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Started out pretty lame for 20-25 mins but then got their shit together and won the game the way they should have. Scored final 31 points of the game. After the back to back losses to Miami and Buffalo a division title and home playoff game/s seemed like a pipe dream, but they got the two wins while Philly was busy shitting their diapers in historic fashion, so here we are.
1) I don't think McCarthy is a bad guy, and the players seem to genuinely like him. He's won 12 games 3 yrs in a row and now has two division titles in those 3 seasons. He deserves major props for what Prescott looked like this year (especially after the Niners game) But slow, lethargic starts are common. Too many times players just seem to show up thinking a win is assured. Clock management has been a 4yr issue. But even Jerry said publicly after the game what many of us are thinking, essentially win in the postseason or else. I was surprised he said it in a way, but it's something McCarthy was probably aware of anyway. It seems like almost a given now that anything short of a NFC Champ game appearance is probably going to result in major change.
2) With the exception of games v Cards and Niners, and maybe the Bills, Prescott had an exceptional season. A 4-1 TD to Int ration (36-9), just a smidge under 70% comp %, just under 8.0 yds per attempt. He threw the ball more consistent this yr than I think he has any other season. He works his ass off and the team respects him, but like with McCarthy, it's time to do it when it matters most. He's almost assuredly going to get a mega-contract extension but if he's the reason they lose in the postseason, they need to put that on the backburner. He can't have Niner-like performances this year.
3) Unbelievable year for CeeDee Lamb. Established career highs for everything and broke storied records by Michael Irvin along the way. Like Irvin in his prime, everyone KNEW he was getting the ball and still nobody could stop him. In the last two games he caught 13 passes each game for 325 yds and 3 tds in MUST win situations. His route running is off the charts good and so are his hands. 7 games he caught 10+ passes. 8 games he had 100+ yds receiving. Had games of 191 and 227, scored at least 1 TD in his last 9 games. Gonna get a massive extension and 100% deserves it.
4) It was nice to see the defense make multiple plays in a game again, even if it was just the lowly Skins. 4 sacks, after getting a total of only 5 in previous 5 games. Forced 3 turnovers. Held Washington to only 50 yds rushing and just 180 yards total offense. Parsons finally got to sack #14 and like the previous 11 and half games, was held multiple times with no calls. It's now been 46 quarters since the last time an opponent was called for holding Parsons.
5) Kudos to the UDFA starting G tandem of Bass and Hoffman, their run blocking was pretty good and as a team, no sacks allowed. Redskins blitzed a ton too and there weren't any major bust assignments that killed plays. At a minimum, these guys are pretty solid depth for us and Bass has potential future starter potential it appears. I really expected our offense to have problems yesterday, and other than the tipped ball for a pick they really had no issues. (and that play should have been negated by a holding on the Redskins DL, which allowed the rusher to come clean on Bass). We never punted, we scored on every drive except for the blocked FG, the deflected int and the FG miss in 4th qtr.
6) For the first time all season, we can say Brandon Aubrey didn't do his job. The blocked FG was not his fault but he actually had a real miss later in the game, a chip shot from 36 yards that ended up wasting a 13 play, 74 yard drive and ate up over 7 mins. Wasn't a terrible miss as it hit the upright but it was still a miss. That said, he came back and absolutely nailed a 50 yarder right down the middle. Yesterday's game conditions were not great (pretty windy, grass field was a joke) so I'm sure he'll be happy to know he's kicking indoors again next week and perhaps the week after. I thought it was smart of McCarthy to give him that last kick. Needless to say, I have zero Brett Maher vibes with this guy. He's the real deal and could be a huge difference maker in the playoffs for us.
7) Definitely looks like we dodged major bullets with potential injuries to Gilmore and Lewis, although I have not seen an update on Lewis yet. I'm not sure if he came back in the game after he went down with what appeared to be a shoulder issue. Gilmore says his shoulder was dislocated but they popped it back in, but they are doing more tests today to confirm no other damage. Gilmore has quietly had a great year and nearly had a tremendous interception yesterday (saved a TD) on a trick play. Lewis had a slow start to season (understandable considering the injury he had) but the last 4 or 5 games he has been really good and made numerous big plays.
8) Green Bay definitely won't be easy. The Rams would not have been either. The Packers have a hot QB and receivers, their OL is excellent in pass protection and they have quite a bit of young talent on defense. Not only are they good at throwing it now with Love, they can really run the ball and we all know how that works out for us sometimes. Last yr when we played them they gained over 200 yds rushing on us and Aaron Rodgers had one of his best throwing days, we blew a two TD lead and lost in OT. Needless to say we need a far cleaner game this time.
9) Eagles L O L. What a fucking flop of a team. They actually damn lucky to even be in the playoffs as they had several "wins": early in the season that should have been losses (including our 1st game against them). They proved last year was a fluke season, I think they have a really mediocre coaching staff and they have a few team cancers in the lockerroom. I don't think they'll beat Tampa next weekend and if I had to bet on it today I doubt they'll be a playoff team next year.
10) Fuck the NFL for this Peacock primetime playoff game. It's one of the biggest douchebag moves Goodell and the league have ever done, screwing over Chiefs and Dolphins and really all NFL fans who won't be able to see the game. They act like "well it's only another 5 bucks a month" to add Peacock but this shit is getting old. This league makes a shit ton of money, I fail to see how having essentially a pay per view playoff game is make or break for them. Albert Breer and a couple other media people have speculated that the NFL has ownership interest in Peacock and I don't doubt that's true.
11) Payton Hendershot finally found his niche. Being on the bench on offense and playing mostly special teams. Until the very end of the game I hardly saw him on offense (and to his credit, he did have a nice catch/hurdle and RAC play for 24 yards) but his best play by far was the blocked punt. The blocking (run and pass pro) were both better with him on the bench this week. I don't know what the snap count total was, but it appeared Schoonmaker got all the 2nd TE reps until late in the game, and the results were better because of it.
12) Haven't thoroughly studied the matchups but in the other games, I think Tampa beats Philly. I won't be surprised at all if the Rams beat the Lions (who may or may not have TE LaPorta). The Rams can move the ball and score and I think Stafford is better than Goff. Ia lso think the Rams defense is better than Detroit's. The Bills will easily beat Pissburgh. Chiefs/Fish are battle of two struggling teams, and the Dolphins have a ton of injuries now. I think Chiefs probably prevail at home. Houston/Cleveland should be a good game. Cleveland has a great defense and they are playing against a rookie QB, but he doesnt play like any rookie QB. I think Browns win but I think it will be close.
I think there's immense pressure on the Cowboys players and coaches now. They probably all know McCarthy's job (and potentially many others) are on the line if they don't have some real success. In the 90's when you put "pressure" on Jimmy's teams, they crushed opponents. Unfortunately we've seen all too often what happens when there is "pressure" on this century's Cowboys, all too often they fold. I hope it's different this year and there really arnt any excuses. They need to win and at least get to the conference championship game.
1) I don't think McCarthy is a bad guy, and the players seem to genuinely like him. He's won 12 games 3 yrs in a row and now has two division titles in those 3 seasons. He deserves major props for what Prescott looked like this year (especially after the Niners game) But slow, lethargic starts are common. Too many times players just seem to show up thinking a win is assured. Clock management has been a 4yr issue. But even Jerry said publicly after the game what many of us are thinking, essentially win in the postseason or else. I was surprised he said it in a way, but it's something McCarthy was probably aware of anyway. It seems like almost a given now that anything short of a NFC Champ game appearance is probably going to result in major change.
2) With the exception of games v Cards and Niners, and maybe the Bills, Prescott had an exceptional season. A 4-1 TD to Int ration (36-9), just a smidge under 70% comp %, just under 8.0 yds per attempt. He threw the ball more consistent this yr than I think he has any other season. He works his ass off and the team respects him, but like with McCarthy, it's time to do it when it matters most. He's almost assuredly going to get a mega-contract extension but if he's the reason they lose in the postseason, they need to put that on the backburner. He can't have Niner-like performances this year.
3) Unbelievable year for CeeDee Lamb. Established career highs for everything and broke storied records by Michael Irvin along the way. Like Irvin in his prime, everyone KNEW he was getting the ball and still nobody could stop him. In the last two games he caught 13 passes each game for 325 yds and 3 tds in MUST win situations. His route running is off the charts good and so are his hands. 7 games he caught 10+ passes. 8 games he had 100+ yds receiving. Had games of 191 and 227, scored at least 1 TD in his last 9 games. Gonna get a massive extension and 100% deserves it.
4) It was nice to see the defense make multiple plays in a game again, even if it was just the lowly Skins. 4 sacks, after getting a total of only 5 in previous 5 games. Forced 3 turnovers. Held Washington to only 50 yds rushing and just 180 yards total offense. Parsons finally got to sack #14 and like the previous 11 and half games, was held multiple times with no calls. It's now been 46 quarters since the last time an opponent was called for holding Parsons.
5) Kudos to the UDFA starting G tandem of Bass and Hoffman, their run blocking was pretty good and as a team, no sacks allowed. Redskins blitzed a ton too and there weren't any major bust assignments that killed plays. At a minimum, these guys are pretty solid depth for us and Bass has potential future starter potential it appears. I really expected our offense to have problems yesterday, and other than the tipped ball for a pick they really had no issues. (and that play should have been negated by a holding on the Redskins DL, which allowed the rusher to come clean on Bass). We never punted, we scored on every drive except for the blocked FG, the deflected int and the FG miss in 4th qtr.
6) For the first time all season, we can say Brandon Aubrey didn't do his job. The blocked FG was not his fault but he actually had a real miss later in the game, a chip shot from 36 yards that ended up wasting a 13 play, 74 yard drive and ate up over 7 mins. Wasn't a terrible miss as it hit the upright but it was still a miss. That said, he came back and absolutely nailed a 50 yarder right down the middle. Yesterday's game conditions were not great (pretty windy, grass field was a joke) so I'm sure he'll be happy to know he's kicking indoors again next week and perhaps the week after. I thought it was smart of McCarthy to give him that last kick. Needless to say, I have zero Brett Maher vibes with this guy. He's the real deal and could be a huge difference maker in the playoffs for us.
7) Definitely looks like we dodged major bullets with potential injuries to Gilmore and Lewis, although I have not seen an update on Lewis yet. I'm not sure if he came back in the game after he went down with what appeared to be a shoulder issue. Gilmore says his shoulder was dislocated but they popped it back in, but they are doing more tests today to confirm no other damage. Gilmore has quietly had a great year and nearly had a tremendous interception yesterday (saved a TD) on a trick play. Lewis had a slow start to season (understandable considering the injury he had) but the last 4 or 5 games he has been really good and made numerous big plays.
8) Green Bay definitely won't be easy. The Rams would not have been either. The Packers have a hot QB and receivers, their OL is excellent in pass protection and they have quite a bit of young talent on defense. Not only are they good at throwing it now with Love, they can really run the ball and we all know how that works out for us sometimes. Last yr when we played them they gained over 200 yds rushing on us and Aaron Rodgers had one of his best throwing days, we blew a two TD lead and lost in OT. Needless to say we need a far cleaner game this time.
9) Eagles L O L. What a fucking flop of a team. They actually damn lucky to even be in the playoffs as they had several "wins": early in the season that should have been losses (including our 1st game against them). They proved last year was a fluke season, I think they have a really mediocre coaching staff and they have a few team cancers in the lockerroom. I don't think they'll beat Tampa next weekend and if I had to bet on it today I doubt they'll be a playoff team next year.
10) Fuck the NFL for this Peacock primetime playoff game. It's one of the biggest douchebag moves Goodell and the league have ever done, screwing over Chiefs and Dolphins and really all NFL fans who won't be able to see the game. They act like "well it's only another 5 bucks a month" to add Peacock but this shit is getting old. This league makes a shit ton of money, I fail to see how having essentially a pay per view playoff game is make or break for them. Albert Breer and a couple other media people have speculated that the NFL has ownership interest in Peacock and I don't doubt that's true.
11) Payton Hendershot finally found his niche. Being on the bench on offense and playing mostly special teams. Until the very end of the game I hardly saw him on offense (and to his credit, he did have a nice catch/hurdle and RAC play for 24 yards) but his best play by far was the blocked punt. The blocking (run and pass pro) were both better with him on the bench this week. I don't know what the snap count total was, but it appeared Schoonmaker got all the 2nd TE reps until late in the game, and the results were better because of it.
12) Haven't thoroughly studied the matchups but in the other games, I think Tampa beats Philly. I won't be surprised at all if the Rams beat the Lions (who may or may not have TE LaPorta). The Rams can move the ball and score and I think Stafford is better than Goff. Ia lso think the Rams defense is better than Detroit's. The Bills will easily beat Pissburgh. Chiefs/Fish are battle of two struggling teams, and the Dolphins have a ton of injuries now. I think Chiefs probably prevail at home. Houston/Cleveland should be a good game. Cleveland has a great defense and they are playing against a rookie QB, but he doesnt play like any rookie QB. I think Browns win but I think it will be close.
I think there's immense pressure on the Cowboys players and coaches now. They probably all know McCarthy's job (and potentially many others) are on the line if they don't have some real success. In the 90's when you put "pressure" on Jimmy's teams, they crushed opponents. Unfortunately we've seen all too often what happens when there is "pressure" on this century's Cowboys, all too often they fold. I hope it's different this year and there really arnt any excuses. They need to win and at least get to the conference championship game.
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