We are getting very close to having some new, 2017 game film to analyze each week. But, for now, we continue to look back on the Dallas Cowboys 13-3 2016 season, with yet another Monday Moment.
This week, we flash back to Thanksgiving Day, with the Washington Redskins trying to make up ground on the Cowboys in the NFC East. More realistically, Washington was trying to both spoil the holiday in Dallas, as well as begin to secure a Wild Card Spot of their own.
Thanks to the likes of Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant, neither of those goals were acomplished.
Let’s take a look!
Late in the fourth quarter and deep in Washington territory, the Cowboys held just a five point lead. While a field goal would have made a Washington comeback unlikely, a touchdown would have really sealed the deal.
On this third and nine, the Cowboys come out 11 personnel, something you should be noticing they tend to favor during these crunch-time situations.
Lance Dunbar is the lone back to Prescott’s right, and he turns out to be critical to the success of this play. The Redskins show six blitzers pre-snap, forcing Dunbar to cross Prescott’s face and take the backside B-gap blitzer. At the snap of the ball, the sixth blitzer backs off and works as a spy. This leaves Dallas with six to block five, and they do a decent job of completing the task.
Dunbar’s chop block of the blitzing linebacker is vital to this play, so hats off to Lance here.
Sensing some pressure to his right side, though Doug Free is pushing the end passed the quarterback, Prescott steps out and scrambles out. Now on the run, it is in Dak’s hands to make some sort of play.
In terms of the route combination, the Cowboys send Jason Witten on a drag across to the left side, while sending Cole Beasley just overtop to the right. Above them, Dez Bryant runs a post route. Noticing that Dak is scrambling out of the pocket to his right, Dez flattens his route and works all the way across the field.
Dak, seeing Bryant in man coverage, trusts both his arm and his receiver, and delivers an absolute dime to Dez. Bryant goes up and makes a spectacular catch, fighting through a defensive holding call, and sets Ezekiel Elliott up for the game sealing touchdown.
Not pictured here, Dez turning around and standing over Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller, as both he and Josh Norman had been in Dez’s ear all game long.
As usual, Dez Bryant and the Cowboys got the last laugh.
