The Dallas Cowboys traveled to Levi Stadium yesterday to play the San Francisco 49ers and the game turned out to be much more difficult than a lot of us anticipated.
The 49ers were able to jump out to an early 14 point lead, but the Cowboys didn’t lie down. They continued to battle throughout the game and were able to come away with a 24-17 victory.
I don’t know about you, but while watching the game there were plenty of moans and groans coming from me. Fortunately, everything worked out in the end and the Dallas Cowboys improved to 3-1 and will now prepare to take on the Cincinnati Bengals at home in Week 5.
Last week I shared with all of you what I thought the Dallas Cowboys did good, bad, and what they really looked ugly doing against the Chicago Bears, so I decided to continue that this week as well.
Below is The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly for the Dallas Cowboys against the San Francisco 49ers. Pay close attention, you may just notice a trend this week.
I’ll give you a hint. It all has to do with the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys.
The Good
Despite playing from behind the majority of the game, there was actually quite a bit of good that happened Sunday afternoon in the game against the San Francisco 49ers. So much so, that I kind of had a difficult time narrowing down exactly what I wanted to put in this category.
I decided to forgo stating the obvious and putting Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott here, although both rookies are largely responsible for the Dallas Cowboys coming away with a victory. Instead, I went with Morris Claiborne.
Claiborne is playing lights out so far through the first four games of the 2016 season. He is performing like one of the better cornerbacks in the league and I knew it was just a matter of time before he notched his first interception of the year.
If #24 can continue to remain healthy, he could be the MVP for the Dallas Cowboys defense and possibly earn his first Pro Bowl appearance.
Let’s just hope he continues to play the way he has been so for.
The Bad
The pass rush for the Dallas Cowboys defense has been pretty much nonexistent so far in 2016, and was virtually invisible again against the San Francisco 49ers yesterday.
For the majority of the game 49ers QB Blaine Gabbert had a clean pocket to operate in and was able to find success in the passing game, despite not having many weapons to throw to.
The play from the Cowboys defensive ends was particularly bad. Tyrone Crawford was able to get one quarterback sack, but was pretty much iineffective pressuring the QB most the game.
Fortunately, the defense will be getting reinforcements now that DeMarcus Lawrence is able to rejoin the team, but I don’t know how much of a difference one player can make.
We will just have to hope that he can pick up where he left off at the end of last season and add some much-needed juice to the pass rush for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Ugly
We all knew heading into the 2016 season that the Dallas Cowboys defense would be the weak link for the team, and it showed yesterday against the 49ers.
The Rod Marinelli lead defense was ugly from the get-go and allowed the 49ers to get out to a 14 point lead early in the game. You’re not going to win very many games in the NFL if that continues to happen.
Fortunately, the defense continued to battle throughout the game and was able to come up with some important third-down stops and get the ball back to the offense.
It wasn’t a pretty performance by any means, but they were able to do just enough to come away with a victory and improve their record to 3-1.
What do you think was The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly against the 49ers?
Let me hear your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.
Under the “Ugly” category, you can add Dan “Beetle” Bailey’s name. He has been a rockstar for years. These past couple of weeks, he looks human. Don’t get me wrong, I could never kick the way he does but when it comes down to it, he makes great money to make field goals and extra points. As a fan, I have never been nervous about his ability to make field goals. This year, that has changed. Does anyone know if he’s having some kind of physical problem or is he simply in a slump? Maybe he cut his hair on gameday or he washed his socks. I’m sure he’ll be fine and maybe the wind was a factor but I do find myself wondering if I trust him the way I used to.
Rigo, I heard that he’s dealing with some kind of back problem. I’m not quite sure of the severity of it, but it is having an effect on his play. Even at less than 100%, I like Dan Bailey a lot more than I do other kickers around the NFL. Hopefully whatever issue he’s dealing with will clear up quickly.
How big a different will D. Lawrence make
Paul, that’s difficult to answer with any kind of certainty. His addition is definitely welcomed, but I wouldn’t expect him to light things up his first game back. It might actually take a few games to get his feet under him. There is really no way of knowing what kind of “football shape” he is actually in. He should help with the pass rush whatever role he was in.
you say you dont know how much difference one player can make ….. did you miss last season???
Fernando, I take it you’re referring to Tony Romo. Yes, when you lose your franchise quarterback your team will definitely suffer. However, I don’t know how much of a difference Lawrence will make. He will definitely help the defense, but not as much as a QB does for the offense. I would love to see Lawrence join the team and completely ball out, but any pressure he can get on the opposing QB should prove beneficial. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. It’s always good to get some feedback from readers.