This offseason, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy stated that he didn’t want to be on the scoreboard on offense. He wanted to run the ball and win games, not be the best offense in the NFL. That got a few laughs.
Monday evening must have been perfect for him.
Dallas had an uninspiring offensive game, but it was good enough. Dak Prescott made a few key plays, the Cowboys defense played well, and when the Cowboys needed a long drive to win the game, they got it. With just over two minutes left, Dallas drove downfield and scored a field goal for a 20-17 lead. Then Micah Parsons got a huge sack, Stephon Gilmore grabbed an interception on the next play and the Cowboys held on for the win.
Pretty? No. But the Cowboys are 4-2 after a big win over a talented Chargers team.
Both offenses are struggling
There wasn’t much action for three quarters. The score was tied 10-10 in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys’ defense did well against Chargers QB Justin Herbert, but the Dallas offense did nothing. Then Prescott made a few plays early in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys’ offense got going when Prescott saw Tony Pollard in the middle of the field and he improvised by hitting Pollard and watching the running back escape a tackle and go 60 yards. It was exactly what the Cowboys needed. With a penalty behind them and a second-and-12, CeeDee Lamb got free, Prescott hit him for 15 yards and Dallas had a first down at the Chargers’ 3-yard line. Prescott hit Brandin Cooks for a short touchdown to give Dallas a 17-10 lead.
Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense had been unremarkable up to this point. But with the defense playing so well, the offense only needed a few key plays to take the lead. Then a big special teams mistake gave the ball away.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott escapes the rush against the Chargers on Monday night. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Robert Gauthier via Getty Images)
The game ended in a tie until the end of the 4th quarter
The Cowboys forced another punt and the return was a fiasco. Dallas’ Jalen Tolbert was blocked by the returner, and when the ball bounced away, he reacted as if someone from the Cowboys had touched him and it was a live ball. The problem was that no one had touched it. Tolbert was first and then it was a live ball. The Chargers recovered and took over at the Dallas 20-yard line on a strange play.
On a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, the Chargers faked Austin Ekeler, rolled Herbert out, and Gerald Everett was wide open for the touchdown and a tying game with just under seven minutes left.
The dream at this point is a time-bending ride that ends with the starting points. Dallas’ offense wasn’t good at this point, but it did its job and provided a long drive. A defensive penalty on third-and-six kept it going, and Prescott made a nice pass to Lamb for 18 yards on third-and-six to keep the drive going and the clock running. Then came another big third-down pass to Cooks. Prescott was good when he needed to be. On third down, he missed an open Pollard in the end zone, but the Cowboys scored a field goal and took the lead with 2:19 left. It was a 14-play drive that lasted 4:52 minutes.
Herbert had a chance to win the game, but it was a situation that directly impacted the Cowboys’ strength. Dallas can rush the quarterback, and the Cowboys knew that was all they had to do. It was Parsons’ time to shine. Parsons had a huge sack on second down, and on third down Herbert threw an interception to Gilmore to seal Dallas’ victory.
The Cowboys aren’t worried about style points. Fans may complain about the offensive woes, but that may be sweet music to their head coach.
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