Cowboys face big offseason questions
The epitome of the Dallas Cowboys’ ground game woes on both sides came in the fourth quarter Saturday.
Dallas was down 23-15 and on the Rams 35 when running back Ezekiel Elliott was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1. Los Angeles then went on a 12-play, 65yard touchdown drive where all but two plays were runs. “They dominated us up front, we didn’t get any movement,” said Elliott about the fourth-down play.
The biggest offseason question on contracts for the core of the Dallas offense is whether quarterback Dax Prescott gets an extension before the final year of his four-year rookie deal.
The Cowboys are all but certain to exercise the fifthyear option on Elliott, which would take him through 2020.
“We’ll treat this season just like those past seasons,” safety Jeff Heath said in a deserted locker room Sunday.
“It’s a tough lesson to learn ... of just how switched on you have to be in a game like that and how the margin for error’s so small when you’re on the road in the playoffs.”
Chargers
The daughter of defensive lineman Brandon Mebane was remembered before Los Angeles’ playoff game against New England. The Patriots asked fans to stand and observe a moment of silence for Makenna Mebane, who was born with a rare genetic condition known as Trisomy 13. She died Jan. 3 at the age of 7 weeks. “We appreciated the Patriots organization,” safety Jahleel Addae said after the game Sunday. “They’re a first-class, stand-up organization to do such a thing; they didn’t have to. I know he appreciates it and we appreciate it as well.”
Chiefs
A random act of kindness netted AFC championship tickets for a man named Dave who helped dig Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Allen out of the snow. Allen posted on Twitter that his car got stuck as he was heading to Arrowhead Stadium Saturday. Allen says “a nice guy named Dave,” who didn’t know he is a Chief, got him back on the road. The Chicago native asked his 21,000-plus followers to help him track down the Good Samaritan so he could reward him with tickets. On Sunday, Allen tweeted that he has found the real Dave “despite the recent influx in people changing their name to Dave in the KC area lol.”