Cowboys Edge Eagles In Philly
The image of Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliot hurdling Philadelphia Eagles’ safety Trey Sullivan is the image of Week 10, and rightfully so.
Week 10 saw a number of teams hurdling challenges thrown their way. From the Washington Redskins winning in spite of being out-gained by 215 yards, to the Colts winning without scoring a point in the second half.
It was a fun week of action, one that saw the Kansas City Chiefs offense look as human as they have all season long while Baker Mayfield put forth his best start as a pro to date.
Here are my takeaways from the NFL Week 10 action.
Cowboys Get Season-Saving Win In Philly
By any means necessary.
That was the mentality for the Dallas Cowboys heading into a make or break showdown in Philadelphia with their season on the verge of completely falling apart.
In their most resilient showing of the season, the Dallas Cowboys edged the Philadelphia Eagles 27-20 on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field to avoid falling to 3-6.
Behind Ezekiel Elliot’s 187 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns and Dak Prescott’s 270 passing yards and two touchdowns, Dallas kept their hopes of an NFC East title alive.
The Dallas Cowboys were coming off a disappointing 28-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans last Monday night in Dallas that sent every Cowboys apologists scurrying away in embarrassment.
They were underdogs heading into this matchup, but it was the Cowboys who were imposing their will against the defending Super Bowl champs, who fell to 4-5 this season.
Dallas’ defense created an early turnover that led to a field goal, and for much of the first half they stymied Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense as Dallas took a 13-3 lead into halftime.
Elliot’s punishing rushing and hurdling of a Eagles defender highlighted his strong night for the Cowboys.
While the game got tight in the second half, Dallas didn’t fold, answering Philadelphia’s punches with haymakers of their own.
After the Eagles tied the game at 20-20 in the fourth quarter with 7:27 remaining in the game, Jason Garrett’s Cowboys used a 8 play/75-yard drive that ended in a Ezekiel Elliot 1-yard touchdown run on 3rd and goal to take a 27-20 lead.
Dallas’ defense would come up huge on two last gasp attempts by Philadelphia’s offense to tie the game, first stopping Zach Ertz short of a first down on 4th and 7 after the two minute warning and then again on the final play of the game as a lateral would be snuffed out to give Dallas their most important win of the season.
The Dallas Cowboys (4-5) still have work to do with Washington holding a two-game lead over Dallas for the first place in the NFC East, but with a clash with Washington on Thanksgiving, Dallas will have an opportunity to close the gap.
Titans Punish Brady, Patriots In Tennessee
No one saw that coming.
The Tennessee Titans dominated the New England Patriots 34-10 on Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium to snap New England’s six-game winning streak.
Marcus Mariota threw for 228 passing yards and two touchdowns and the Titans defense showed up huge as they further put themselves back in the AFC South race.
After looking like one of the NFL’s worst offenses over their first seven games, scoring under 20 points in their previous three while being shutout in one game, Tennessee’s offense has kicked it into high gear following their bye week.
The Titans took a 17-3 lead in the first quarter vs the Patriots after two touchdown throws by Marcus Mariota, one to wide receiver Corey Davis, who finished with 125 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Without Rob Gronkowski for a third straight game, Tom Brady and Patriots offense struggled to find much of a rhythm as they were held to 284 total yards and 3-for-15 on third down.
Even without Gronkowski, this was a stifling performance by Mike Vrabel’s team on defense with defensive coordinator Dean Pees hitting the right buttons against his former team.
In a battle of teacher against pupil, this day belonged to the former New England Patriot Mike Vrabel as he got the better of his former coach Bill Belichick.
The Titans are a talented team that surprised people to begin the season with their struggles on offense, particularly in losses to the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, but in these past two weeks Marcus Mariota in particular has shown this offense’s capabilities.
That will be huge in the upcoming two weeks as they face off with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans on the road in their quest for division supremacy.
Rams Bounce Back At Home vs Seahawks But Lose Kupp
Coming off their first loss, Sean McVay was confident his team would respond to the adversity of defeat.
The Los Angeles Rams held off a late charge by the Seattle Seahawks to pick up a 36-31 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to sweep their division rivals.
Jared Goff threw for 318 passing yards and two touchdowns while Todd Gurley rushed for 120 rushing yards and a touchdown as the Rams avoided back-to-back losses.
It wasn’t easy, as Russell Wilson and the Seahawks were once again the competitive and fighting team they have been this whole season.
Their offensive firepower, however, would prove to be too much for the Seahawks as they racked up 456 total yards of offense in the win.
The Rams trailed 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter, but fought back as they took back the lead on a touchdown reception by Tyler Higbee.
After another score by Brandin Cooks to make it a 36-24 game, Seattle would rally to get within five points and would hold on a third down to get the ball back with 1:24 to go.
The Los Angeles Rams would make a late stop on a 4th and 10 from their own 35-yard line to preserve the victory, but the story coming from the game would be the injury of wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
Goff’s security blanket and most trusted target would hurt his left knee in the fourth quarter after running and trying to make a cut into the grass.
Cooper tore his ACL and will be lost for the rest of the season, a huge blow for the Los Angeles Rams wide receiving corp.
How the Rams go about replacing Kupp will be an interesting development to monitor over the final six weeks of the season.
Saints Light Up The Scoreboard In Blowout Win
The Saints wouldn’t let a trip to chilly Ohio slow down their tear.
The New Orleans Saints pounded the listless Cincinnati Bengals 51-14 on Sunday afternoon at Paul Brown Stadium to win their eighth straight game.
Drew Brees finished with 265 passing yards and three touchdown passes in the win. He also ran for a score.
Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas each scored two touchdowns while Mark Ingram ran for 104 rushing yards and scored on a touchdown reception.
This was seen as a trap game coming off a 45-35 win over the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Rams a week ago, but the Saints quickly turned this one into a laugher as they had a 35-7 lead at the half.
The Saints defense didn’t have much trouble with the A.J. Green-less Bengals as they held Cincinnati to 0-for-6 on third down and forced Andy Dalton into two interceptions.
That unit, as I said last week, is coming on strong in a way that further validates them as strong Super Bowl contenders.
For the Saints, the path to home-field advantage is clear. And with only three games remaining vs teams with a record above .500, they appear on the verge of reaching that goal.
What are your thoughts on the NFL Week 10 action? Leave your comments below!
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