Slow motion clip shows Cowboys OL saved Dak Prescott from catastrophic injury on dirty hit
By Jerry Trotta
The general consensus is that Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys got lucky to beat the Detroit Lions on Saturday.
While everyone and their mother agrees that Brad Allen's crew botched the illegal touching call on Detroit's go-ahead two-point conversion attempt, the refs called a phooey tripping on Dallas on the previous drive that screwed the Cowboys out of a likely first down that would've allowed them to ice the game.
Yes, the Cowboys were fortunate on the two-point attempt, but they nearly got screwed over before that ever happened and the Lions squandered two more chances after the flag to convert the two-pointer.
Where the Cowboys really got lucky, though, was when Aidan Hutchinson sacked Dak Prescott. Hutchinson got to Prescott three times, but one takedown caused Prescott's leg to get tangled under the pass rusher's leg.
Prescott's leg bent backwards, setting the stage for a potential catastrophic injury, but Terence Steele caught Hutchinson before he could complete the motion. This slowed-down clip shows just how close Prescott was to suffering another fractured ankle.
Terrance Steele honestly saved Dak from injury.
— Branden (@ThatBrandenGuy) January 2, 2024
If he had not caught Hutchinson from dropping all the way backwards, he may have broke Dak’s ankle. https://t.co/SnHR6SB4Tu
Cowboys RT Terence Steele saved Dak Prescott from catastrophic injury vs Lions
Pause the video at the 15-second mark and look at Prescott's right leg. It's bent backwards and completely trapped under Hutchinson. If the Lions star falls completely backwards, nothing's stopping Prescott's ankle from shattering. Thankfully Steele, who gave up the pressure, pursued Hutchinson and caught him before disaster struck.
A number of Cowboys fans realized the near-disaster in real time, probably because it looked bone-chillingly similar to the play Prescott suffered his dislocated ankle on in 2020 against the Giants.
A scrambling Prescott got his leg caught under Giants defensive back Logan Ryan, who tackled the QB from behind. You know the rest.
Hutchinson's sack unearthed some bad memories, which begs the question of why he performed a hip-drop tackle. He had a free run at Dak and instead of completing a fluid takedown, he stopped in his tracks and dragged Prescott backwards. He did the same thing earlier in the video after he won a rep against Tyron Smith.
The #Cowboys won the game, but man there were some close calls where Dak Prescott could have been seriously hurt.
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) December 31, 2023
DE Aidan Hutchinson pulls out the hip drop tackle twice on Prescott—the second one being the worst.
Please get this dirty tackle out of the sport.#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/UnMxq0uKQd
Was Hutchinson trying to avoid landing on the QB? Refs have been quick to flag defenders when their full bodyweight lands on quarterbacks, regardless of intent. If Hutchinson has created a loophole, it might need to be reviewed by the NFL because the hip drop is just as dangerous as the panned gator roll tackle.
This one almost ended the Cowboys season.
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