Dallas Cowboys Ex Coach Jimmy Johnson Reacts to Loss at Philadelphia Eagles: How Did Turnovers Go Wrong?
The Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles matchup was one of the most anticipated games of the season as playoff implications are on the line. And after some minor (but costly) mistakes by the Cowboys, the Eagles remain the dominant team in the NFC East as they record a 28-23 win on NFL Week 9 Sunday.
And what does Jimmy Johnson, the legendary Cowboys coach speaking on the FOX NFL postgame show, think of it all?
Johnson scrutinized the Cowboys' effectiveness in the red zone and pointed towards two crucial plays that tilted the game in favor of the Eagles.
“For the viewer, it was a great ballgame,” Johnson said. “But you look at the game of inches; If they execute the rub route just a little better. (Luke) Schoonmaker makes it into the end zone. Or (Dak) Prescott doesn’t step out of bounds. It’s just a little bit more, they could’ve kicked a field goal at the very end.
Jimmy Johnson (left), Jerry Jones (middle), Mike McCarthy (right)
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To put the plays into further context, at the 1-inch line, Cowboys rookie tight end Schoonmaker made a successful catch, but the Eagles' (early?) tackle prevented him from advancing further, resulting in no score.
Later, after a touchdown pass to Cowboys receiver Jason Tolbert, a running Dak stepped out of bounds before reaching the end zone to complete the two-point conversion attempt. Prescott's failed attempt could have been a game-changer, as the Cowboys later would have been only a field-goal attempt away from tying the Eagles.
Johnson mentioned Philadelphia's effort in recovering their mistakes, something on which the Cowboys could not capitalize.
“We talked about the turnovers in the pregame show,” Johnson said. “Philadelphia fumbled three different times and recovered all three of them. So it was a game of inches; it was a great ballgame for the viewer - and for Philadelphia.”
