Merry Grinchmas: Cowboys Lose Late to Dolphins; Top 10 Whitty Observations
Well, that'll spoil Santa's best intentions. Welcome to holiday heartbreak.
The Dallas Cowboys received a big lump of coal in their stocking in Miami, fumbling on their first possession and surrendering a field goal on their last in a 22-20 loss to the Dolphins.
10. BACK-TO-BACK BUMMERS - The Cowboys had won nine straight games after a loss, but now have consecutive losses for the first time since Nov. 21-25, 2021.
9. MAN-TO-MAN MESS - Cowboys' defensive coordinator Dan Quinn loves to play man-to-man defense, but it burned him on Miami's key offensive play. You'd think limiting the Dolphins' powerful offense to one touchdown would be enough to win this game, but Miami got five field goals. Tyreek Hill turned a quick pass into a 10-yard gain on 3rd and 3 at Dallas' 33 with two minutes remaining. A stop there and Dak Prescott would've had a chance to win the game with a field goal. Instead, Jourdan Lewis couldn't keep up with Hill ... ball game.
8. KICK COUNTERPOINT - Miami's Jason Sanders made field goals of 57, 52 and 54 yards. And now Cowboys fans know what it's been like to face Brandon Aubrey this season.
7. MICAH DONCIC? - Was it a bad roughing-the-passer penalty on Micah Parsons in the second quarter? Maybe. Was it worse the way he overreacted? Absolutely. Parsons needs to be more about "we" and less about "me." His whining smacked of Luka Doncic getting distracted and disengaged by a borderline foul call. Nonetheless, both are pretty decent players.
6. AI INDEED - Cowboys this year on fake turf: 10-1; Cowboys this year on natural grass: 0-4. Bad news for their playoff road: Both the Eagles and 49ers have grass fields.
5. TRADE OVER TRADE - The Dolphins traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey last offseason. Thankfully, the Cowboys did the same for receiver Brandin Cooks. The Cowboys' acquisition outfought the Dolphins' acquisition for a leaping touchdown catch that gave Dallas a late 20-19 lead.
4. GOAL-LINE GAFFE - The Cowboys' entered this one 6-0 when they scored on their first drive. They didn't get a chance to improve to 7-0. After a 14-play drive, they handed the ball to seldom-used fullback Hunter Luepke. Why? With all their skill-position options - including Dak on a run-pass option - Luepke had to be at the bottom of the list. He fumbled what looked like a perfect hand-off from Prescott to end a promising drive with a costly turnover. It turned out to be the difference in the game.
3. ROAD WOES - Cowboys away from Arlington against winning teams this season: 0-4 by a combine score of 123-63.
2. DEJA BOO - Truth be told, we'd rather have watched a replay of Super Bowl VI. Cowboys 24, Dolphins 3.
1. SILVER LINING - Coming into this one the Cowboys were trending toward being the NFC's No. 1 Wild Card. After the loss they are ... still trending toward being the NFC's No. 1 Wild Card.
