Cowboys Defense Powers Dallas to MNF win over Chargers
On “Monday Night Football,” the Dallas Cowboys defense came up big in the final two minutes of their game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which resulted in a 20-17 victory for the Cowboys over the Chargers. The game was marred throughout by errors and penalties.
Know about Cowboys Defense Powers Dallas to MNF win over Chargers
The Chargers fell to 2-3 on the season, while the Cowboys improved to 4-2 as a result of quarterback Justin Herbert continuing to play after suffering a fracture to the middle finger on the hand that he does not throw with.
Team Name: Dallas Cowboys
Following the Cowboys’ performance the previous week against the San Francisco 49ers, they were in desperate need of a victory of any type.
The Cowboys entered their bye week with a record of 4-2 and still within striking distance of the Philadelphia Eagles and the 49ers, both of whom suffered unexpected defeats on Sunday. The Cowboys’ triumph on Monday wasn’t particularly pretty, but the team still managed to pull off the victory.
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After the events of the previous week, everything was up for grabs. The playcalling of Mike McCarthy, the abilities of Dak Prescott, and the tenacity of the defense.
Although nothing went perfectly (there were too many penalties, too many huge plays allowed, not enough big plays made, and a turnover by the special teams), they were able to make the critical plays when it meant the most.
Starting with three key third-down conversions on a game-winning drive that ended with a field goal by Brandon Aubrey, a sack by Micah Parsons, the first of the game for the Cowboys, and an interception by Stephon Gilmore to seal the deal.
After suffering their first defeat in any of the past two seasons, the Cowboys currently hold a record of 10-1.
They may be still alive after all
For this quarterback breakdown, let’s ignore Prescott’s passing numbers. Let’s talk about how quick he is to rush. In the first quarter, he made the longest touchdown run of his career, which was 18 yards, and it was also the longest run by a Cowboys quarterback since 2010.
Over the past few years, Prescott has relied less and less on his footwork. He scored 18 touchdowns on the ground in his first three seasons but has only nine in the subsequent five years.
He finished the first five games with 45 yards on the ground, including 33 yards in the first half against the Chargers. Although he is not a running quarterback, he is capable of making plays with his feet and may require more opportunities to do so.
The wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had a promising start to the game, as he finished the first half with 84 receiving yards, which was more than he had in four of the first five games.
After he displayed negative body language in the game against San Francisco, he admitted during the week that he needed to work on improving it.
During the first two quarters, each of his five receptions covered at least 10 air yards after the catch. During the game against New England, he had eight completions with 10 or more yards gained through the air.
The Cowboys played well in their first game without linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, which may not be indicative of a trend given that it was only one game, but there is a silver lining to this cloud.
Late in training camp, after DeMarvion Overshown suffered an injury that would sideline him for the entire season, the team moved Markquese Bell from safety to linebacker.
When the Cowboys had two linebackers in their personnel group during the first half of the game, he was able to come up with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup on 17 of the team’s offensive snaps.
The run defense took a hit when the Cowboys lost Vander Esch toward the end of the previous season. In Austin Ekeler’s first game back from injury on Monday, the Chargers ran the ball 22 times but gained only 50 yards.
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Up next: a matchup against the Rams (October 29, 1 p.m. ET).
The Chargers of Los Angeles
The game between the Chargers and the Cowboys that was scheduled to take place on Monday night would be a high-scoring affair that featured a number of touchdowns.
Two of the league’s most potent offensive units will square off against each other, and the Chargers have one of the worst defensive units in the league.
Instead, the Chargers suffered yet another heartbreaking defeat that was decided in the nick of time. This season, not a single one of their contests has been decided by more than seven points difference.
Incredible statistic from NextGen: quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked on 42% of his dropbacks, which was the highest percentage of any game this season (entering the game, he had the fifth-lowest pressure rate at 25%). While playing with a fractured finger on his left hand, Herbert was frequently forced out of the pocket by the pass rush of the Cowboys. As he scrambled for runs, he was subjected to numerous hard hits from the defensive backs.
The deciding factor: The pass rush of the Chargers was able to get to Herbert throughout the game, and in the fourth quarter, they were able to force him to make the crucial error that decided the game.
The Chargers were already behind by three points, and there were just under two minutes left in the game when the rush caused Herbert to throw an errant pass that was intercepted by Gilmore, effectively ending the game.
The Chargers continue to have trouble running the ball, which is a concerning trend. Even with Ekeler back in the lineup after missing Week 1 with a high right ankle sprain that he sustained, the Chargers running backs were unable to find any success, accumulating only 35 total yards.
The Chargers have only rushed for over 100 yards once this season, and that came in Week 1 when they amassed 233 yards on the ground. In Weeks 2 and 3, the Chargers combined for just 91 yards on the ground.
Up next: a match against the Chiefs on the road (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET).
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