Getty Jason Garrett
Jason Garrett picked a good time to start acting like a leader of men.
NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports the Dallas Cowboys head coach held a special meeting with his players Thursday, three days before the Cowboys would face, and defeat, the Lions in Detroit.
Per Slater, Garrett initiated the pow-wow to shoulder accountability for “some” of the team’s fatal flaws. His message purportedly was “really well received.”
“A team source tells me #Cowboys HC Jason Garrett had a meeting with the players Thursday. While they wouldn’t divulge all that was said, I was told he took accountability for some things. It was really well received by the team and they played hard for each other and him today,” Slater tweeted Sunday night.
Their season at a crossroads and lame-duck Garrett planted firmly on the hot seat, Dallas (6-4) faced a virtual must-win scenario against an inferior opponent that was without its franchise quarterback. They responded in kind, hanging on to beat the Lions, 35-27, and bolster their lead atop the NFC East as the season’s stretch run looms.
The offense seems to have taken Garrett’s mea culpa to heart, racking up 509 total yards, including 434 through the air. QB Dak Prescott was terrific, completing 29-of-46 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns, good for a sparkling 116.6 passer rating.
Two Cowboys receivers — Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb — each crossed the century mark in receiving, with Gallup the biggest beneficiary, collecting a game-high 148 yards on nine grabs.
“We have weapons everywhere. I’ve been saying that all year,” Gallup stated after the game, via The Athletic. “When we get everybody involved, it’s a good thing. It’s fun.”
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Defense is a Different Story …
While Garrett’s specialty is on the offensive side, he must appeal to all corners of the club. Meaning the defense, which was gashed by Jeff Driskel on Sunday. The Lions registered 312 total yards, though Driskel kept Detroit in contention the entire afternoon, throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns and converting eight rushing attempts into 51 yards and an additional score.
Dallas sacked Driskel three times, held starting Lions running back Bo Scarbrough to 55 yards on 14 carries, and limited top receivers Danny Amendola and Marvin Jones to a combined eight catches for 90 yards (Jones hauled in both of Driskel’s TD tosses).
But the Cowboys yet again failed to generate a turnover and, despite notching three sacks on Driskel, nearly fell apart in the fourth quarter as Detroit mounted a comeback. The Lions were perfect (three-for-three) in the red zone.
It certainly wasn’t the worst defensive effort you’ll ever witness. But it was from the best, either. Far from the potential of a loaded Cowboys squad, who faces a much tougher test in Week 12 against the New England Patriots.
Dak Nets Multiple Cowboys Records Amid Win
On Sunday, he did what no quarterback in Cowboys history had done before. Prescott set a franchise record in Dallas’ conquest of the Lions by eclipsing 3,000 passing yards through the club’s first 10 regular-season games — the only Cowboys player to reach that number in that brief of time, per NFL Research.
What’s more, according to NFL Research, Prescott’s 1,098 passing yards since Week 9 against the Giants are the most ever by a Cowboy over a three-game span. Over his last two games, a loss to Minnesota and victory against Detroit, Prescott has compiled 841 passing yards, the most in consecutive contests in Cowboys quarterbacking history, ESPN’s Ed Werder noted.
He had TD tosses of 17, 19 and 21 yards to RB Ezekiel Elliott, Cobb, and RB Tony Pollard, respectively. Dak completed balls to seven different pass-catchers in his fourth straight tilt with a rating above 100.
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