Cowboys Notes: Fallout from Trysten Hill’s punch, judging O-line combos, Thanksgiving Day ratings huge
Emotions got the better of defensive lineman Trysten Hill as Thursday’s overtime game ended in a tough loss for the Cowboys. But reports indicate that the 23-year-old will likely not face a suspension for throwing a punch at a Raiders player. Head coach Mike McCarthy is seeking answers from the league officiating office over the 28 penalty flags thrown during the game, we’re handing out gameday grades, and Dan Quinn talks about the decision to put his secondary in man coverage on the crucial 3rd-and-long call that- predictably- ended with a pass interference infraction.
Ezekiel Elliott may be held out of Thursday’s game, Blake Jarwin moves from one inactive list to another, and Greg Zuerlein apparently still has the full confidence of the Cowboys coaching staff. All that, plus some tough love for Dak Prescott as the home stretch of the season looms large, and the NFL levies a fine against a Dallas opponent for taunting during their game last week. That’s all ahead in News and Notes.
Cowboys' Trysten Hill won't face suspension for postgame punch against Raiders, per report :: 247 Sports
The Dallas defensive tackle took a swing at Raiders offensive lineman John Simpson in the moments after Thursday’s game went final. While the incident will be reviewed and Hill is likely to draw a fine for the punch, which was captured on-camera, the former second-round draft pick is not expected to face a suspension, as per NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Report: Cowboys may hold Ezekiel Elliott out of Week 13 game over knee concern :: Cowboys Wire
Elliott has been fighting through a knee injury, and the team has been losing. The Cowboys now appear ready to consider sitting their two-time rushing champ in the hope that getting him healthy will yield better results for the final five games of the regular season and the playoffs. A source tells ESPN that the club may hold Elliott out of the Week 13 matchup against New Orleans to give him two full weeks of rest and rehab time.
Examining Cowboys' 3rd & 18 coverage call :: The Mothership
After a sack put the Las Vegas offense in a deep hole near the end of overtime, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn dialed up tight pass coverage, in part, he says, because Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson had been so effective. Of course, Anthony Brown got flagged on the ensuing deep ball for interference (his fourth of the night), and the rest is history. “In that time, you want to be close and guard them and play man-to-man, which we’ve done plenty of times,” Quinn said. “I don’t regret the call. You certainly regret the outcome, but not as far as the call goes.”
Cowboys 'definitely moving forward' with Zuerlein despite more misses in Week 12 loss :: Cowboys Wire
“I’m not concerned about Greg Zuerlein,” said head coach Mike McCarthy. This, despite the fact that the kicker has missed five field goals this season for a sub-80% make rate that ranks him 25th leaguewide. Zuerlein missed an extra point and a 59-yard field goal try during regulation in a game that went to overtime before the Cowboys eventually lost.
As the shuffle continues, see which Cowboys offensive line arrangement is producing the best results :: Blogging the Boys
Eleven games, six different combinations along the offensive line. McCarthy preaches consistency up front, but the Cowboys haven’t actually had much. A closer look at which grouping has had the most success suggests that Connor Williams may be better at left guard than Connor McGovern, and right tackle La’el Collins hasn’t been as dominant in his games as some would like to believe.
Cowboys frustrated by 28-penalty game: 'We should be playing football, not tag' :: Cowboys Wire
Cowboys players and coaches alike were stymied by the preponderance of penalty flags thrown by Shawn Hochuli’s officiating crew. “Twenty-eight penalties: I really don’t know what the hell you want me to say,’ McCarthy said. Linebacker Micah Parsons hopes his teammates don’t change their style of play as a result of being flagged: “You don’t play the game soft, and you can’t play the game conservative. You’ve got to be aggressive, you’ve got to be dominant.”
Mike McCarthy has talked to league office about officiating already, plans to address further :: ProFootballTalk
The Cowboys coach was unhappy enough about the 28 penalties called in Thursday’s game that he said Friday he had already been in contact with the league’s officiating office once, and planned to follow up a second time. “This game was totally off the trend line, as you can see as far as statistics,” McCarthy said.
Good, Bad, Ugly: Prescott's 4th quarter not enough to overcome Cowboys' defense, penalties :: Cowboys Wire
He was without several weapons and ultimately didn’t get the win, but Prescott turned in another strong performance, especially in the fourth quarter to force overtime. The pass defense, however, got torched… and not just by the referees. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr did a solid job of embarrassing the Cowboys secondary all on his own. Micah Parsons was good, the Dallas run game was bad, and it’s no surprise which category the 28 penalties fall under.
As December beckons, Cowboys need more from Dak Prescott :: ESPN
November marked Prescott’s lowest yards per game average (280), lowest completion percentage (64.4%), and most sacks (8) after a hot start to the season that had his name in the conversation for league MVP. But the crunch time of the regular season’s final six games will be what helps determine whether the quarterback lives up to his megacontract… and expectations. “I’m sure a bunch of people are jumping off the bandwagon, which is fine with us,” Prescott said, “because we know what we’re capable of. We know the team we have.”
NFL's Raiders-Cowboys Thanksgiving game was most-watched regular season game in 30 years :: Yahoo Sports
Thursday’s game drew approximately 38.5 million viewers, according to CBS. That whopping number makes it the most-watched NFL regular-season game on any network since 1990. Prior to the Thanksgiving tilt, the most-watched game of 2021 had been the Cowboys and Chiefs in Week 11.
Source: Dallas Cowboys moving TE Blake Jarwin to COVID list: NFL Tracker :: SI.com
Already on injured reserve, the Cowboys tight end has now been moved to the Reserve/COVID list after testing positive for the virus. The roster move happened Friday; Jarwin has missed the past four games with a hip injury.
Report Card, Snap Counts Week 12: Cowboys lost their way against Raiders :: Cowboys Wire
Lots of Bs and Cs are being handed out after the Cowboys dropped their Thanksgiving Day game. The defensive backs pulled the lowest mark of the day, a D+ that can be attributed as much to the officials as the Raiders’ receiving corps. Special teams earned a B, thanks mostly to Tony Pollard’s 100-yard kick return.
Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire fined for taunting Cowboys LB Luke Gifford :: Tom Pelissero (Twitter)
The NFL fined #Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire $10,300 for unsportsmanlike conduct in last week’s win over the #Cowboys. He pointed at a Dallas defender while scoring a touchdown and was flagged for taunting.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 27, 2021
1
1
