Cowboys over Dolphins: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Week Three
By Richard Ball
A few observations from the Dallas Cowboys win over the Miami Dolphins. There was some good, some bad and some downright ugly play.
The Dallas Cowboys were able to get their third win of the new season over the weekend, defeating the Miami Dolphins at home on Sunday afternoon. It marked the fourth time the Cowboys have started a season with three victories since their last Super Bowl win.
Yet, the Week Three contest against the Dolphins was far from perfect for Dallas. Below we’ll breakdown the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the Cowboys’ latest victory.
The Good
The Cowboys coaches were often criticized for the lack of adjustments at half time during the 2018 season. Dallas managed to win only one of the eight games where they were losing or tied at the half last season.
In 2018, Dallas scored seven first-quarter touchdowns to their opponents three but yielded eight touchdowns to their opponents in the third quarter while only scoring six. This further supports the theory that the Dallas coaching staff was not able to match wits with their opponents.
But the script has changed so far in 2019. The Cowboys outscored their first two opponents 21 to 10 in the third quarter.
Against Miami, the Cowboys played a nervous first half and were lucky to lead 10-6 at half time. A barely missed field goal and a Dolphin fumble at the seven-yard line on the second last play of the first half allowed the home team to lead at the half for the third time this season.
But the team came out possessed in the third quarter. Quarterback Dak Prescott had nine completions on nine attempts for 137 yards with one passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. The offense scored touchdowns on both of their third-quarter possessions.
On the other side of the ball, the Dallas defense woke up. The defensive line had barely any pressures on both Dolphins quarterbacks in the first half.
In the second half, the defensive line recorded all three Cowboys sacks with Robert Quinn and DeMarcus Lawrence getting home for 1.0 sack each and Kerry Hyder and Maliek Collins sharing the third. Josh Rosen seemed to be under pressure on every pass in the second half.
Whether it is player execution or coaches making adjustments or motivating the team, Dallas has dominated their opponents in the second half this season. The trend is a good indicator of America’s Team.