Cowboys rise above ‘Hill Mary’ for victory
Dallas defence blankets Kansas City stars, except for first half-ending surprise play
Never mind the “Hill Mary” play. The Dallas Cowboys on Sunday let everyone know there’s another powerhouse in the NFC East besides the Philadelphia Eagles.
When the Cowboys went 13-3 last season, they did so mostly by virtue of a juggernaut offence. The defence always was suspect, as it was again early this season in the Cowboys’ sluggish start.
But in Sunday’s eye-opener, the Cowboys defence confounded the Kansas City Chiefs in a 28-17 victory.
First, Dallas defenders held the league’s leading rusher and scrimmage-yards leader — rookie Kareem Hunt — to just 37 yards on the ground, and 24 off passes, for his lowest combined output (61) of the season.
What’s more, the Cowboys forced Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith into throwing his first interception of the season.
“(The Chiefs) have a really good offence, and the quarterback is playing as well as any in the league,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. “And they have a lot of weapons … Andy does such a great job of attacking you in different ways, with different looks, with different people. There are a lot of things you have to defend and prepare for.
“I do think our guys did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage and not allowing any big plays. We forced them to drive it. We forced them to convert third downs. It slowed them down a little bit.”
If it looks as though the Chiefs offence has cooled off considerably in recent weeks — after averaging 405 yards per game through Week 5 — well, it has. For the third time in the past four games KC did little impressively on offence, gaining 323 total yards, only 17 first downs, converting only 4-of-12 third or fourth downs and rushing for just 68 yards on 19 carries.
The Cowboys defence took a stiff punch to the nose at the end of the first half, when the Chiefs succeeded in pulling off the niftiest, shortest Hail Mary touchdown pass you’ll ever see.
With most Dallas defenders in the end zone, awaiting a traditional Hail Mary deep throw with 0:02 left and KC at its own 44, Smith just dumped off a short over the middle to the incredibly elusive, speedy Tyreek Hill. With tight ends as blockers already ahead of him on either side, Hill just scooted up field, wove left, avoided Cowboys tacklers, then cut back right and into the end zone for a breathtaking score that cut the Cowboys’ decisive 14-3 lead to 14-10.
Yet after the Chiefs scored a touchdown on an impressive drive to open the second half, and take a 17-14 lead, the Cowboys dominated on both sides of the ball thereafter.
“Give our team credit for responding like that the right way in the second half,” Garrett said of the “Hill Mary.”
“The biggest thing you have to do is say, ‘Ahhh, the hell with it, it’s done. It ain’t coming back. Move forward.’ We demonstrated great mental toughness, fight and teamwork, and that was a big part of this ball game.”
The Cowboys have won three straight, to turn a 2-3 record into 5-3.
With their run game behind Ezekiel Elliott churning out yards again, and Dak Prescott raising his passing to another level in this, his second year, the Cowboys can go deep into the playoffs if their defence can play as it did Sunday.
RAM TOUGH: Still looking for the Los Angeles Rams to drop back down to Earth? Me too. But it’s looking more and more as though they’re for real.
The Rams destroyed the host New York Giants 51-17, behind second-year QB Jared Goff ’s 311 passing yards and four touchdowns, a rushing attack that gained 162 yards, and a defence that forced the hapless Giants offence into making its usual barrel-full of errors.
The Giants fell to 1-7 and remain winless at home.
IN THE CARDS: Adrian Peterson had his second monster outing since Arizona acquired him via trade a few weeks ago from New Orleans, rushing 37 times for 159 yards in the Cardinals’ 20-10 victory at San Francisco. Quarterback Drew Stanton, elevated to starter after Carson Palmer broke his arm, threw a pair of touchdown passes for Arizona but also was intercepted once and completed just half his 30 throws. Rookie C.J. Beathard again struggled in quarterbacking the still-winless Niners. Presumably he’ll play only until Jimmy Garoppolo — Tom Brady’s former backup acquired last Monday night in a trade with New England — digests the 49ers offence.
A late hit late in the game prompted a melee from which three players were ejected: Arizona DT Frostee Rucker, LB Haason Reddick and San Francisco RB Carlos Hyde.
EXTRA POINTS: Marcell Dareus played enough for his new team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, to record three tackles. Buffalo traded the D-lineman to the Jags a week ago last Friday … Jacoby Brissett had perhaps his most effective passing game as a pro, completing 20-of-30 for 308 yards, two TDs and zero picks (a 122.6 passer rating) in Indy’s 20-14 win at Houston … Tampa Bay WR Mike Evans can expect a hefty fine or suspension for blindsiding a Saints defender with a running shove from behind … Dallas WR Dez Bryant sprained an ankle vs. Kansas City early in the fourth quarter and did not return.