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Cowboys studs and duds Week 15: Potential win falls through Noah Brown’s hands

By Randy Gurzi

Dec 18, 2022; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Noah Brown (85) makes the catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 18, 2022; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Noah Brown (85) makes the catch against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dallas Cowboys
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after sacking Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first quarter of the game at TIAA Bank Field on December 18, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) /

Stud: Micah Parsons, EDGE

After being held without a sack in Week 14, Micah Parsons wasted no time against the Jags in getting on the board.

On the second defensive series, Parsons blew past the line on first down to sack Trevor Lawrence for a seven-yard loss.

Parsons made another play in the first half that won’t show in the stat sheet, but was big nonetheless. With Jacksonville trying to score before the half, Parsons got pressure on Trevor Lawrence, forcing him to throw an incompletion. The play led to the Jags electing to go into the half without trying to score, which was important since Jacksonville got the ball to start the third quarter.

Near the end of the game, Parsons recovered the fumble that Kearse caused but, as noted, that wasn’t enough for the win.

Dud: Mike McCarthy, Head Coach

Overall, Mike McCarthy has been solid this season and deserves a ton of credit. Having said that, there’s one area where he continues to make questionable decisions — the coin toss.

It might seem minuscule, but McCarthy has routinely asked to start with the ball when winning the toss, which he did on Sunday. The result was an early punt — and that’s typically been the case.

Dallas has started with the ball in 11 of their games now. They have scored a touchdown three (27 percent), a field goal twice (18 percent), and punted it six times (55 percent). They’ve gone three and out four of the six times they punted, which means they’re not setting the tone as desired.

As for the three times the defense started on the field, they have two turnovers and a forced punt. Against the Rams, DeMarcus Lawrence scored on a fumble recovery. Dorance Armstrong then recovered a fumble against the Vikings in Week 11, and the Giants gained 27 yards and had to punt on Thanksgiving Day.

The Cowboys were able to keep the Jags from taking advantage, but they did put up three points on the opening drive in the third quarter. A better team could make them pay for this decision, and the real question is why McCarthy keeps making such a call when the numbers show it’s not working in their favor.

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