Cowboys close with a win, Broncos a loss
Defense carries day as Eagles rest up
PHILADELPHIA — The Dallas Cowboys got the win they wanted although there is indeed a question whether they got the uplifting, feelgood moral victory they felt they needed to end what has been a thoroughly disappointing 2017 season.
The 6-0 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in 19-degree temperatures felt like acupuncture at times.
The Cowboys looked like a listless team with nothing to play for against a playoffbound Eagles team that opened the game without six defensive starters and one offensive starter in hopes of avoiding injury until the postseason.
The Eagles pulled their starting quarterback after the first quarter, yet the Cowboys couldn’t muster a discernible edge even with quarterback Dak Prescott, running Ezekiel Elliott and wide receiver Dez Bryant playing the entire way.
The Cowboys finally broke through after 47 minutes and 39 seconds of scoreless play with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Brice Butler, capping a 99-yard drive in which they had to overcome a third holding penalty of the game.
To sum up the abject play, kicker Dan Bailey missed the extra point and later missed a 23-yard field goal with 13 seconds to go. Both kicks were wide left.
But somehow the Cowboys defense made it stand up against a collection of Eagles backups led by little-known quarterback Nate Sudfeld. Cowboys rookie Chidobe Awuzie got his first interception of the season.
The Cowboys finished the season with a winning record at 9-7. They avoided their fourth 8-8 finish under coach Jason Garrett.
“I think today was indicative of the kind of guys we have on our team, the character we have on our team. To battle, to fight, battle and scratch to find a way to win this ballgame,” Garrett said. “It was important to us.”
Garrett will return in 2018, but the same can’t be said of his coordinators, especially offensive chief Scott Linehan.
The Cowboys’ offense has struggled over the past eight games and the return of Elliott over the past two games after missing six with an NFL suspension has not opened it up much.
“It’s so important to take care of the situation, to come back to work this week and show who we are,” Garrett said. “Today was not perfect by any means, but I thought we fought through and did a good job showing who we are.
“We’ll pull back and look at everything, how we’re doing things and who we’re doing things with and make strides. We’ll get into that quickly in the offseason and get refocused on what we need to do in 2018 to take the next steps.”