What We Saw: Week 15

New England lost themselves the #1 overall seed with their debacle in Indy

Ben Brown
What We Saw 2 Years Ago
Series Navigation
Introduction
Chiefs @ Chargers
Patriots @ Colts
Cowboys @ Giants
Texans @ Jaguars
Titans @ Steelers
Jets @ Dolphins
Cardinals @ Lions
Panthers @ Bills
Bengals @ Broncos
Falcons @ 49ers
Packers @ Ravens
Saints @ Buccaneers

Cowboys @ Giants

Final Score: Cowboys 21, Giants 6

Writer: Callen Elslager (@callen_elslager on Twitter and Reddit)

 

The Cowboys pushed themselves closer to a playoff birth with a commanding 21-6 win over their division rivals on Sunday, as their offense started t0 regain its form and look more and more like the potent offense we’ve seen in the past. This may have had something to do with the return of Tony Pollard to the offense, bringing back the fear of the run game once again, allowing Prescott to play much more efficiently. It was not all offense on Sunday, as the Dallas defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions of Mike Glennon and the first lost fumble of Saquon Barkley‘s career, putting the stamp on a complete all-around win for the Cowboys.

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback

 

Dak Prescott: 28/37, 217 yds, TD | 2 carries, -1 yards

 

There’s nothing like a matchup with the Giants to help get the Cowboys’ offense back on track, and that is exactly what we saw for Dak Prescott. Prescott was very efficient with his passes and did not make many mistakes where the Giants would have been able to capitalize on. The offensive line created plenty of time for Prescott to locate his open receiver, and not have to use his legs as often as we have seen in the past. A prime example of this came on his touchdown pass down at the goaline to Dalton Schultz, where Prescott rolled out in the pocket off play-action and was able to wait to find an open Dalton Schultz for six.

 

Running Back

 

Ezekiel Elliott: 16 carries, 52 yards, TD | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 20 yards

Tony Pollard: 12 carries, 74 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 13 yards

 

Early on in the game, Ezekiel Elliot carried most of the work and looked better than he had in the past few weeks, but still not his usual self. Elliot even took snaps on third downs and other clear passing opportunities, making me wonder how limited Tony Pollard would be by his injury. Elliot even broke into open field in the red zone for his touchdown run, one of his better runs of the past few weeks. However, as the game progressed, Pollard would begin to spell Ellliot more often and would not seem hampered at all by his injuries. He would return to the field in passing down opportunities and displayed the speed we’ve come to know of him, not seeming hampered by his injury at all. As the game progressed, the Cowboys started to return back to the timeshare which defined this offense throughout the season.

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

CeeDee Lamb: 9 targets, 6 receptions, 50 yards

Dalton Schultz: 8 targets, 8. receptions, 67 yards, TD

Michael Gallup: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 32 yards

Jeremy Sprinkle: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 21 yards

Amari Cooper: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards

Malik Turner: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards

 

As the Giants prevented the big play from CeeDee Lamb by making quick tackles after his receptions and not allowing him to use his speed, Lamb was still the most trusted option when it came to converting on third downs and continuing drives. The passes to him were just more quick routes, rather than allowing the big play that we are accustomed to seeing from him. On the other hand, Amari Cooper was completely shut out of this offense as the Giants prevented him from getting any space while Prescott ultimately had to look elsewhere.

One of these alternate options was Michael Gallup, who while quieted compared to some of his other more recent games, made some impressive catches over the middle such as this leaping catch seen below. While in the same sense, Dalton Schultz had one of his best games of recent memory, catching each of his targets, including the touchdown reception seen earlier. With Cooper quieted in this game, Schultz became a valuable option for Prescott helping to extend drives in important third-down conversions.

 

 

New York Giants

 

Quarterback

 

Mike Glennon: 13/24, 99 yards, 3 INT | 1 carry, 0 yards

Jake Fromm: 6/12, 82 yards

 

Sunday was a horrific afternoon for Mike Glennon, with three interceptions and a few other passes that likely had the opportunity for one as well. The pressure which he was under all night was a leading factor of these interceptions, as one came from a hit where he just got the ball off, causing it to float high up in the air right into the hands of the Dallas defender. While the second interception was on an overthrown ball over the middle, with the third coming from Glennon trying to make a play out of nothing and under-throwing a ball right into the hands of Diggs. This performance would lead to him being benched late in the game for Jake Fromm, who, whether it was because of there defense Dallas was playing late, actually moved the ball better than Glennon did in his limited time.

 

 

Running Back

 

Saquon Barkley: 15 carries, 50 yards | 8 targets, 4 receptions, 24 yards

Devontae Booker: 8 carries, 74 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards

 

As mentioned earlier, Saquon Barkley lost the first fumble of his entire NFL career in this game, while the Cowboys effectively kept him bottled up and did not allow too many big plays from him. His biggest play may not have come on the ground, and did not go for many yards but was this gorgeous one-handed reception on third down, keeping the Giants moving. He would be used in the passing game throughout, due to the Giants falling behind pretty early and needing to throw to keep up. The more effective runner on paper was Devontae Booker, as seen from the stat line. He would come in throughout the game to spell Barkley and keep him fresh as Barkley continues to work his way back from his early-season injury. However, the majority of Booker’s yards ended up coming off one long run on third and one as he broke into open space for thirty yards.

 

 

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Kenny Golladay: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 53 yards

Evan Engram: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 33 yards

Darius Slayton: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 23 yards

Collin Johnson: 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards

Sterling Shepard: 6 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards

Kyle Rudolph: 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards

Pharoh Cooper: 2 targets

 

New York would not escape this game completely healthy, as Sterling Shepard, who had a quiet game of his own ended up leaving late in the fourth quarter with an Achilles injury that occurred as he was breaking off the line of scrimmage for a route. Before his injury, the Giants made it a point to try and get him right back involved in this offense, as they did the same to try and get Kenny Golladay involved. However, Golladay spent most of the game shut down by Trevon Diggs, and had most of his yards come off one broken play.

With Golladay shadowed, and Shepard almost invisible, Evan Engram was the next target for the Giants, who saw plenty of work over the middle and had an effective afternoon when given the chances. Engram was used to help convert on these short-to-go downs and was the most targeted receiver on third down conversions, with more than half of his targets coming in these situations.

 

— Callen Elslager (@callen_elslager on Twitter and Reddit)

Series Navigation
Introduction
Chiefs @ Chargers
Patriots @ Colts
Cowboys @ Giants
Texans @ Jaguars
Titans @ Steelers
Jets @ Dolphins
Cardinals @ Lions
Panthers @ Bills
Bengals @ Broncos
Falcons @ 49ers
Packers @ Ravens
Saints @ Buccaneers

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