Stafford was under siege for much of the contest, with neither Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp nor Tutu Atwell able to pull away from Darron Brand, Jordan Lewis and Stephon Gilmore. Brand's third pick-six of the season and the separation rate of each of McVay's wideouts was less than 2.9 yards per attempt for him.
“It feels great, it feels great,” veteran safety Jaylon Kearse said of a game that was nearly over before the middle of the second quarter arrived. “I talked to [DeMarcus Lawrence] and talked to mika [Parsons] Right before the game, we said, “Let's get out here and get this game over quickly.”[ly]Because I know what I'm going to get next week. ”
“We came out and ran with it. We finished early so we could sit back and relax a little bit at the end.”
Kearse said the Cowboys' defense slackened because, other than Stafford's only effective touchdown drive, the starters lost 33 points. It was almost unrelenting throughout the game, and that meant the starters were about to be pulled. He scored 17 points in the third quarter.
Combined, Nacua and Kupp combined for just 64 yards receiving and no touchdowns, Atwell had just 21 receiving yards (no touchdowns), and the top receiver was actually a running back with 54 yards through the air. It was Darrell Henderson Jr.
On the ground, Henderson gained just 31 yards on 12 carries (2.6 yards per handoff), while Reece Freeman mustered just 44 yards and a touchdown.
“Yeah, we just got a bye, but our team is healthy,” Lawrence said. “Everyone came out ready to run. It was an early game, but the tempo was there. Hats off to the Cowboys today.”
The game was Dallas' most complete game of the season, scoring in all three phases of the game, including safeties on punt blocks by Sam Williams and Brandon Aubrey, tying the NFL record for most consecutive kick attempts. . To start his career.
The defensive line completely disappeared.
The special forces acted erratically.
And lo and behold, the attackers finally exploded like sticks of dynamite in a shaking box.
“It was huge,” Kearse said. “Any time we can go out there and play good complementary football, it's definitely a big thing. When we go out there and do that, you see what can happen. We all agree. We came together and this is what happened.”
Now, with a 5-2 record and heading into a pivotal game against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, the Cowboys have extended their home field winning streak to 11 games and are confident in their ability to defend their home field. can continue to hold. Fast forward to Week 2 of the 2022 season.
This is home field advantage, the best in the entire league at this point.
“We take great pride in that,” Lawrence said. “What's really important is whether we can control our home field and guarantee us a spot in the playoffs. So we just want to make sure of that.” [that] Everyone who comes here already knows our mission.
“We will protect our home.”
There's no place like home.
