A Look Ahead to Week 13
Pat Summitt, the former head women’s basketball coach once said about her team, that if they would lose two times during the year, it would help them become a champion. Summitt knew one loss could be ignored, one loss could be bad luck or a bad day. Two losses meant we needed to improve. The team needs more attention to the details, and when a team takes this mental approach with deep concentration, it embraces coaching and then improves.
Last night, the Cowboys didn’t suffer a loss; they found a way to win, coming from eight points down in the fourth quarter to beat a resilient Seattle team by six. The “almost loss” late in the season often provides valuable motivation to the team, helping the coach gain everyone’s attention for the stretch run. It’s way better than a loss—it counts as a win. Everyone celebrates for a brief moment, then reality sets in, with everyone saying, we need to get our sh*t together—quickly.
Yes, it was a struggle for the Cowboys. Yes, it aged their owner Jerry Jones as he watched the back-and-forth track meet between two offenses who never punted, gaining over 400 yards each and were both above 57% on third down. The Cowboys had been a great third down defense, second overall in the NFL, but not last night, as they allowed the Seahawks to convert nine out of 14 third downs, and of the five they didn’t convert, they attempted three fourth down conversions, all in the fourth quarter, which failed and essentially cost them the game. Seattle had the ball four times in the fourth quarter, ran 25 plays, gained seven first downs, and scored seven points. Dallas, also had four possessions, ran 21 plays, also gained seven first downs, and scored 14 points. This was a great heavyweight fight, with Dallas winning on a late-round knockout, even though they didn’t cover the 9.5. Hey, at least the Over hit and Al Michaels continued with his perfect knot. We all should have known the game was going to be great when Al went with the tie.
Dallas gets 10 days to fix their defensive issues before facing an Eagles team who would have played their third tough game in a row. Much like Philadelphia and San Francisco, Dallas must rely on their front to slow down a good passer, as their secondary is vulnerable. If the line wins, pressuring the quarterback, the Cowboys look great on defense. If they don’t, everyone is worried about how good is Dallas on defense, how good are the Eagles, or 49ers?