The Dallas Cowboys pulled out an easy win over the New York Jets, 37-22. Let’s take a look at five very important plays that shaped the outcome of the game.
Dante Fowler spikes ball into the skycam
The Jets started off with the ball, and their offense was ready to go. Justin Fields was finding open receivers and Breece Hall was bursting through gaping holes at will. Before long, they were sitting in goal-to-go, but the Dallas defense stiffened up.
On third-and-goal from the Dallas seven-yard line – just far enough to force a field goal with a stop – the Jets were trying to ensure this drive ended with a touchdown. But Dante Fowler had other plans.
Fowler had the wherewithal to bat the pass up in the air, and it may actually have been picked off if not for hitting the skycam. Either way, Fowler’s heads-up play meant the Jets settled for a field goal, and it robbed them of any offensive mojo they had built in this opening drive.
George Pickens comes up big on third down
Just like the Jets, the Cowboys fizzled out on their opening drive and settled for a field goal. Their next offensive possession resulted in a punt. The offensive line had been holding up well enough, but Dak Prescott simply had nowhere to go with the football. Their third drive was in similar danger early on.
Facing a third down with six yards to go for the first down, Prescott needed to move the chains. They had the ball on their own 39-yard line, and another stalled out drive would not be good. He found George Pickens on the left and fired the ball into his receiver, who made the grab and picked up 14 yards in total.
The catch may not have felt like much in the moment, but it was huge. The Cowboys went on to score later in this drive, and they ended up scoring a whole lot more after that. Pickens didn’t even register another catch until his deep touchdown bomb in the second half, but this one on third down helped extend the drive and wake up the offense.
Marist Liufau forces fumble
Marist Liufau looks to be a star in the making. It seems like every collision he’s involved in is bone crushing, and he plays with such fire. That spirit showed up in a big way in the second quarter, as the Jets were finally moving the ball again for the first time since their opening drive.
Breece Hall opened up the drive with a big 21-yard run, and later as the Jets got close to scoring, he broke off another 10-yard run. Except Liufau came in at the end with a perfect punch out technique.
Credit to Sam Williams, too, for following the play down the field and being in the perfect position to recover the fumble. With 2:27 left in the first half, the Jets looked to have a real shot at tying the game up, but this fumble recovery completely flipped the game on its head.
Javonte Williams’ big run
The Cowboys scored a touchdown after the fumble recovery, and then their defense forced a three-and-out in just 28 seconds. Suddenly, with a 17-3 lead, the Cowboys had a shot to double dip right before halftime and, considering they would get the ball to start the third quarter, they had a chance to triple dip.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. They got the ball at their own 33 with 29 seconds remaining and no timeouts. It would take precise execution just to get in range for Brandon Aubrey. But Javonte Williams said “Watch this.”
Not only did Williams break off a 66-yard run, but he went out of bounds at the end, stopping the clock. With 15 seconds left, Prescott faked the handoff and found a wide open Jake Ferguson for his second touchdown catch of the day. Rather than hustling for 20-3 halftime lead, Williams’ big play ensured a 23-3 lead.
Jets fail on fourth down
The Cowboys ultimately failed to triple dip, going three-and-out on their opening drive and punting on their second drive in the third quarter. The Jets’ second drive, though, appeared to have legs. Fields picked up two big conversions early, and had his team right at the midfield logo when they came up a yard short on third down.
Sensing the urgency of the situation, the Jets lined up to go for it. They looked to be preparing for a tush push play, but ultimately ran a play-action rollout. Fields didn’t have room to scramble and he had a heavily covered player in the flat. He tried to force it, but the ball fell incomplete.
The Cowboys would end up scoring two plays later, with a 43-yard bomb to George Pickens, but this play was where the game really ended. The Jets knew they needed to score on this one to keep any comeback hopes alive, but the fourth down failure marked this one as over.
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