Cowboys, Dolphins lose games, gain credibility

Confetti from an NFL Sunday.

Dak Prescott

Miami and Dallas were on the doorstep. Kansas City and Philadelphia were in the house.

How long a stride do you need to breach the threshold? On Sunday, it just took quicker hands and smaller shoes.

The Dolphins were on the way to tying Kansas City, in Frankfurt, when Connor Williams’ shotgun snap went through the hands of Tua Tagovailoa, on fourth and 10 from the Chiefs’ 31. So much for the Dolphins’ comeback from a 21-0 halftime hole. They lost, 21-14.

In Philadelphia, the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott had the whip out as he tried to surmount an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter. After one drive died on the Eagles’ one-millimeter line, and another touchdown was wiped out by an illegal formation, Prescott gunned a touchdown to Jalen Tolbert, a third-round pick from South Alabama in 2022.

Prescott then lined up a 2-point try that, if successful, would have gotten Dallas within a field goal. He sprinted around the right corner and appeared to dive to the pylon. Success — until the cameras testified. Prescott’s foot had grazed the sideline. Dallas would need a TD to win, and two sacks by the Eagles on the final drive made that difficult after two Eagles’ penalties had made it possible. Prescott’s final pass could not get CeeDee Lamb past the four yard line, where Lamb fumbled, and the Cowboys fell short, 28-23.

In both cases, contenders knocked on the door of conference champions and nearly got in. Both Miami and Dallas seemed to have an idea of what it took, or at least a better idea. Earlier this season the Dolphins rolled into Buffalo after a 70-point dance on Denver’s heads, and they were blown out, 48-20. Dallas took the strap to New England, 38-3, but wasn’t nearly ready for a trip to San Francisco, losing 42-10.

Sure, it’s the NFL, and a loss is a loss, and it makes for a very long Monday, especially when you’re flying back from Germany. But the Dolphins and Cowboys pretty much know they’ll be in the playoffs, and days like Sunday will ensure they’ll know the terrain when they get there.

The Chiefs attacked Miami on their first drive and scored, and they played adhesive defense on Miami’s top threats until they could put together a 95-yard drive in the fourth quarter. With 0:33 left in the second quarter, Mike Edwards picked up a fumble by Tyreek Hill and flipped it to Bryan Cook, who motored down the sideline for what could have been a discouraging touchdown.

Yet Miami basically ruled the second half. Tagovailoa structured an 80-yard TD drive, and Bradey Chubb made Patrick Mahomes fumble during a sack. Miami quickly cashed that 27-yard drive on Raheem Mostert’s 13-yard score. It was 21-14 and it wasn’t the fourth quarter yet.Suddenly the champs lost their discipline. Chris Jones committed a (dubious) roughness penalty  on third-and-20, preceding Mostert’s run.

Miami had to punt with 4:22 left, on fourth and 27, but got it back with 2:28 left. Mostert immediately tore off a 25-yard run, and then a 19-yarder. Now the Dolphins were on the 31. But head coach and play-caller Mike McDaniel called three consecutive passes, none of which connected. After a time out, Williams and Tagovailoa missed connections on the snap.

Otherwise, the Dolphins removed Travis Kelce from the game (three catches, 14 yards) limited Mahomes’ runs, and took away big plays. Of course, the Chiefs’ defense — clearly the strength of the team this year – did the same, holding Hill to 7.8 yards per catch.

The Cowboys were just feisty, leading 14-7 and 17-14.  Then Jalen Hurts threw TD passes to A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith for the 11-point lead. But the Cowboys didn’t check out early, and when the Eagles lost tight end Dallas Goedert with a fractured arm, the options shrank for the home team.

On fourth down from the Eagles 1-yard-line, Prescott threw to rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker. He was tackled on the goal line. The original ruling was a touchdown, but the replay showed Schoonmaker was short, by the length of a mushroom. Dallas got it back and scored and stopped the Eagles, and Prescott had it on his own 26 with 4:43 left.

Consecutive sacks by Brandon Graham, who shared credit with Jalen Carter on the second one, stopped that drive. But the determined Cowboys stopped Philly again and had it on its own 14 with 0:46 left.

Three penalties on the Eagles, including a really mindless roughing-the-passer on Haason Reddick, helped the Cowboys get to the Philly six, but one more sack, this one by Josh Sweat, eventually forced the final pass-and-hope.

Dallas’ refusal to take no for an answer was significant. So was Prescott’s 29 for 44 day, which including 11 balls to CeeDee Lamb for 191 yards.

Lots of football remains, including a bearish schedule for the Eagles. But there’s more of an up-for-grabs feeling than there was before Sunday. After all, they never made a movie called “The Longest Inch.”

More confetti from an NFL Sunday (and Thursday):

Baltimore 37, Seattle 3

— You don’t enter the AFC North without asbestos and bubble wrap. All four teams in the division would make the postseason IFSET (If The Season Ended Today), and for the second time in two weeks the Ravens demolished an NFC invader.

– Keaton Mitchell, an undrafted rookie from East Carolina, creased the Seahawks with  138 yards in nine carries, including a 40-yard touchdown. His dad Anthony was on a Super Bowl winner with the Ravens. But Mitchell had plenty of support. The Ravens (7-2) ran for 298 yards on 41 carries, and Lamar Jackson was 21 for 26 for 187 yards and no interceptions. They waited until the second quarter to explode, unlike their 38-6 win over Detroit when they led 21-0 by the time Detroit punted for the third time. But it was just as unquestionable, especially on defense, where the Ravens held the hard-running Seahawks (5–3) to 28 yards in 15 carries and gave them six first downs overall.

— Baltimore outgained Seattle 518-151. “We just couldn’t tackle,” said Pete Carroll, Seattle’s coach. The Ravens did not punt after the first quarter and scored on nine consecutive possessions at one point.

Minnesota 31, Atlanta 28

— Joshua Dobbs had a 4.0 GPA at Tennessee, majoring in aerospace engineering. As a quarterback, he was a fourth-round pick of the Steelers. He quickly ran out of room for back-window decals; the Vikings, who picked him up Tuesday, were his seventh different franchise and his ninth tour of duty. When he was thrust into action in Atlanta Sunday, he didn’t know the names of all his linemen. None of that stopped him from rallying the Vikings to a 31-28 win, their fourth straight.
— Dobbs came in when rookie Jaren Hall suffered a concussion. Hall was subbing for Kirk Cousins, who tore his Achilles last week. Dobbs suffered a safety, but also ran 16 yards for a score. On the final drive he picked up a fourth-and-7 with a 22-yard run, and with :27 left he found Brandon Powell for the game-winner. Dobbs was 20 for 30 and led Viking rushers with 66 yards. Minnesota (5–4) remains very much alive for the playoffs without Cousins and All-Pro receiver Justin Jefferson.
— For Atlanta (4-5), it meant back-to-back losses to backup quarterbacks, and another rough day for the defense. Five of Atlanta’s nine opponents have posted a passer rating higher than 100.

Cincinnati 24, Buffalo 18
–– Damar Hamlin returned to the stadium where he nearly lost his life on Jan. 2. He didn’t play, and the Bills (5-4) could have used the safety at his prime, as they were unable to apply a speed bump to Joe Burrow & Co. The Bills gave up two turnovers and watched Burrow connect eight times with Tee Higgins for 110 yards.— Josh Allen went 26 for 38 for 258 yards and rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid caught 10 of 11 of Allen’s passes that came his way. But the Bills only controlled the ball for 23 minutes.

— With Burrow going 31 for 44 for 348 yards, the Bengals are 5-4 and riding a 4-game win streak. Burrow also changed up his act by finding tight ends Tanner Hudson, Irv Smith and Drew Sample 10 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

Houston 39, Tampa Bay 37

— C.J. Stroud seemed destined for another valorous defeat when Baker Mayfield’s pass to Chad Otton put Tampa Bay (3-5) ahead 37-33 with 0:49 left. He had two time outs and spent them after passes of 14 and six yards. Then he went 3-for-3, capping it with a 15-yard score to Tank Dell. On a day when quarterbacks were under siege, the rookie from Ohio State erupted for a 30-for-42 day for 470 yards and five touchdowns, and three receivers — Dell, Dalton Schultz and college teammate Noah Brown — surpassed 100 yards.
— With that, the Houston (4-4) prodigy because the first rookie in NFL history to throw five touchdowns with no interceptions for 450 or more yards. He has been intercepted once in 279 tries, and is third in the NFL in yards per attempt with 8.1.
— Mayfield was good, too, going 21 for 30 with two touchdowns, and the Bucs were 3-for-3 in he red zone.  Tampa Bay led 17-7 and 20-10, but its renowned defense has slipped lately. The last four quarterbacks to face Tampa Bay have posted passer ratings over 100, including Stroud’s 147.8.

Pittsburgh 20, Tennessee 16

– Diontae Johnson caught the game-winner from Kenny Pickett with 4:02 left. It was his first TD catch since the final game of the 2021 season, and capped a typical steely victory in which the Steelers overcame 10 penalties, including three on the defense during a Titans’ scoring drive.
— Pittsburgh (5-3) had a season-high 166 yards rushing and kept the Titans from sacking Pickett even once. Tennessee (3-5) had decked Atlanta quarterbacks six times the previous week. It was a tribute to an offensive line that added rookie right tackle Broderick Jones to a unit that features center Mason Cole, tackle Dan Moore and guards James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo.
– Will Levis got his second start for the Titans and didn’t throw four touchdown passes this time, although he showed toughness and decision-making ability. With the Steelers taking away DeAndre Hopkins, he couldn’t capitalize on the last two drives. Tennessee is now winless on the road since last Nov. 17, at Green Bay, and its next two games are at Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.

Cleveland 27, Arizona 0 

— This was not an advertisement for NFL parity. Caught without their starting playmakers, the Cardinals (1-8) went 1 for 12 on third down, earned seven first downs, gained about four feet per offensive play, and were outgained 326-58. They had nine punts in 14 possessions and didn’t get past the Cleveland 40 yard line.

— Clayton Tune, a rookie from Houston, was sacked seven times and intercepted twice, for a QB rating of 20.8. Meanwhile, Joshua Dobbs was leading Minnesota to victory in Atlanta. The Cardinals released Dobbs on Tuesday and promoted Tune as they await the return of Kyler Murray.

— The Browns (5-3) were able to save some energy for Sunday’s titanic tussle with Baltimore. DeShaun Watson returned to throw two touchdowns, and Amari Cooper caught all five balls Watson threw to him, for 139 yards.


Green Bay 20, L.A. Rams 3

— Jordan Love had his best QB rating (115) since Week 2, and the Packers had a season high in rushing yards (184) as they broke a 4-game losing streak and moved to 3-5. The offense converted 7 of 14 third downs, which is why they held the ball for more than 35 minutes.

— Brett Rypien filled in for Matthew Stafford and couldn’t get much traction for the Rams (4-5). Their longest run was eight yards, and the Rams had 10 first downs for the day

— The Rams were only down 7-3 early in the third quarter when they recovered Love’s fumble on their own 42. Puca Nacua’s offensive pass interference penalty ruined that drive, and on the Rams’ next opportunity, new kicker Lucas Havrisik missed a 49-yard field goal. In their three-game losing streak, the Rams’ defense has given up 87 points.

Las Vegas 30 N.Y. Giants 6

— Apparently the Raiders (4-5) didn’t need counseling when coach Josh McDaniels was fired Wednesday. With ex-Giant Antonio Pierce as the interim coach, they led 24-0 at the half and got a tight 16-for-25 passing night from rookie Aidan O’Connell, with no turnovers.

— The Giants’ whole season has been scripted by Stephen King. Daniel Jones injured his knee, and backup Tommy DeVito went 15 for 20 but was sacked six times and intercepted twice. Maxx Crosby got some help in the QB-hunting department, getting three of Vegas’ eight sacks, and the Giants dropped to 2-7.

 — It was the Raiders’ most decisive win since Nov. 15, 2020, a 37-12 win over Denver and, by halftime, Josh Jacobs had a season-high 86 yards rushing.

New Orleans 24, Chicago 17

— The Saints moved to 5-4 and took over first place in the NFC South, but it should have been easier. Chicago (2-7) presented the hosts with five turnovers, including three interceptions thrown by Tyson Bagent. The fifth one, a sack fumble forced by Demario Davis and recovered by Pete Werner, stopped Chicago’s 11th and final possession, meaning the Bears turned over the ball on nearly half of them.
— The Saints scored 10 points off those turnovers. Taysom Hill, the quarterbacking answer to 3-in-1 oil, threw a TD pass and ran 11 times for 52 yards. Hill is the first player since Frank Gifford to account for 10 touchdowns as a runner, receiver and passer, Gifford, the Giants’ Hall of Famer and former Monday Night Football play-by-play man, retired after the 1964 season.
— Bagent continued to show promise as he ran eight times for 70 yards and went 18-for-30 for 120 yards. Paulson Adebo picked him twice for New Orleans and also forced a fumble.

Washington 20, New England 17

— The Patriots were inside Washington territory on their final drive and were eyeing at least a field goal. Then Mac Jones threw an interception to Jartravius Martin, a rookie from Illinois, with a half-minute left. That’s post-Brady football, the kind that has lived for decades in many NFL cities but is a new frustration in Foxboro, where the Pats are 2-7.

— New England led Washington 17-10 early in the third quarter, but Sam Howell led the Commnaders on a seven-play TD drive and a 33-yard pass to Jahan Watson. A 36-yard pass to Terry McLaurin set up Joey Slye’s field goal that eventually made the difference.

— The Commanders (4-5) have shipped Chase Young and Montez Sweat. so they had no sacks and only one quarterback hit. Jones still struggled, going 24 for 44 for only 220 yards. New England had only two offensive plays that exceeded 17 yards.

Indianapolis 27, Carolina 13

— Kenny Moore returned two interceptions of Bryce Young for touchdowns. No Colt had ever done that, and no one in the NFL had since Tampa Bay’s Mike Edwards did it in 2021. The Panthers’ list of mistakes didn’t stop there. Xavier Woods had a roughness penalty that prolonged a Colts (4-5) drive, and Gardner Minshew responded with a TD pass to Jonathan Taylor.

— Still, it was a bad day for Young to have a bad day, because CJ Stroud, the quarterback whom Carolina (1-7) rejected to take Young No. 1 overall, was lighting it up for Houston. Young needed 39 attempts to get to 173 yards, and was intercepted three times and sacked four times. He had only one play that went more than 29 yards.

– Moore’s touchowns came from 49 and 66 yards and allowed Indianapolis to win with only one offensive touchdown. Minshew did not have a 20-yard completion, and the Panthers outrushed the Colts, 138–78.