinley	7	2.0	0/0	0
Deion Jones	6	0.0	1/0	1
Dontari Poe	6	1.0	0/0	0
Desmond Trufant	6	0.0	0/0	0
Damontae Kazee	4	0.0	0/0	0
Adrian Clayborn	4	0.0	0/0	0
Jalen Collins	4	0.0	0/0	0
Brian Poole	3	1.0	0/0	0
Vic Beasley, Jr.	2	0.0	0/1	0
Zach Orr	2	0.0	0/0	0
Kemal Ishmael	2	0.0	0/0	0
KICKING	FG	XP	PTS	LONG
Matt Bryant	3/3	4/4	13	47
PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	IN20
Matt Bosher	2	121	60.5	1
KICK RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Taylor Gabriel	2	53	26.5	0
PUNT RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Taylor Gabriel	2	43	21.5	0

Dallas Cowboys 2017 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 10	vs New York Giants (SNF)	Lost, 21-14
Sep 17	at Denver Broncos	Won, 19-14
Sep 25	at Arizona Cardinals (MNF)	Lost, 34-20
Oct 1	vs Los Angeles Rams	Won, 33-5
Oct 8	vs Green Bay Packers	Won, 31-7
Oct 22	at San Francisco 49ers	Won, 32-20
Oct 29	at Washington Redskins	Won, 21-16
Nov 5	vs Kansas City Chiefs	Won, 17-13
Nov 12	at Atlanta Falcons	Lost, 37-34
Nov 19	vs Philadelphia Eagles (SNF)
Nov 23	vs Los Angeles Chargers (Thanksgiving)
Nov 30	vs Washington Redskins (TNF)
Dec 10	at New York Giants
Dec 17	at Oakland Raiders (SNF)
Dec 24	vs Seattle Seahawks
Dec 31	at Philadelphia Eagles

**RoundingThird** · 11-16-2017, 10:36 AM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Week 10 Scores:

Thursday Night Football:
Seahawks 3, Cardinals 31

Sunday, 1:00 PM:
Saints 42, Bills 17
Packers 49, Bears 28
Browns 21, Lions 35
Steelers 32, Colts 25
Chargers 33, Jaguars 21
Jets 20, Buccaneers 21
Bengals 42, Titans 28
Vikings 20, Redskins 17

Sunday, 4:05 PM:
Texans 21, Rams 42

Sunday, 4:25 PM:
Cowboys 34, Falcons 37
Giants 24, 49ers 27

Sunday Night Football:
Patriots 42, Broncos 21

Monday Night Football:
Dolphins 17, Panthers 14

The Lead:
Cardinals tell Seahawks that the NFC West hasn't been won just yet
Brady asserts his dominance over Denver's defense, Pats retake AFC East lead
NFC South remains a logjam after Saints, Bucs take down AFC East opponents
Chargers and Steelers take care of business on the road, stay tied for best in AFC
Brian Hoyer leads 49ers over Giants as the rough year for football in New York continues

Week 11 Schedule:

BYE: Carolina, Indianapolis, NY Jets, San Francisco

**RoundingThird** · 11-17-2017, 11:36 AM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Witten to Miss a Month with Torn Shoulder

November 16, 2017

Arlington, TX --- Well, a week removed from catching the game winning touchdown pass from Dak Prescott in the Cowboys' 17-13 win over Kansas City, the Cowboys iron man, Jason Witten, will be out for the next month. Sunday night's matchup with the Eagles will mark the first game the Cowboys legendary tight end has missed since October 2003, a total of 236 games being played in that span, tied for 15th most all time. Witten went down in the second quarter of Sunday's 37-34 loss in Atlanta, which caused a lull in the crowd, even among Falcons fans, who knew how reliable Witten has been over the last 15 seasons, and how much he prides himself on being ready to go every week. You could tell by the look on his face that this was serious. While much of it was pain, a great deal of the emotion present in his face was disappointment. Not only was his amazing streak coming to an end, but he had also let his teammates down, the same teammates that had come to rely on his presence on the field as a vocal leader in the huddle and on the line of scrimmage. Never did Witten complain about not getting enough targets, never would you see him call for the ball. The work he put in at practice was rarely outdone by anybody, and he is just one of those guys that makes whatever team he is on better.

But, now we're making it sound like his career is over. That is not the case at all. He will only miss the next 4 games, all very important games for the Cowboys, who will be trying to take control of the NFC East, and even push for one of the NFC's top 2 seeds in that time. After the Sunday Night game this week with Philly, the Cowboys have two straight Thursday games, both at home, against the LA Chargers and then Washington, before going on the road to play the Giants. Assuming all goes well with the recovery of his injured right shoulder, Witten is slated to return on December 17, when the Cowboys travel to Oakland to take on the Raiders, also scheduled to be a Sunday Night game. In the meantime, Geoff Swaim and James Hanna will look to fill the Hall of Fame sized void at the tight end position on the Cowboys offense. It does also help that the Cowboys will get Ezekiel Elliott back from injury/suspension in time for the second Thursday night game, on November 30 against Washington.

**RoundingThird** · 11-27-2017, 08:07 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Gameday Preview: Week 11

It's a big one this Sunday night in Dallas. The Eagles come in two games behind the Cowboys, still controlling their own destiny for the NFC East title after the Cowboys loss last week.

All aboard the Wentzwagon! Well, not quite. Carson Wentz has had a good year, but not quite the MVP quality year like IRL. After falling to 4-5 with a home loss to the Broncos two weeks ago, Philly has had their bye week to ponder life, and get ready for the crucial game here tonight. See, the Eagles are still in the NFC East race, despite a 1-4 start. They are two games back with 7 to play, and both head to head meetings with the Cowboys still on the table. This is the stretch run, and with what are still very realistic playoff hopes, there is no doubt Doug Pederson will have his boys ready to play. For the boys on the other sideline, meanwhile, it is about putting it all together. Last week was the best offensive performance of the season, but the worst defensive performance. How will the offense look without the iron man Jason Witten? Can the run game get going after a two week absence?

Perhaps the most interesting feature of tonight's game is how much these two bitter NFC East rivals mirror each other. The strength of the Cowboys' offense? Running. The strength of the Eagles' offense? You guessed it. How about defenses? Yep, we have two of the top three run defenses in this one. For Philly, we've already mentioned Wentz, but this season, the focal point of the offense has LeGarrette Blount, who is the NFC East leader in rushing, and in the top 5 in the NFL overall. Like his name implies, he is a blunt weapon that is a pain to tackle. While stopping the run is what the Cowboys do best, they got absolutely torched by it last week, so there is some cause for concern on the Dallas sideline. The Philly passing attack ranks towards the bottom of the league, just like the Cowboys, and for the same reason: There has been no need to rely on the air attack with how well Blount has been running the ball. But, Wentz does have a couple of dangerous targets to play around with. Alshon Jeffery finally got out of Chicago (Dilly Dilly!), Torrey Smith thinks he has finally found a permanent home, and Nelson Agholor has gotten over the case of the drops that plagued him last year. And, since every team nowadays must have a reliable tight end, the Eagles have Zach Ertz, who as everybody knows, is a man possessed when he sniffs the red zone. Caleb Sturgis will handle kicking duties, because Jake Elliott is not a thing anymore.

Looking at the names of Philly's front seven, and you immediately find out why they're towards the top of the league in stopping the run. I mean, seriously, this front seven looks like a Pro Bowl roster. Fletcher Cox refuses to be blocked for more than 1 second, while Brandon Graham thinks that a game with less than 3 sacks is a disappointment. Next to them are no slouches by any means. Howie Long's son, Chris Long has emerged as a great humanitarian force off the field, and an absolutely menacing force on it. Timmy Jernigan has settled in nicely, in his 4th year out of Florida State, becoming both a run stopping and pass rushing fiend. But, that was only the defensive line. Long time Philadelphia staple Mychal Kendricks is as punishing as ever before, and he has mentored fellow OLB Nigel Bradham into a budding superstar. Jordan Hicks headlines perhaps the only inexperienced position on this Eagles defense.

Finally, in that secondary, Ronald Darby has the ballhawking abilities of Asante Samuel, because if there's one thing the Bills do consistently well, it is develop elite corners only to ship them off to other teams. On the opposite side, Patrick Robinson is a solid coverage guy, while rookie Sidney Jones IV in the nickel position has taken on, and shut down (at times), some of the league's premier receivers. Two veteran staples make up the safety position in Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, Jr.. If Philly can ride the wave, they might be happy with the end result.

Matchup Preview *|* November 19, 2017

@

Philadelphia Eagles
(4-5, 1-3 Away)

Dallas Cowboys
(6-3, 3-1 Home)

Offensive Stats Comparison
3,396 (#16)	Total Offensive Yards	3,405 (#15)
2,024 (#27)	Passing Yards	1,830 (#31)
1,372 (#2)	Rushing Yards	1,575 (#1)
24.7 (#18)	Points Per Game	24.5 (#19)

Defensive Stats Comparison
3,299 (#15)	Total Yards Allowed	2,664 (#2)
2,458 (#25)	Passing Yards Allowed	1,922 (#2)
841 (#3)	Rushing Yards Allowed	742 (#1)
222 (#11)	Points Allowed	167 (#2)

Injury Report
None Reported		HB Ezekiel Elliott (Back) 1 week
		TE Jason Witten (Shoulder) 4 weeks
		SS Robert Blanton (Ribs) 1 week
		QB Luke McCown (Shoulder) 9 weeks (IR)

Game Notes
Time: 7:25 PM CST TV: NBC (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya) Streaks: Eagles: L1 Cowboys: L1 Last Meeting: Eagles 27, Cowboys 13 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (01/01/2017) Last Week: Falcons 37, Cowboys 34 Broncos 23, Eagles 13 (Two weeks ago)

**RoundingThird** · 11-27-2017, 11:37 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Game Recap: Cowboys 45, Eagles 24
After shootout in first half, Cowboys pitch shutout

It was a middle of the road, blending in kind of day for Alfred Morris, until this at least. Trying to kill the rest of the clock, Morris took it straight up the middle, got a couple of blocks, and was gone. This just in: Philly still sucks.

Despite giving up 24 points in the first half, this was by far the most complete game the Cowboys have played in 2017. You might be wondering what makes me say that, since we did, after all, give up 24 points in the first half. Well, except for three of the first four drives, the defense stepped up when it needed to. By no means were they lights out; they just took care of business and got off the field on third (and fourth) down. That is, after they received a butt kicking from Rod Marinelli for giving up points on the four of the first five drives (the only drive Philly in which didn’t score is an exception that I’ll get too shortly). What about that offense? Talk about balance. The Cowboys had two 100 yard rushers on this night, Dak Prescott and Alfred Morris, who provided an exclamation point on his last touch of the game. After a three and out, and two sacks given up, on the first drive, the Cowboys settled down and put on a show. Dak Prescott had his best game thus far under Coach Freday’s offense, finally looking like the rookie of the year that he was last year. If you notice the box score, you do see an interception in there, but that was all RoundingThird’s fault. He could have had Cole Beasley if he threw a bullet pass, but ended up throwing a touch pass. The ball was tipped by Rodney McLeod, Jr., before being snatched by Malcolm Jenkins. But that was a small blemish on a fantastic day for the Cowboys, because it didn’t do anything for the Eagles. They were shutout in the second half after 4 scoring drives out of 5 to open the game.

It looks as though the rest of the league has figured out how to deal with the Cowboys’ pass rush. Carson Wentz came out gunning, but doing so by releasing the ball before DeMarcus Lawrence or David Irving had a chance to reach him. It wasn’t their fault, they were still shedding their blockers instantly. Wentz just looked like Brady, firing it away after just a one or two step drop. The only reason Philly didn’t score on its first drive was because Wentz overthrew a wide open Torrey Smith streaking down the field on a 3rd and 4. So, Caleb Sturgis came out and did his job. 3-0 Philly. The aforementioned opening drive for the Cowboys offense was forgettable. After Alfred Morris was stood up on first down, Dak took back to back sacks from Brandon Graham and Jordan Hicks. Neither play was a blitz from Philadelphia, but yet, on both occasions, the sacking player came in untouched and had a clean shot at Dak. After Chris Jones punted to Darren Sproles, the Eagles were back in business. This time, Blount did some steamrolling, Wentz did some Wentzing, and it only took the Eagles six plays to make it 10-0, Blount doing the honors from 3 yards out.

The Cowboys countered by going down the field in just over two minutes, but doing it almost completely on the ground, behind the legs of both Prescott and Morris. Dak’s first completed pass of the day finished the drive off, a 9 yard strike to Brice Butler on a slant. 10-7. After the ensuing kickoff went through the back of the end zone, the Cowboys dialed up a blitz on first down. Philly called play action, and they were screwed. There was DeMarcus Lawrence, on Wentz’s blind side. He hit the young Eagles QB, drove him back a couple of yards, before Wentz spun to the ground and coughed up the ball. Because the Cowboys preach teamwork, there was Sean Lee to scoop it up and take it the remaining 13 yards to the end zone. By scoring 14 points in 6 seconds, the Cowboys now held a 14-10 lead.

It seems like we're getting one of these per week nowadays, even though they don't always go our way. Here's DeMarcus Lawrence on line 1...

And Sean Lee on line 2...

Down but not out, the Eagles countered with their own two minute drive. If the Cowboys’ pass rush didn’t get home on a given play, they had no answers for Wentz, who continued to pick apart the Dallas defense was those quick throws. The only play on that drive that was not a quick pass was the play the Eagles scored on. For one of the few times all day, Lawrence and Irving actually got blocked and couldn’t get free, but the pass coverage was solid. So, Wentz rolled out to the right before throwing acorss his body to the center of the end zone where Torrey Smith had come free. On the first play of the second quarter, the Eagles retook the lead 17-14.

Carson Wentz unleashes one across his body, but on this occasion, it worked out. Do you see Torrey Smith coming across the middle? Look below the left upright.

It was time for Dak to show off his arm. Morris and the ground game was starting to get stuck in the mud, so Coach Freday opened up the playbook. The best part of having a mobile QB is that there is no pressure to throw the ball on any given play. If Dak didn’t like what he saw, he would take off. Before long, the yards piled up. Early on the next drive, he had a great look at Dez, absolutely wide open down the field, but pressure hit him as he threw it. But, he would get his revenge. Three plays later, on second and short, after Dak had scrambled for 7 yards, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan called that same play again. Dak watched to see if Rodney McLeod, the safety on that side of the field, would take the bait on the play fake, and once he did, Dak knew he had Dez. A touchdown saving arm tackle at the legs put the ball at the 5 yard line, and to reward his effort, Dak called Dez’s number on the very next play, which ended up being a touchdown. 21-17 Dallas.

If losing Witten leads to an increased role and production from Dez Bryant, let's just say we're okay with that.

On the second play of the ensuing drive, David Irving finally got to Wentz, and Wentz did not get up. In came Nick Foles, but it didn’t seem to matter, at least for that drive, as the Eagles took their time, running 12 plays after Foles came in, before Darren Sproles took it in from 13 yards out, getting help from his Pro Bowl LT Jason Peters. That would be Philly’s final score of the game, and with 3:55 to go in the first half, it was 24-21 Eagles. The Cowboys had a relatively quiet drive that ended in a Dan Bailey field goal to tie it at 24 with just over a minute left, and the Eagles were content to call it a half after that. For the first time in 2017, the Cowboys had a turnover-free half of football.

Darren Sproles has the ability to literally hide behind his blockers. While Jason Peters takes on Byron Jones, Sproles weaves his way around him and into the end zone.

The first drive of the second half could not have been prettier. Taking up over 5 minutes, the Cowboys continued to emphasize balance. A big hook up between Prescott and Cole Beasley put the Cowboys in scoring range, but they continued to methodically work the ball on play action passes to set up the run. Dak made a beautiful play on the run and found James Hanna for a touchdown, but the play was called back for a Tyron Smith hold that saved Dak from a blind side sack at the hands of Chris Long, so he was excused. It didn’t matter though. Two Morris runs brought it down to the 2, and on third and goal, Dak took it in himself on what was NOT a play he was expected to run on, but he did anyway, and the Cowboys had broken 30 points. That proved to be the game-winning score, but hey, who’s counting? It wasn’t anybody’s fault on the Eagles, they just fell out of sync with their backup QB in the game. On consecutive drives Foles found his man on third and long, but good tackling by the Cowboys left him three or four yards short. The second of those two drives was the drive following the Prescott interception, which we reiterate, was RoundingThird’s fault, not Dak’s. So, after the Cowboys got the ball back, the 3rd quarter quickly transformed into the 4th quarter, and the Cowboys used this opportunity to put their seal of approval on the game. Coming to the line with 92 yards rushing on a 1st and goal at the 8 yard line, there was one thing on Prescott’s mind: scoring a touchdown. It didn’t have to be him, as long as somebody made this a two score game. Well, when the play call, a crossing route to Brice Butler, broke down, Dak dodged a hit from Mychal Kendricks and dove into the end zone, hitting 100 yards rushing right on the nose. With 7:49 to play, it was 38-24 Cowboys. The Eagles tried to put together a cheese drive, and they did, until Irving and Tyrone Crawford sacked Nick Foles on 3rd and goal with about 3 minutes left. The 4th down play that followed was well short, and all the Cowboys had to do was run the ball a couple times.

Dak's only pick. Again, not his fault. My bad on that one, folks.

But, just like the day had been going, the Cowboys weren’t going to go home without putting on one last show. Morris wasn’t bottled up by any regard on these plays, but he wasn’t running all over the Eagles. Philly was burning its timeouts, with the two minute warning mixed in, so the Cowboys had to keep running. The funny thing, though, is on a 2nd and 5, right after the Eagles had called their last time out, Alfred Morris ran right up the middle, got a block, cut back across the right side of the field, got a huge block from Dez Bryant, and then was gone. He had just hit 100 yards rushing on the previous play, so this was an exclamation mark both for him and the team. The Eagles did their best to run out the clock after that, hit the showers, then hopped on the plane that took them back to the Pit of Misery they call Lincoln Financial Field (Dilly Dilly!). 10 down, 6 to go. See y’all on Thanksgiving.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
Nov 19, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Philadelphia Eagles (4-6)	10	14	0	0	24
Dallas Cowboys (7-3)	14	10	7	14	45

Team Stats Comparison
	PHI	DAL
Total Offense	350	459
Rushing Yards	74	272
Passing Yards	276	187
First Downs	13	19
Punt Return Yards	1	33
Kick Return Yards	46	129
Total Yards	397	621
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Conversion	5-13 (38%)	6-9 (67%)
4th Down Conversion	2-3 (67%)	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-3-0 (75%)	5-4-1 (100%)
Penalties	0-0	3-30
Posession Time	23:21	24:39

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		PHI	DAL
8:00	(PHI) C. Sturgis 51 yard FG	3	0
4:28	(PHI) L. Blount 3 yard run (C. Sturgis kick)	10	0
2:08	(DAL) B. Butler 9 yard pass from D. Prescott (D. Bailey kick)	10	7
2:02	(DAL) S. Lee 13 yard fumble recovery (D. Bailey kick)	10	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		PHI	DAL
11:53	(PHI) T. Smith 12 yard pass from C. Wentz (C. Sturgis kick)	17	14
6:19	(DAL) D. Bryant 5 yard pass from D. Prescott (D. Bailey kick)	17	21
3:55	(PHI) D. Sproles 13 yard run (C. Sturgis kick)	24	21
1:05	(DAL) D. Bailey 34 yard FG	24	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		PHI	DAL
6:48	(DAL) D. Prescott 2 yard run (D. Bailey kick)	24	31
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		PHI	DAL
7:49	(DAL) D. Prescott 8 yard run (D. Bailey kick)	24	38
1:34	(DAL) A. Morris 62 yard run (D. Bailey kick)	24	45

Philadelphia Eagles
PASSING	C/A	YDS	TD	INT
Nick Foles	17/23	156	0	0
Carson Wentz	8/11	152	1	0
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
LeGarrette Blount	19	61	3.2	1
Darren Sproles	1	13	13.0	1
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Torrey Smith	5	86	17.2	1
Brent Celek	3	83	27.6	0
Nelson Agholor	3	42	14.0	0
Zach Ertz	6	34	5.6	0
Darren Sproles	3	24	8.0	0
Alshon Jeffery	1	20	20.0	0
LeGarrette Blount	4	19	4.7	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	INT	TD
Mychal Kendricks	10	0.0	0	0
Jordan Hicks	10	1.0	0	0
Rodney McLeod, Jr.	7	0.0	0	0
Elijah Qualls	6	0.0	0	0
Sidney Jones IV	6	0.0	0	0
Timmy Jernigan	6	0.0	0	0
Nigel Bradham	4	0.0	0	0
Vinny Curry	4	0.5	0	0
Patrick Robinson	4	0.0	0	0
Chris Long	4	0.5	0	0
Corey Graham	3	0.0	0	0
Ron Brooks	3	0.0	0	0
Ronald Darby	2	0.0	0	0
Malcolm Jenkins	2	0.0	1	0
Fletcher Cox	1	0.0	0	0
KICKING	FG	XP	PTS	LONG
Caleb Sturgis	1/1	3/3	6	51
PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	IN20
Donnie Jones	4	223	55.7	0
KICK RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Shelton Gibson	1	25	25.0	0
Darren Sproles	1	21	21.0	0
PUNT RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Darren Sproles	1	1	1.0	0

Dallas Cowboys
PASSING	C/A	YDS	TD	INT
Dak Prescott	17/21	209	2	1
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Alfred Morris	21	162	7.7	1
Dak Prescott	12	104	8.6	2
Darren McFadden	1	6	6.0	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Geoff Swaim	4	73	18.2	0
Dez Bryant	5	58	11.6	1
Cole Beasley	2	42	21.0	0
Alfred Morris	4	19	4.7	0
Brice Butler	1	9	9.0	1
Darren McFadden	1	8	8.0	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	FUM	TD
Sean Lee	11	0.0	1	1
Byron Jones	8	0.0	0	0
Anthony Hitchens	7	1.0	0	0
Chidobe Awuzie	6	0.0	0	0
David Irving	5	1.5	0	0
Xavier Woods	5	0.0	0	0
Tyrone Crawford	4	0.5	0	0
Stephen Paea	3	1.0	0	0
Anthony Brown	2	0.0	0	0
DeMarcus Lawrence	2	1.0	0	0
Orlando Scandrick	2	0.0	0	0
Jeff Heath	1	0.0	0	0
Justin Durant	1	0.0	0	0
John Lotulelei	1	0.0	0	0
KICKING	FG	XP	PTS	LONG
Dan Bailey	1/1	6/6	9	34
PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	IN20
Chris Jones	2	107	53.5	1
KICK RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Dez Bryant	3	77	25.6	0
Ryan Switzer	2	52	26.0	0
PUNT RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Dez Bryant	3	33	11.0	0

Dallas Cowboys 2017 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 10	vs New York Giants (SNF)	Lost, 21-14
Sep 17	at Denver Broncos	Won, 19-14
Sep 25	at Arizona Cardinals (MNF)	Lost, 34-20
Oct 1	vs Los Angeles Rams	Won, 33-5
Oct 8	vs Green Bay Packers	Won, 31-7
Oct 22	at San Francisco 49ers	Won, 32-20
Oct 29	at Washington Redskins	Won, 21-16
Nov 5	vs Kansas City Chiefs	Won, 17-13
Nov 12	at Atlanta Falcons	Lost, 37-34
Nov 19	vs Philadelphia Eagles (SNF)	Won, 45-24
Nov 23	vs Los Angeles Chargers (Thanksgiving)
Nov 30	vs Washington Redskins (TNF)
Dec 10	at New York Giants
Dec 17	at Oakland Raiders (SNF)
Dec 24	vs Seattle Seahawks
Dec 31	at Philadelphia Eagles

**RoundingThird** · 11-28-2017, 04:22 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Week 11 Scores:

Thursday Night Football:
Titans 35, Steelers 42

Sunday, 1:00 PM:
Buccaneers 35, Dolphins 21
Lions 38, Bears 20
Ravens 24, Packers 27 (OT)
Jaguars 42, Browns 28
Cardinals 24, Texans 31
Rams 15, Vikings 31
Redskins 14, Saints 17
Chiefs 14, Giants 28

Sunday, 4:05 PM:
Bills 17, Chargers 23 (OT)

Sunday, 4:25 PM:
Bengals 9, Broncos 40
Patriots 35, Raiders 31

Sunday Night Football:
Eagles 24, Cowboys 45

Monday Night Football:
Falcons 23, Seahawks 31

The Lead:
Saints survive upset of the year at the hands of Redskins
With Tyrod playing the entire game, Chargers still outlast Bills, sit at 8-2 heading into Thanksgiving
Bucs and Dolphins make up their Opening Day game*
NFC South race looks to be down to two teams after Falcons can't beat 8-2 Seattle
Titans' TNF loss puts all AFC South teams within a game of each other

Week 12 Schedule:

Thanksgiving:
Minnesota (6-3-1) @ Detroit, 12:30 PM (FOX)
LA Chargers (8-2) @ Dallas (7-3), 4:30 PM (CBS)
NY Giants (3-6-1) @ Washington (2-8), 8:30 PM (NBC)

Sunday, November 26:
Tampa Bay (7-3) @ Atlanta (5-5), 1:00 PM (FOX)
Cleveland (2-8) @ Cincinnati (5-5), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Tennessee (5-5) @ Indianapolis (5-5), 1:00 PM (FOX)
Buffalo (4-6) @ Kansas City (4-6), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Miami (4-6) @ New England (6-4), 1:00 PM (CBS)
Carolina (4-6) @ NY Jets (2-8), 1:00 PM (FOX)
Chicago (1-7-2) @ Philadelphia (4-6), 1:00 PM (FOX)
Seattle (8-2) @ San Francisco (3-7), 4:05 PM (FOX)
Jacksonville (4-6) @ Arizona (4-6), 4:25 PM (CBS)
Denver (4-6) @ Oakland (6-4), 4:25 PM (CBS)
New Orleans (7-2-1) @ LA Rams (5-4-1), 4:25 PM (CBS)
Green Bay (7-3) @ Pittsburgh (8-2), 8:30 PM (NBC)

Monday, November 27:
Houston (4-6) @ Baltimore (4-6), 8:30 PM (ESPN)

*Of course, Madden didn't really update the Bucs-Dolphins game date, especially considering I began my CFM file about a week before the season began, which means it was also about a week before Hurricane Irma. So, I've been holding onto that score for almost 3 months. It's been sitting in my dorm room on the back of a sheet of paper that explains the UConn Athletics Bag Policy.

**thesportsguru11** · 11-29-2017, 07:11 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Originally posted by RoundingThird

It's been sitting in my dorm room on the back of a sheet of paper that explains the UConn Athletics Bag Policy.

Ha I like that.

Nice win against the Dirty Birds; great team win. Sean Lee must be contending for an All-Pro spot/DPOY at this point.. Seems like every game he does something awesome.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving Break RT!

**RoundingThird** · 11-30-2017, 10:37 AM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Originally posted by thesportsguru11

Ha I like that.

Nice win against the Dirty Birds; great team win. Sean Lee must be contending for an All-Pro spot/DPOY at this point.. Seems like every game he does something awesome.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving Break RT!

Yeah, it's amazing what Sean Lee can do when he stays on the field for an entire season. Fingers crossed...

But, I believe the real honor should go to my two sack masters, Lawrence and Irving. Both of them should break Strahan's single season record of 22.5.

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break! The only problem was, as you've probably picked up on, I did not bring my console home, so I took the week off from 'chising as well.

**RoundingThird** · 12-04-2017, 02:34 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

The League Recap: Week 11

Injury Report:

Bears TE Zach Miller - Torn Quad - 4 weeks
Bears CB Kyle Fuller - Dislocated Ankle - 5 weeks
Bears HB Jeremy Langford - Broken Collarbone - 1 week
Bears C Eric Kush - Torn Groin - 16 weeks
Bears WR Reuben Randle - Broken Ankle - 16 weeks
Bears OLB Pernell McPhee - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 12 weeks (IR)
Bears DE Jonathan Bullard - Dislocated Ankle - 7 weeks (IR)
Bengals C Russell Bodine - Dislocated Elbow - 2 weeks
Bengals HB Giovani Bernard - Compound Foot Fracture -
16 weeks (IR)
Bills DT Kyle Williams - Dislocated Elbow - 4 weeks
Bills DE Shaq Lawson - Broken Thumb - 5 weeks
Bills CB E.J. Gaines - Fractured Knee Cap - 19 weeks (IR)
Broncos DE Billy Winn - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Browns HB Isaiah Crowell - Dislocated Hip - 4 weeks
Buccaneers HB Doug Martin - Torn Shoulder - 1 week
Buccaneers OLB Mike Mohamed - Torn Shoulder - 1 week
Buccaneers SS Terrence Brooks - Torn Shoulder - 2 weeks
Cardinals LG Mike Iupati - Torn Shoulder - 2 weeks
Cardinals HB Chris Johnson - Dislocated Ankle - 4 weeks
Cardinals TE Troy Niklas - Torn Knee Cartilage - 1 week
Cardinals DT Corey Peters - Dislocated Knee - 3 weeks
Cardinals OLB Alani Fua - Torn Pectoral - 15 weeks
Cardinals MLB Deone Bucannon - Torn PCL - 37 weeks (IR)
Chargers DT Corey Liuget - Broken Collarbone - 2 weeks
Chargers TE Asante Cleveland - Fractured Hip - 15 weeks
Chiefs TE Gavin Escobar - Torn Shoulder - 2 weeks
Colts HB Christine Michael - Broken Ankle - 15 weeks
Cowboys HB Ezekiel Elliott - SUSPENSION - 1 week
Cowboys TE Jason Witten - Torn Shoulder - 3 weeks
Cowboys QB Luke McCown - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 8 weeks (IR)
Dolphins OLB Koa Misi - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Dolphins CB Tony Lippett - Torn Achilles - 15 weeks
Dolphins OLB Raekwon McMillan - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Dolphins LG Ted Larsen - Torn Tricep - 15 weeks
Dolphins MLB Lamin Barrow - Broken Ankle - 15 weeks
Dolphins LT Avery Young - Torn MCL - 30 weeks (IR)
Eagles DE Brandon Graham - Upper Arm Fracture - 7 weeks
Eagles QB Carson Wentz - Fractured Forearm - 5 weeks
Falcons WR Devin Fuller - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Falcons OLB Vic Beasley, Jr. - Torn Pectoral - 23 weeks (IR)
49ers MLB NaVorro Bowman - Upper Arm Fracture - 3 weeks
49ers DE Elvis Dumervil - Torn Shoulder - 1 week
49ers OLB Reuben Foster - Torn Bicep - 5 weeks
49ers OLB Ahmad Brooks - Broken Hand - 1 week
49ers OLB Malcolm Smith - Torn Pectoral - 15 weeks
49ers LT Brandon Albert - Torn Quad - 6 weeks
49ers WR Vincent Jackson - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 13 weeks (IR)
Giants WR Odell Beckham, Jr. - Pulled Groin - 1 week
Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul - Dislocated Ankle - 2 weeks
Giants CB Janoris Jenkins - Partial Torn MCL - 6 weeks
Giants DT Corbin Bryant - Torn Tricep - 15 weeks
Giants CB Mykkele Thompson - Torn Achilles - 15 weeks
Giants RG Jessamen Dunker - Torn Tricep - 15 weeks
Jaguars TE Carson Tinker - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Jets WR Quincy Enunwa - Fractured Elbow - 15 weeks
Jets CB Corey White - Torn Achilles - 15 weeks
Jets WR Devin Smith - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Jets DE Sheldon Richardson - Torn Achilles - 40 weeks (IR)
Jets QB Josh McCown - Torn Pectoral - 17 weeks (IR)
Lions HB Theo Riddick - Ruptured Disk - 6 weeks
Lions DE Kerry Hyder, Jr. - Torn Achilles - 15 weeks
Packers DE Kenny Clark - Partial Torn ACL - 2 weeks
Packers TE Beau Sandland - Fractured Hip - 15 weeks
Packers CB Herb Waters - Torn Rotator Cuff - 15 weeks
Patriots WR Julian Edelman - Broken Collarbone - 1 week
Patriots MLB Dont'a Hightower - Broken Toe - 4 weeks
Patriots DT Malcom Brown - Partial Torn MCL - 2 weeks
Patriots DE Lawrence Guy - Dislocated Ankle - 3 weeks
Patriots CB Eric Rowe - Partial Torn ACL - 1 week
Rams TE Dennis Pitta - Fractured Hip - 15 weeks
Rams DE Dominique Easley - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Rams HB Lance Dunbar - Dislocated Ankle - 7 weeks
Rams WR Bradley Marquez - Broken Ankle - 15 weeks
Rams HB Todd Gurley II - Fractured Shoulder Blade - 22 weeks (IR)
Rams LG Rodger Saffold III - Torn Pectoral - 27 weeks (IR)
Ravens TE Benjamin Watson - Broken Thumb - 2 weeks
Ravens HB Danny Woodhead - Fractured Foot - 2 weeks
Ravens CB Tavon Young - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Ravens TE Crockett Gilmore - Torn MCL - 15 weeks
Ravens HB Kenneth Dixon - Torn PCL - 15 weeks
Ravens WR Breshad Perriman - Dislocated Elbow - 4 weeks
Ravens LG Nico Siragusa - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Ravens LG Alex Lewis - Torn Rotator Cuff - 15 weeks
Redskins TE Jordan Reed - Torn Bicep - 5 weeks
Redskins RG Brandon Scherff - Torn Abdominal - 2 weeks
Redskins OLB Trent Murphy - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Redskins HB Chris Thompson - Broken Collarbone - 2 weeks
Redskins HB Keith Marshall - Fractured Knee Cap - 15 weeks
Saints DT Nick Fairley - Torn Pectoral - 15 weeks
Saints OLB Dannell Ellerbe - Torn Achilles - 15 weeks
Seahawks HB C.J. Prosise - Broken Collarbone - 1 week
Texans HB Alfred Blue - Ruptured Disk - 2 weeks
Texans RT Derek Newton - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Texans HB D'Onta Foreman - Dislocated Ankle - 5 weeks
Titans OLB Brian Orakpo - Upper Arm Fracture - 4 weeks
Titans OLB Victor Ochi - Torn ACL - 15 weeks
Titans HB Derrick Henry - Torn PCL - 35 weeks (IR)
Vikings SS Andrew Sendejo - Torn Bicep - 3 weeks
Vikings HB Bishop Sankey - Torn ACL - 15 weeks

Transactions:

Signed:
Bengals: DT Stevie Tu'ikolovatu
Giants: MLB Anthony Walker
Ravens: DT Jordan Williams
Dolphins: OLB Donald Butler

Released:
Giants: MLB Hayes Pullard III
Ravens: OLB Matthew Judon
Dolphins: FS Michael Thomas

NFL League Leaders - Updated: Nov 21, 2017
Passing		YARDS	Rushing		YARDS
	1. Ben Roethlisberger	3,128		1. Devonta Freeman	975
	2. Tom Brady (NE)	3,088		2. Le'Veon Bell (PIT)	924
	3. Drew Brees (NO)	2,991		3. Alfred Morris (DAL)	848
	4. Aaron Rodgers (GB)	2,936		4. Adrian Peterson (NO)	842
	5. Matthew Stafford (DET)	2,861		5. Marshawn Lynch (OAK)	832
Receiving		YARDS	Interceptions		INT
	1. Antonio Brown	956		1. Wesley Woodyard	5
	2. DeAndre Hopins (HOU)	934		2. Byron Jones (DAL)	4
	3. Larry Fitzgerald (ARI)	907		3. Deion Jones (ATL)	4
	4. Michael Thomas (NO)	863		4. Vincent Rey (CIN)	4
	5. Davante Adams (GB)	824		5. 5 Others Tied At	4
Tackles		TACK	Sacks		SACK
	1. Kwon Alexander	108		1. DeMarcus Lawrence	22.5
	2. Mark Herzlich (NYG)	100		2. David Irving (DAL)	20.5
	3. Benardrick McKinney (HOU)	94		3. Brandon Graham (PHI)	13.5
	4. Derrick Johnson (KC)	91		4. J.J. Watt (HOU)	11.5
	5. 3 Tied At	87		5. Derrick Morgan (TEN)	11.5

**RoundingThird** · 12-04-2017, 11:38 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Gameday Preview: Week 12

Thanksgiving and football go hand in hand. In Dallas, the same rule applies. For more than 5 decades, the Cowboys have had a home game on Thanksgiving, serving as a rallying point for the community.

Well, Happy Thanksgiving! For the Cowboys and their fans, this is nothing new. For the Chargers, well, it's been awhile. The last time the Chargers played a game on Turkey Day was in 1969, which was the 4th year of the current Cowboys tradition. A lot has changed since then, but at least in 2017, these two teams are very much the same. Los Angeles (that still feels weird to say) is 8-2, Dallas is 7-3. Both teams bring in top 10 offenses, getting it done primarily on the ground; the Cowboys ranking #1 in the NFL in rushing, the Chargers at #3. In scoring, the Cowboys are averaging one point more than their counterparts from LA, ranking #13 overall to the Chargers' #14. Both defenses have redefined what it means to be stingy. Ranked #2 and #3 overall, the Cowboys strength of shutting down the run is mirrored closely by the Chargers. The strength of the Chargers defense, however, is slowing down the passing attack, as they rank #3 overall, and the Cowboys, after getting torched the last two weeks, have fallen back to #4, still very impressive when you take a look at the personnel. Perhaps the scariest thing about the Chargers is that they've already proven they can handle anybody in the AFC. A few weeks back, in week 8 to be exact, the Chargers marched into Foxboro and took down the defending champs, proving that their 2017 campaign is legit.

For years, Philip Rivers has been tearing it up, without any help on the defensive side or in the running game. Now, finally, the Chargers have both. We've already talked about their defense, and Melvin Gordon has really broken out in his third season, allowing the Chargers offense to become more balanced and more lethal. But, this team has built itself on Rivers' arm, and remains the go to. Perhaps the greatest tight end to ever play, Antonio Gates, is still going strong, as has been tutoring the young Hunter Henry to potentially replace his Hall of Fame production one day. Keenan Allen is finally healthy, while Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams have stepped up this season by curing their cases of the drops. Finally, rookie Mike Williams, fresh off winning a national title with Clemson in 2016, has proven very reliable, especially on deep balls.

Up front on defense, the Chargers can scare anybody. Joey Bosa began 2017 on a torrid sack pace (but not as torrid as Lawrence and Irving!), and has calmed down recently, but still makes his presence known in the backfield, affecting the decisions of opposing quarterbacks even if he can't quite get home. If that wasn't enough, on the other side of the line is Melvin Ingram, another prominent pass rusher and hard hitter in his own right. The linebackers might not all be household names yet, but they are the perfect mix of budding stars and worthy vets. Jerry Attaochu and Denzel Perryman lead the pack, with Korey Toomer and Jatavis Brown following not too far behind. Finally, the secondary has made a name for themselves this season playing with significant confidence, not afraid to go for a ball, trusting that the safeties have their back behind them. Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward are established stars back there, playing alongside the journeyman vet Dwight Lowery, and the budding star Jahleel Addae. The Cowboys are virtually playing a mirror image of themselves on this Thanksgiving, and if the stats and records mean anything, it should be a really good one.

Matchup Preview *|* November 23, 2017

@

Los Angeles Chargers
(8-2, 4-1 Away)

Dallas Cowboys
(7-3, 4-1 Home)

Offensive Stats Comparison
3,930 (#7)	Total Offensive Yards	3,864 (#10)
2,509 (#13)	Passing Yards	2,017 (#31)
1,421 (#3)	Rushing Yards	1,847 (#1)
25.6 (#14)	Points Per Game	26.6 (#13)

Defensive Stats Comparison
3,102 (#3)	Total Yards Allowed	3,014 (#2)
2,067 (#3)	Passing Yards Allowed	2,198 (#4)
1,035 (#6)	Rushing Yards Allowed	816 (#1)
204 (#3)	Points Allowed	191 (#2)

Injury Report
DT Corey Liuget (Shoulder) 2 weeks		HB Ezekiel Elliott (Suspension) 1 week
TE Asante Cleveland (Hip) 15 weeks		TE Jason Witten (Shoulder) 3 weeks
		QB Luke McCown (Shoulder) 8 weeks (IR)

Game Notes
Time: 3:30 PM CST TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson) Streaks: Chargers: W3 Cowboys: W1 Last Meeting: Chargers 30, Cowboys 21 - San Diego, California (09/29/2013) Last Week: Chargers 23, Bills 17, (OT) Cowboys 45, Eagles 24

**RoundingThird** · 12-11-2017, 04:45 PM

Re: We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

Game Recap: Cowboys 38, Chargers 35
After slow start, Cowboys comeback strong

In what turned out to be the decisive score, Dak Prescott throws Craig Mager (29) aside, knowing he has Joey Bosa (99) behind him, and fights his way into the end zone, making it 38-28 Cowboys in the later stages of the 4th.

Author's Note: Right before half time, the EA servers crashed on me, saving the game data, but preventing me from getting pictures of first half highlights. Plus, when I picked up, the uniforms got switched from the ones actually used IRL for this game (Powder blue alternates for LAC, home whites for DAL) to each team's Color Rush jerseys. Gross. The bottom line? Only second half highlights available for this one. Enjoy.

Give credit to the Chargers, they came out wanting to stick to what they have been doing the best all year long: running the ball right down the middle. The Cowboys were there on the opening drive, it was a bad read by Sean Lee that allowed Philip Rivers to fire a pass over the middle to Tyrell Williams that really provided the only significant movement on that drive. Melvin Gordon rushed for one more additional first down, but after having 2nd and 2, the Cowboys shut down Gordon twice, and LA came out to attempt a long field goal. Josh Lambo hit a beauty, but it was straight, so from the right hash, it was wide right. Coach Freday was ecstatically giving high fives as the Cowboys ran off the field. On the very next play, Alfred Morris hid behind a couple blockers as he took it across midfield and into plus territory. A quick two yard dump off to Dez, followed by a beautiful 15 yard dart to Terrance Williams over the middle, putting the Cowboys in field goal range looking for more. After a run from Morris, Prescott looked for James Hanna over the middle, and had him, but the pass didn’t clear the head of the linebacker Denzel Perryman, who was a good 10 yards in front of the play. RoundingThird thought that was kind of BS, but what are you gonna do? The Chargers embarked on a majestic drive that featured a couple of key conversions on third and short, slowly but surely taking energy out of the hyped up Thanksgiving crowd. Melvin Gordon ended up taking it in from 33 yards out on a play where he spun through his own blocker, around two Cowboys, and then up the middle straight into the end zone. 7-0 Los Angeles.

Coach Freday was preaching the need to stay focused and get back into it, but as soon as Dez Bryant fumbled the ensuing kickoff return, those sentiments turned a little bit more frustrated and aggravated. Korey Toomer scooped it up and tried to run it back but was caught from behind by a medley of Cowboys. That didn’t matter much, because two plays later, Gordon put on another clinic, marked by poor Cowboys tackling, running right up the middle (again) for 14 yards and a score, quickly making it 14-0. On the next drive, after Morris was stuffed, Joey Bosa drilled Dak Prescott, setting up a third and long that would end up in a Prescott pass to Geoff Swaim falling incomplete, much to the dismay of Coach Freday, who continues to wonder how many sacks the Cowboys can allow when the opposition only rushes 4. Chris Jones drilled a punt into the end zone, which was less than desirable, given that the Cowboys were at midfield. But, life was about to change. On the first play after the commercial break, Rivers hit Keenan Allen on the sideline, and he was absolutely drilled by Chidobe Awuzie. The ball came out, and it was ruled a fumble. Anthony Hitchens scooped it up and had a wide open look at the end zone, but couldn’t quite stay in bounds, going out inside the Chargers 25. The fumble stood, and the Cowboys had life. After another sack set up another 3rd and long, Dak, keeping his poise, found Terrance William totally uncovered running a go route and hit him for a 34-yard score.

Still don’t believe the Cowboys had life? The defense forced a three and out, stopping Gordon on 3rd and short this time. A quick 5 play drive moved the ball right down the field, before Morris muscled his way through Joey Bosa and a medley of others from a yard out to tie the game with 3:10 to play in the first half. But, don’t think for a minute they were done. With three timeouts and set to get the ball first, the Cowboys defense kept churning three and outs, aided by the Chargers constantly returning kickoffs out to only their 10 or 15-yard line. Right out of the two minute warning, Drew Kaser launched a punt that sailed over Dez Bryant’s head, kept rolling, rolling, and rolling, then coming to a stop at the 2 yard line. Coach Freday was ready to play it safe to end the half, not wanting to risk a turnover that would give LA a quick lead before the break. So, he called a simple run up the middle to Morris, to get a little breathing room before really deciding what to do. 96 yards later, he had made up his mind. Morris shot up the middle, made it to the edge, escaping Jahleel Addae, then had nobody between him an the end zone, still 70 yard away. He was gonna do it! A 98 yard touchdown run! But, as he hit the 25, he began to ran out of gas. Huffing, puffing, slowing down, out came Jason Verrett out of nowhere, sprinting from the far side of the field. Addae also hadn’t given up on the play and was coming up strong. Verrett caught up to Morris, but Morris broke the tackle at the 10. However, it was enough to slow him down, and Addae finally closed on him and brought him down at the 2 yard line. Naturally, in came Darren McFadden to give Morris a breather, so Prescott called for a quick slant, correctly assuming that LA would come out in a goal line man. Dez was wide open and the Cowboys had scored 21 unanswered in the second quarter to take the lead. The Chargers stupidly decided to air it out three times, so the Cowboys, without timeouts, got the ball back at their own 40 with 30 seconds left. One pass to Williams over the middle, and the Cowboys had enough for a Dan Bailey field goal, which he, of course, nailed, being the league’s most accurate kicker of all time. And that’s when the EA servers crashed…

The Cowboys came out of halftime on fire, melding the run with the pass just as they have all season. They were well on their way to more points, when Dak threw another interception to a linebacker over the middle on a throw that should have cleared his head (well, this one not so much). Jatavis Brown picked off Prescott trying to find either Williams or Cole Beasley, but neither one was as far behind Brown as Swaim was behind Perryman in the first quarter, so we can blame this one on Dak. The worst part was, it turned into a 14 point swing, once Rivers threw a dart to Travis Benjamin that beat the Cowboys’ man coverage perfectly, cutting the lead to 24-21. The Cowboys responded with another long drive, finally managing to put points up, as Brice Butler got incredibly wide open off an in cut from 7 yards out in the end zone. 31-21 Cowboys at the end of the 3rd. But, the Chargers weren’t done. Rivers started torching the Cowboys’ secondary in the second half, much like Matt Ryan did two weeks ago. To their credit, the Chargers stuck to the run, since after all, it is what has gotten them this far. Their balanced attack resulted in a quick three minute drive that ended in a one yard touchdown leap from Gordon on third down, after the Cowboys thought they had gotten him. For the second week in a row, a shootout had broken out at AT&T Stadium.

Jatavis Brown simply jumps right up to snag this pass. As you can see, he's not too far in front of Terrance Williams (83) or Cole Beasley (11), not as far away as Denzel Perryman was from Geoff Swaim in the 1st.

Travis Benjamin (12) cuts right through the tackle of Chidobe Awuzie (33) to get into the end zone. The Cowboys simply guessed wrong here, coming out in a run blitz on 3rd and short.

Brice Butler (19) lookin' good on what might be the easiest TD he has in awhile.

There’s been something special about Dak Prescott these last three weeks now, even though the Cowboys lost the game against Atlanta. His decision-making has really gotten better, seemingly overnight, and it showed on this next drive. Looking right into the eyes of a surging Joey Bosa, he stepped up, then when he still didn’t have anybody open, he scrambled out to the left away from Bosa, then turned up field and ran, making Bosa miss, and converting a huge 3rd and long with his legs. Then, he did it again, but with Melvin Ingram instead of Bosa. Don’t get me wrong, he actually threw the ball too, but the plays he made with his legs were so amazing to watch. Thus, it was only fitting that he had one more magic act to score what turned out to be the game winning touchdown. The call was a quick slant to either Beasley or Bryant, but the Chargers came out in a tight zone, so they had it covered and then some. Dak stepped out, moved out to the right, saw Bosa shed his block, and turned back towards the left and took off. It took probably about five seconds for him to get past the line of scrimmage, but then he did, and he had a clear path, until he was met head on by Craig Mager at the 2. A simple stiff arm shed him, and by the time Bosa, who was still chasing him, wrapped his arms around the legs of Prescott, he was in the end zone, giving the Cowboys a very hard fought touchdown to extend their lead to 38-28.

The Chargers put together one last pretty drive, Rivers connecting with Mike Williams for 30 yards on 4th and 18. Rivers padded his stats just a little bit on the drive, but gave the Chargers life after throwing one up to Tyrell Williams in the end zone, who Mossed Orlando Scandrick to pull it down. But, unfortunately, the Chargers couldn’t get the onside kick, and one bulldozing first down run by Morris sealed the deal for the Cowboys. But, is the recent porousness of the passing game starting to be an issue? Let’s see next Thursday against a very underperforming Washington team. The good news? Zeke’s back? But, do we really want him? Morris has been a stud.

Orlando Scandrick, you got Mossed! See you on MNF Countdown.

Los Angeles Chargers at Dallas Cowboys
Nov 23, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Los Angeles Chargers (8-3)	14	0	7	14	35
Dallas Cowboys (8-3)	0	24	7	7	38

Team Stats Comparison
	LAC	DAL
Total Offense	382	447
Rushing Yards	105	268
Passing Yards	277	179
First Downs	14	23
Punt Return Yards	0	19
Kick Return Yards	152	134
Total Yards	534	600
Turnovers	1	3
3rd Down Conversion	5-10 (50%)	9-11 (81%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-4-0 (100%)	4-4-0 (100%)
Penalties	0-0	2-15
Posession Time	21:00	27:00

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		LAC	DAL
3:13	(LAC) M. Gordon 33 yard run (J. Lambo kick)	7	0
1:28	(LAC) M. Gordon 14 yard run (J. Lambo kick)	14	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		LAC	DAL
7:52	(DAL) Te. Williams 34 yard pass from D. Prescott (D. Bailey kick)	14	7
3:10	(DAL) A. Morris 1 yard run (D. Bailey kick)	14	14
1:28	(DAL) D. Bryant 2 yard pass from D. Prescott (D. Bailey kick)	14	21
0:06	(DAL) D. Bailey 55 yard FG	14	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		LAC	DAL
5:58	(LAC) T. Benjamin 13 yard pass from P. Rivers (J. Lambo kick)	21	24
0:16	(DAL) B. Butler 7 yard pass from D. Prescott (D. Bailey kick)	21	31
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		LAC	DAL
9:42	(LAC) M. Gordon 1 yard run (J. Lambo kick)	28	31
5:03	(DAL) D. Prescott 8 yard run (D. Bailey kick)	28	38
1:24	(LAC) Ty. Williams 16 yard pass from P. Rivers (J. Lambo kick)	35	38

Los Angeles Chargers
PASSING	C/A	YDS	TD	INT
Philip Rivers	26/29	302	2	0
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Melvin Gordon	21	105	5.0	3
Lonnie Pryor	1	1	1.0	0
Philip Rivers	1	-1	-1.0	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Travis Benjamin	5	95	19.0	1
Mike Williams	4	79	19.7	0
Tyrell Williams	3	42	14.0	1
Melvin Gordon	7	35	5.0	0
Antonio Gates	5	31	6.2	0
Jeff Cumberland	1	14	14.0	0
Dontrelle Inman	1	6	6.0	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	INT	TD
Denzel Perryman	13	0.0	1	0
Craig Mager	9	1.0	0	0
Jerry Attaochu	6	0.5	0	0
Jason Verrett	5	0.0	0	0
Dwight Lowery	5	0.0	0	0
Melvin Ingram	5	0.0	0	0
Jatavis Brown	4	0.5	1	0
Joey Bosa	4	2.0	0	0
Jahleel Addae	3	0.0	0	0
Tre Boston	3	0.0	0	0
Brandon Mebane	2	1.0	0	0
Isaac Rochell	2	1.0	0	0
Trevor Williams	2	0.0	0	0
Casey Hayward	1	0.0	0	0
Joshua Perry	1	0.0	0	0
KICKING	FG	XP	PTS	LONG
Josh Lambo	0/0	5/5	5	--
PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	IN20
Drew Butler	3	168	56.0	1
KICK RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Travis Benjamin	5	108	21.6	0
Branden Oliver	2	44	22.0	0

Dallas Cowboys
PASSING	C/A	YDS	TD	INT
Dak Prescott	19/26	212	3	2
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
Alfred Morris	20	166	8.3	1
Dak Prescott	11	102	9.2	1
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Terrance Williams	3	66	22.0	1
Alfred Morris	4	44	11.0	0
Geoff Swaim	3	35	11.6	0
Brice Butler	2	23	11.5	1
Dez Bryant	4	19	4.7	1
Cole Beasley	2	13	6.5	0
Darren McFadden	1	12	12.0	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	FUM	TD
Sean Lee	11	0.5	0	0
Anthony Hitchens	7	0.0	1	0
Orlando Scandrick	6	0.0	0	0
Byron Jones	6	0.0	0	0
Jourdan Lewis	5	0.0	0	0
Robert Blanton	4	0.0	0	0
Stephen Paea	4	0.0	0	0
David Irving	4	1.0	0	0
Chidobe Awuzie	4	0.0	0	0
Justin Durant	3	0.5	0	0
DeMarcus Lawrence	3	1.0	0	0
Anthony Brown	2	0.0	0	0
Jaylon Smith	2	0.0	0	0
Kyle Wilber	2	0.0	0	0
Jeff Heath	1	0.0	0	0
KICKING	FG	XP	PTS	LONG
Dan Bailey	1/1	5/5	8	55
PUNTING	NO	YDS	AVG	IN20
Chris Jones	1	47	47.0	0
KICK RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Dez Bryant	4	110	27.5	0
Ryan Switzer	1	21	21.0	0
Brice Butler	1	3	3.0	0
PUNT RETURN	RET	YDS	AVG	TD
Dez Bryant	2	19	9.5	0

Dallas Cowboys 2017 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 10	vs New York Giants (SNF)	Lost, 21-14
Sep 17	at Denver Broncos	Won, 19-14
Sep 25	at Arizona Cardinals (MNF)	Lost, 34-20
Oct 1	vs Los Angeles Rams	Won, 33-5
Oct 8	vs Green Bay Packers	Won, 31-7
Oct 22	at San Francisco 49ers	Won, 32-20
Oct 29	at Washington Redskins	Won, 21-16
Nov 5	vs Kansas City Chiefs	Won, 17-13
Nov 12	at Atlanta Falcons	Lost, 37-34
Nov 19	vs Philadelphia Eagles (SNF)	Won, 45-24
Nov 23	vs Los Angeles Chargers (Thanksgiving)	Won, 38-35
Nov 30	vs Washington Redskins (TNF)
Dec 10	at New York Giants
Dec 17	at Oakland Raiders (SNF)
Dec 24	vs Seattle Seahawks
Dec 31	at Philadelphia Eagles

We Dem Boyz: Bringing Big O Back to the Big D (M18)

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