It’s always nice to watch your team get a blowout win. Despite an ugly first half, the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 31-6 last Sunday to get their third win of the season and remain undefeated. The Dolphins might be the worst team in the league, but we learned a thing or two on week 2 either way.
Here is this week’s Takeaway Tuesday! I hope you enjoy.
CB Chidobe Awuzie Struggled
Chidobe Awuzie made his presence felt versus the Dolphins but not in a good way. Early in the game, Josh Rosen targeted Awuzie. In the Dolphins’ first offensive series, Awuzie allowed a big catch by WR DeVante Parker. I’m not really sure we can put a lot on blame on him for this one, since the catch was pretty spectacular, but Chido turning his head would certainly be nice.
In the first half, he allowed four completions. He made a nice play by knocking the ball out of Preston Williams’ hands in a play that could’ve been called either way. But before knocking it out, Awuzie was clearly beat.
On top of it all, Awuzie was flagged twice for pass interference. He is talented, but he needs to clean up his game urgently.
Tony Pollard Is Something Special
After the Cowboys drafted Pollard, I loved what we heard from the front office. While many in the media discussed how Kellen Moore could use his newest running back as a “web-back” and line him up at WR sometimes to use him as a “gadget player,” Stephen Jones talked about him being able run between the tackles and be a real running back.
So far, he’s proved he can do just that. While Ezekiel Elliott ran for 125 yards, Pollard ended the day with 103. He had a 28-yard run that clearly showed us how good of a player he is. His vision, balance and explosiveness were all on display.
It was pretty fun to see some formations with Elliott and Pollard on the field at the same time. I can’t wait to see what Kellen Moore is planning for these two.
Robert Quinn is Seriously Back
Quinn was pretty impressive in his Cowboys debut last Sunday. Due to the lack of depth at the position given Tyrone Crawford’s injury, Quinn was asked to do too much after being away for the first two weeks of the season. Instead of being on a pitch count, the former Dolphin played 45 snaps on defense, accounting for 62.5% of the defensive snaps.
The entire first half, Robert Quinn was “so close” of getting a sack, constantly pressuring Rosen. He finally got his sack later in the game. It was a great play, too.
Jason Witten is Killing It
Let me start off by saying Jason Witten is my favorite Dallas Cowboy ever. Even still, I wasn’t sold on his return. I doubted how he’d do after being away from the game for a year. So far, though, he’s done nothing but impress. He has two touchdowns in the season and has been productive each game with the Cowboys. Last week’s match against the Dolphins was no exception.
One particular play comes to mind. On third-and-20, Dak Prescott and Witten made an impressive play to move the chains. With Prescott using his legs, Witten ran downfield and got open. He racked up 54 yards in three receptions against Miami. Welcome back, Gold Jacket Witt.
