Getty Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy smiles before an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys are focused on continuing their success through the season, but the team is already receiving flowers from former rivals.
The Cowboys’ 40-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings was one of the surprising final scores in this past Sunday’s box score, as the NFC North team was 8-1 coming into the game and had not lost since Week 2.
But Dallas put together a comprehensive performance, and now former New York Giants safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark is offering his apologies. Clark took a moment on Get Up to send his regards.
“I was wrong,” Clark admitted. “I am extremely sorry because what you did was you looked at the film and you said, ’You know what, you’re going to have to beat me doing things that you can’t do… I thought it was great by the Dallas Cowboys in the fact of the way that they schemed and the timely ways that they dialed up their coverages, but more importantly, they ran, they hit, and they were not scared.”
Dear,
Dan Quinn, Joe Whitt Jr, @TrevonDiggs, @Jayronkearse8, @MicahhParsons11, & @donlwilson6.
My bad! I was wrong. Y’all kicked a whole game of azz. I apologize. Publicly
Dallas likely doesn’t care whether Clark apologizes or not, but it’s still a feather in the cap of head coach Mike McCarthy after the team’s dominant showing.
Clark’s Predictions Compared Against Stats
Coming into the game, the ESPN analyst expected a tough test for the Cowboys and understandably so. Dallas was coming off an overtime loss against the Green Bay Packers, and the Vikings had won seven-straight games.
From the analyst’s perspective, Dallas was going to have a hard time handling Minnesota’s top offensive weapons in running back Dalvin Cook and wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
“They better just score a whole lot of points, cause you stack the box, 18 [Justin Jefferson] gonna get 200. You play with the light box, Dalvin Cook gonna get 200. I am interested to see what Dan Quinn does,” Clark said.
A look at the box score shows that neither player had a monstrous performance: Jefferson totaled three catches for 33 yards, and Cook earned 72 yards on 11 carries. Obviously, neither reached the endzone as Minnesota was held to just three points.
Cowboys Looking to ‘Stay Mad’
Part of Dallas’ dominant display was a superstar performance from defensive end Micah Parsons, who notched two sacks and added a forced fumble in the process.
The defensive end turned heads late in the game when he tried to get back on the field despite Dallas being up by several scores. When asked about the moment, Parsons explained that it’s all a part of a winning mentality.
“I’m just staying mad,” Parsons said according to the Cowboys’ official website. “People are gonna still try you. It’s almost like a bully trying to take your lunch money. I’m at that point where that’s enough, you’re not gonna keep trying to take my lunch money.”
That mindset will be important as the Cowboys compete in the NFC East race. Dallas is facing off against the New York Giants in what should be a classic Thanksgiving game, and both 7-3 teams will be looking to run down the Philadelphia Eagles (9-1).