‘No quit in this team.’ Dallas Cowboys feast on turnovers, top 49ers to stay alive
The party in the Dallas Cowboys locker room at AT&T Stadium Sunday afternoon said it all.
The joyous celebration was all about what the Cowboys accomplished in winning back-to-back games for the first time this season. Their 41-33 victory was well-earned after a second straight strong performance, and sweet considering that it took the Cowboys 13 weeks to win their first three games. They now have two wins in eight days.
And this was before coach Mike McCarthy told the team about the Seattle Seahawks’ 20-15 victory over the Washington Football Team, which keeps the Cowboys playoff hopes alive for at least another week. The upbeat mood is quite a ways from the talk of mistrust and finger pointing earlier this season as the losses began to mount.
The coaches and players vowed to improve and they continued to discuss plugging away on the fundamentals.
“There has been no quit in this team,” said quarterback Andy Dalton. “A lot of stuff has happened this year and some adversity that we have faced. For us to put that behind us and find a way to win says a lot.”
But to be clear, there is only one path for Dallas to get to the postseason, and it’s a steep one. The Cowboys (5-9) must win their final two games against the Philadelphia Eagles at home next Sunday and at the New York Giants on Jan. 3. And Washington (6-8) must lose their final two games against the Carolina Panthers and at Philadelphia. That scenario would give the Cowboys a 7-9 record and the NFC East title.
“To me, it’s all about the commitment. The commitment doesn’t change,” McCarthy said. “We all signed on for 16 regular-season games and we want to see this through and be the best we can be. If we don’t take care of our own business, nothing else will matter. We are focused on what is in front of us and to finish strong.”
If they finish strong they just might have a chance, but that’s a different party for a different day.
Sunday’s celebration included scoring 24 points on a feast of four turnovers. And then after a 49ers’ field goal had the Cowboys up 34-27 with 40 seconds to play, San Francisco’s onside kick attempt turned into Dallas touchdown when the ball bounced up into the hands of CeeDee Lamb, who saw a seam and took off for the end zone to put the game away.
The four to zero turnover advantage is welcome trend that started last week with the Cowboys scoring the game’s first 17 points off three turnovers in their 30-7 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. The turnover narrative was one that had been their undoing earlier in the season, but they have managed to flip the script in that department. The Cowboys have scored more points off of turnovers in the past two games than they had in the previous 12 games combined.
“I think like anything, you get into a flow, not only what you are doing but how you are doing it,” McCarthy said. “We have a lot more takeaway opportunities that we are putting ourselves in position to get. It’s a real credit to the guys, staying the course and staying after it.
It started in the first quarter when the Cowboys got a forced fumble from defensive end Dorance Amstrong on a punt return, which led to a 1-yard run by running back Tony Pollard.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence then added a strip sack on the ensuing series that Dalton turned into a 3-yard touchdown pass to Michael Gallup for a 14-0 lead.
The Cowboys led 17-14 at halftime and the game was tied at 24 early in the fourth quarter on the strength of the 49ers’ rushing attack and timely plays from quarterback Nick Mullens.
But that’s when the Cowboys began feasting on turnovers again. An interception by safety Donovan Wilson led to a 46-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein, who also connected on a 48-yarder in the second quarter.
The coupe de grace came when cornerback Anthony Brown picked off Mullens with 2:43 left. Two plays later, on a 2nd and 4 from the 49ers’ 40, Pollard took the handoff, got into the secondary, spun away from three defenders and darted to paydirt.
Lamb added the exciting touchdown return on the attempted onside kick to make it a 41-27 game, and then San Francisco added the game’s final score on a 49-yard heave as time expired.
The Cowboys weren’t perfect on defense, as they gave up 150 yards rushing on 36 carries, but the turnovers more than made up for that deficiency.
Pollard had 132 yards on 18 touches, including 69 rushing and 63 receiving. He started in place of Ezekiel Elliott, who was ruled before the game with a calf strain. It was the first time Elliott missed a game due to injury in his five-year NFL career.
Sunday provided other firsts. It was the first time the Cowboys have won back-to-back games this season, and it was the first time Dalton has started and won consecutive games since 2018, when he was with the Bengals.
Dalton, in his seventh game in place of the injured Dak Prescott, completed 19 of 33 passes for 209 yards with touchdown passes to Gallup and Dalton Schultz.
His best play was a 45-yard pass to Lamb before the 12-yard toss to Schultz.
Dalton enjoyed the post-game celebration. He knows the Cowboys still have a chance at making the playoffs, but he just focused on finishing strong.
“Our focus is the next two games,” Dalton said. “Handle what we can handle. Control what we can control. And see how things shake out.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2020 at 7:43 PM.
