Arlington, Texas – Okay, okay. The Cowboys won.
They defeated the NFC North champion Lions 20-19.
With one game remaining, they got their 11th win of the season, making their record 11 wins and 5 losses, one win away from their third consecutive year of 12 wins and 5 losses.
They finished 8-0 at AT&T Stadium this year, achieving their goal of extending their home winning streak to 16 straight wins.
The Eagles continue to trail Philadelphia (11-4) in the race for first place in the NFC East, and the Eagles will face Arizona in Game 16 on Sunday.
And at least they didn't disappoint the crowd of about 93,000 who gathered here on Saturday night. The team turned back the clock to celebrate the induction of two-time Super Bowl head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson into the Ring of Honor Hall of Fame.
And Jimmy did not disappoint. He played to the raucous crowd during the halftime celebration, and once again for posterity he gave them a jubilant “What about those cowboys?”
But really, what was probably ringing in their ears after this was their own, “What about these cowboys?”
And please understand this too. To their credit, the Cowboys survived.
He survived the Lions gaining 420 yards.
They survived by giving up 125 yards rushing.
They survived losing the ball inside the 5-yard line for the second straight week when a touchdown seemed inevitable.
They survived a tripping penalty and a near-neutral zone violation that negated an interception that seemed to save the game.
They survived by recording just one sack in five straight games.
They have now scored under 20 points in three consecutive games, which is a somewhat troubling trend late in the season.
And best of all, Lions head coach Dan Campbell relentlessly attempted a three-try attempt with the most likely two-point conversion with 23 seconds left in this one-point game, and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy He survived. He named this strangeness “Two Points of Luxury.''
He happily ran off the field with a victory, if not an escape, ending a two-game losing streak and ruining the Ring of Honor celebration that featured a parade of 13 Ring of Honor members at halftime. All of them should be evaluated. At least three of Jimmy's 23 former players are here for a reunion of sorts with the triplets – Troy, Emmitt and Michael – Ken Norton Jr., James Washington, Tony Casillas and Dixon Edwards. , Nate Newton, Matt and VanderBeek and Jimmy's Fox pregame crew will also be there.
Not only that, but the Cowboys weren't really holding on because the incredible CeeDee Lamb did everything he could to win the game on his lone strength while knocking down Michael Irvin's shot. If so, how disappointing would this match have been? With Mike watching, he set franchise single-season records for most receptions and most receiving yards, catching 12 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown on a 92-yard catch-and-run. This is the second-longest reception in franchise history, with only Don Meredith having 95 yards. Even longer until Bob Hayes in 1966.
As for why Lamb has 122 receptions this season, 11 more than the record set by Mike in 1995, Irvin told me before the game, “He should break that record.'' But he campaigned for Sheedy to leave the Cowboys, knowing he would only need three catches to do so. This is because No. 88's method is to play with it and keep sending the ball to No. 88.
Mike's receiving yardage record is also down, with CeeDee currently at 1,651 yards, 48 more than last time.
“I told everyone it would be more fun if we won again, and we did,” Lamb said with a smile midway through.
Well, so did everyone else, but the people stuffing AT&T were more likely to think of something like what happened when Emmitt broke Walter Payton's career rushing record than if the Cowboys lost. You may well remember that you came here to witness this major milestone.
Even fellow receiver Brandin Cooks, who added another touchdown for the Cowboys with an 8-yard duck throw and catch to give the Cowboys a 17-13 lead with 7:20 left, said: . When you talk about the great players that played here, breaking franchise records at such a high level. This guy is electric.”
All of which were impressive, including Dak's 345 yards throwing, two touchdowns, one interception, and 103.5 QB rating. And as I like to say, a win is a win.
But look, despite all this, the Cowboys came close to losing to a quarterback who finished with a QB rating of 67.2, Jared Goff was picked off twice, and if Micah Parsons was taken out prematurely. If they hadn't, they would have lost again on their second two-point conversion attempt. neutral zone.
They were on the verge of losing three games in a row, and in this game, the defense, which had been playing so well throughout the game, was on the verge of losing on the last move of the game, just like it was in a 22-20 loss to Miami last Sunday. I almost fell apart. walk-off field goal.
This time, after taking a 20-13 lead with 1:41 left, the defense slowed down the Charmin offense, and the Lions went 75 yards in nine plays, with just 1:18 remaining, if Campbell had scored. He scored the game-tying touchdown. Kicking an extra point settled the score with a tie and the possibility of overtime. But that's not the case, Dan gambled and led the Lions to an 11-5 record all season, betting on two points not once, not twice, but three times. Or as Duck said, “This'' man is crazy – with all due respect,'' and ended the compliment with “I love it, I really love it.''
Why did the Cowboys complete Goff's final drive – minus the spike to stop the clock as the Lions were taking a timeout – including an 8-yard touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown? He completed 6 of 7 passes for a total of 75 yards. Last Sunday, Tua Tagovailoa drove the Dolphins 64 yards in 12 plays for a game-winning 29-yard field goal. Moments later, Dak drove 69 yards in 17 plays against the Cowboys, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 3:27 remaining.
“We knew the last few plays were going to decide the game,” said DeMarcus Lawrence, who had a great performance with five tackles, two tackles for loss, one QB hit and one pass defended. By the grace of God, we won. ”
Perhaps Jimmie Johnson was a blessing in disguise. Because on the final three-try, two-point attempt, a 5-yard illegal touch penalty was called for when the Lions scored but the pass went to an offensive lineman who didn't report. (minus 5 yards) score. The second Goff pass was intercepted by Marquise Bell, but Parsons was offside (plus 5 yards), and the third Goff pass was missed by wide-open tight end James Mitchell, making things tense here. It was in a state. So is Duck.
Duck said, “Everywhere…I wasn't calm,'' about where he was emotionally during the long try, but his idea was to make the most of those 23 seconds and get back on his feet. He noted that he was focused on getting back there to acquire Brandon Aubrey, who extended his record. His field goal streak reached 35, with two more coming in field goal range this time.
But again, despite all this, the Cowboys won, and this time, instead of finding a way to lose in such a close game, they found a way to survive.
“It was big for our confidence, very big,” Duck said of passing by with a croak. “But it was important for us to get the 11th win. Now it's important to get the 12th win and win it every week as we move forward.”
There's a lingering aftertaste, but it's more like, “What do you think of this cowboy?”
