Next-level passing , Quinn’s motivation among things learned in Cowboys Week 10 win
Championship-contending teams like the Dallas Cowboys have multiple litmus tests during a season. This week they had to show they were capable of bouncing back from an embarrassing performance and a disappointing loss. The Atlanta Falcons came in winning three of their last four games. A poor team, riding momentum, and trending upwards coming into town. If the Cowboys overlooked them like they did the Denver Broncos, then this could have turned November into a nightmare month for Dallas.
The Cowboys came in prepared, motivated, and took care of business early so they could rest starters in the fourth quarter. Finishing the game with Cooper Rush at quarterback, Cory Clement at running back, Connor McGovern on the offensive line and Sean Mckeon at tight end was the perfect result, and now they can move on to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Litmus test games always give teams a lot to learn, and even in a blowout, the Cowboys gained plenty to take with them going forward for the rest of the season.
Cowboys offense isn't in a slump
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With six and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter the Cowboys were down 30-0 to the Denver Broncos. Quarterback Dak Prescott had thrown for under 100 yards, had zero touchdowns and an interception. This left Dallas with one general question. Was this the blueprint on how to stop this high powered offense? The start of a slump for the Cowboys, or just one fluke performance?
It didn’t take long to see it wasn’t gonna be an issue this week. The opening drive saw Dallas move the ball 73 yards on eight plays for a touchdown, in just over three minutes. They went two-for-two on third down conversions, and scored a TD on their first red-zone attempt.
This set the tone for the entire game. The Cowboys went on to score touchdowns on three of their next four drives in the first half, breaking the team record for points scored in the second quarter with 29. They ended up going five-for-five in red-zone conversions and after being 0-4 on fourth down tries last week, they were a perfect three-for-three against Atlanta.
Dallas was up 43-3 at the end of the third quarter and the starters were able to take a seat in the fourth and rest. Prescott ended up with just under 300 yards passing and three total touchdowns.
We learned the offense had one bad week and they are now back on track going into the final half of the season.
Michael Gallup matters
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There has been a battle going on within Cowboys Nation whether the team should have “gotten something for Gallup” by trading him before he is able to sign elsewhere in the off-season. Dallas had a top offense in the league with Cedrick Wilson playing while Gallup nursed a calf injury for two months.
How much better could the offense be with him if they were as high as No. 1 without him? The answer, a whole lot better.
Gallup is a former 1,000 yard guy, who has been a very good second receiver on this team for the last two seasons. Just last year, in a season where the Cowboys had four different starting quarterbacks, Gallup put up 843 yards and five touchdowns. Wilson in his career has 515 yards and five scores in 30 games. Gallup is just more of a threat on the field, and the extra care defensive coordinators have to put into covering him opens up the offense even further.
Gallup is the team’s best deep threat, forcing opponents to play corners back, or safeties over the top. That impacts the run game and short passing game. He also goes up and gets the ball better then any other pass catcher on the team. It allows Dallas to give Gallup chances in one-on-one coverage in the red-zone on fade routes or back shoulder fades.
Gallup being the teams X-receiver, who plays on the line of scrimmage, allows Amari Cooper to play where he is more impactful, off the line mainly as the Z-receiver. This makes him more difficult to press, and allows his superior route running to attack defenders lined up across from him. Cooper will play the slot some as well, but that spot becomes a nightmare match up for CeeDee Lamb.
In the seven games Lamb has played with Cooper, Gallup, and Prescott, he has never had less than five receptions for 59 yards in a game. He has totaled 42 receptions for 631 yards and 5 scores in that situation. That brings his average in a 17-game season to 102 grabs, for 1,532 yards and 12 touchdowns. When Lamb gets to match up with slot corners, linebackers, and safeties, he averages All-Pro level numbers. That is the difference the passing game can have when Gallup is in the line up, it isn’t just about him, but what he allows the whole offense to do.
Cowboys defense plays for Dan Quinn
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Quinn had extra motivation going into to this weeks game. He was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2015 through 2020, leading them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016. Any time someone is fired by a team, they are gonna wanna stick it to them, especially the first time they play after the separation.
The Cowboys played their best game of the year defensively against Quinn’s former team. It was likely their best defensive performance over the last several years.
Add in the defense was down what could have been their full starting defensive line to start the season. They were without Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Neville Gallimore, and Brent Urban, so the team was gonna need their secondary to step up.
The Falcons could only muster a total of 111 passing yards, 3.8 yards per pass. They combined to go 1 for 13 on third and fourth down conversions, and picked up only 11 first downs on their 12 drives. Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown, and Jourdan Lewis all intercepted passes in the game and the Falcons only score was the three points they got on the opening drive.
The Cowboys defense dominated their competition, and earned their coordinator the game ball to the pure joy of the entire team. They knew what this game meant to Quinn, and they played very well motivated by their coach. This defense showed up for him, and that will help to build their bond going forward.
Conclusion
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The Cowboys were coming off a humiliating home loss, about to play three games in 11 days, and dealing with a myriad of injuries to some of their most important players. The division might be bad behind Dallas, but the team still hasn’t mathematically clinched it and even when they do, playoff seeding is still in question. The team needed to make a statement against a below average team at home, coming off a blowout loss, and they did just that. Now they are headed into two tough games against AFC West opponents, the Cowboys will need to try to carry this momentum forward through Thanksgiving and beyond.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or at Youtube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast.
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