In the Eagles vs Cowboys Christmas Eve battle for seeding amongst division rivals, all cards were on the table, save the Hurts card. All the Eagles had to do was win one of their last three games to secure the first seed in the division and conference. They will have to wait at least one more week for that to happen.
Expectations were being met and maybe even surpassed for the Eagles in the first quarter. They already had a 3-0 lead. Dak Prescott then threw a pick six to give them a 10-0 lead.
Sweaty J pick six off Dak 😂😂😂
pic.twitter.com/2EGCuYn2Az— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) December 24, 2022
Into the arms of a leaping defender
This was in stark contrast to last week’s game sealing pick six. This pick was thrown directly into the arms of the leaping defender as opposed to being volleyed upward by the receiver. It was also the first quarter as opposed to overtime.
The Cowboys quarterback imposed his will on the following drive. A third down scramble to move the chains was merely the first bailout.
On the ensuing third down, a blitzer invoked Prescott’s inner-Roethlisberger, as he refused to leave the pocket. Like a man possessed, with a defender dangling from his leg pathetically, Dak willed the ball to Gallup for the first down.
Dak Prescott avoids the sack on third down, finds Michael Gallup for the first-down grab pic.twitter.com/WNxlN3mgfS
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 24, 2022
The Cowboys concluded the drive by punching it in with Elliott, who’s seen a recent resurgence. With his touchdown run against the Eagles, he’s now scored in eight straight games.
Shakeup from the norm
Tony Pollard’s been the man this season. Averaging over five yards per carry, he was selected to appear in his first ever Pro Bowl. This game was a bit of a shakeup from the norm, however, as Pollard’s production was limited in the run game. His six catches were more in line with normality, however.
Another Pro Bowler, Ceedee Lamb went on a tear catching 10 passes for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has already surpassed his single-season highs with 1207 yards and eight touchdowns.
As could be expected from these two teams, it was back and forth all day.
Gallup had a circus catch with less than three minutes to go in the third quarter. This once again brought the Cowboys back from a seven-point deficit.
Michael Gallup omg pic.twitter.com/RUdi02IAuL
— Joey Hayden (@_joeyhayden) December 24, 2022
With less than eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, a set of losses on the first two plays had the Cowboys in dire straits. Dak reared back and threw a miraculous 52-yard strike to TY Hilton on 3rd and 30. This commemorated Hilton’s first catch as a Cowboy. And he wasn’t going to let us forget it.
TY HILTON ON 3RD AND 30! #DallasCowboys
(Via: @NFL)pic.twitter.com/0rpXUW8B1C
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 24, 2022
Down by six, having driven all the way down to the 20-yard line, Gardner Minshew was close to completing a comeback. The wind was taken out of his sails on a 4th and long prayer lofted into a sea of endzone coverage. Playing against America’s Team, his skills were on national showcase for a future starting job. He had a big day with 355 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown.
Despite the 40-34 final score, the defense on both sides of the field were playing tough all day. These are two of the best teams in the NFL, and they really put that on display in this game.
They must win twice
Either of these two teams could still be the number one seed in the division or even the NFC. The division and conference are linked together because of the Eagles record. What that means for the Cowboys is that they must win twice, and that they must depend on the Eagles to lose twice. The 49’ers also factor in.
The season is getting down to the nitty gritty. The playoff picture is starting to shape up. The contenders have almost finished identifying the pretenders. They are left to punch it out for the last two weeks.
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