The Dallas Cowboys lost on Thursday night. We can sit here and list the reasons that Dallas lost to the Philadelphia Eagles and CeeDee Lamb’s drops are at the very top for most people. That is certainly fair.
A lot of people are going to be critical of Miles Sanders’ fumble and that is certainly hard to deny. Turning the ball over so close to the goal line with points seemingly in hand by way of Brandon Aubrey is a recipe for disaster.
Part of what made this game weird was the lightning delay that occurred and there is a little bit to that whole phenomenon that may have changed the complexion of this game. No points were scored by either team following the delay which suggests that for the most part offenses cooled off. That happens.
The Sanders fumble actually came the very play before the delay was called, but let’s turn our attention to the one right before that.
It was 3rd and 22. Jake Ferguson was the target for both Dak Prescott and, as it turned out, Reed Blankenship. Blankenship hit Ferguson in the head area and was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty gave Dallas a fresh set of downs and Sanders fumbled.
You can make the case that was not a penalty from Reed. It seemed like things were happening quickly and we have all seen a moment where we wondered what a defender is supposed to do when things are that fast. Imagine if that hadn’t been a penalty. but just an incompletion on third down. Dallas would have trotted Aubrey out on fourth and forever and he would have tightened things up 24-23. Then the delay would have happened.
The Cowboys touched the ball three times after the delay and failed to score at all as we have noted. You do have to wonder though how things could or would have gone if all they had needed was a field goal as opposed to a touchdown.
Maybe it makes a difference. Maybe it doesn’t. But it seems very clear that the lightning delay and the plays right before it served as the biggest points of change for Dallas overall.
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