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FRISCO, Texas – From my point of view in our studio at The Star, here are my first reactions to a big Cowboys victory on the road in Atlanta.
As always, I will have a more detailed notebook once I can watch the game again. But those are my most important impressions of Sunday afternoon, after a game that the Cowboys had absolutely to dispute.
· I like the way Cole Beasley came back in this game after the first touchdown. It was a great way to finish this first race, but it was not supposed to be. Give credit to Scott Linehan for dusting this game and putting it in this situation. We first saw it against the Packers during a match at Lambeau Field in 2016. Beasley ran the road again to perfection, but he just did not have the finish . Despite this decline, Beasley was outstanding for the rest of the way and a big reason for the win.
· Very big series early in the Dallas defense game, getting two bags of Matt Ryan to drive the Falcons out of range and force a punt. The Cowboys came from a nasty tripling, giving the Falcons a little boost. Ryan had just converted a quarterback for a first and the Cowboys were on their heels. But Randy Gregory won a cascade of twists and turns crushing Ryan. Two games later, Ryan was trying to find Calvin Ridley slipping underneath – but DeMarcus Lawrence, hitting the ball, kept his body balanced and put Ryan on the ground before he can get out the ball, getting the defense of the field.
· I was so disappointed that Jeff Heath could not fall with this interception. For a defense that was struggling to clinch passes, it was a great opportunity to get it. I felt as if Heath had done everything from his position on the road to tracking the ball. All he needed was the finish – but just as he was doing, Julio Jones did a remarkable job.
· As a former scout in this league, I had to smile about what the Cowboy scouts thought when Leighton Vander Esch intercepted that deflected Calvin Ridley ball. I guarantee you that in this repechage room, there were guys who had the courage to talk about both players and why they deserved to be in this team. As happy as the Falcons talk about Ridley, the Cowboys are equally pleased with Vander Esch. For a recruit, his learning curve is so short – it's really something that as an enlightener, you really can not predict. Vander Esch continues to put himself in a position to play, whether it's running or defending the pass. This game where he refused to Austin Hooper the ball on the goal line was a four-point game for the defense. This forced the Falcons to hit a punt when it appeared that they were looking for a touch in the face.
· What a great reception along the sideline by Amari Cooper with her extension. I do not know at all how Dak Prescott got that ball over the blanket, but Cooper extended his hands at the right moment, pulling the ball down. What impresses Cooper is not only his catch radius, but also the body control he can display. He never seems to be in a bad position when the ball comes to him.
· I only wish Xavier Woods had a better finish in the game where Tevin Coleman caught the ball behind the line in the flat. Woods could not have played that better in his reading and his reaction. He saw the play end to end and put himself in the perfect position to make a huge tackle against the loss. But instead, Woods rebounded against Coleman and the running back slipped on the sidelines for 18 yards. There have been clichés where Woods has done better after experiencing a difficult start, so I promise you that when he studies the tape on Monday, he'll get tired of that particular lack.
· The Collins comes from a school, LSU, who knows something about football management. What a head to head game for him, not only to pick up Ezekiel Elliott's fumbling with very glued gloves, but also for the presence of the spirit necessary to move him forward to secure the first. Collins was at the back of the game, but to his credit, he took it out and pulled himself together to support the shot that led to the first touchdown of the Cowboys.
· The numbers do not say that Dak Prescott had a great success on the field, but a couple of one or two yard runs made a big difference in the result of that game. His touch of the reading option was only a power move from him. This reading was not clear and Damontae Kazee sat there in the hole and waited for it. Prescott was not going to be denied and Kazee had no answer for him while he was heading into the end zone.
· Cam Fleming had a beautiful second-placed block on Ezekiel Elliott's touch, right in the middle of the Falcons' defense. Once Elliott hit the hole, I thought the game had a chance because of all the white jerseys on top of the black jerseys. It was an excellent stalemate at the point of attack to open the hole and Elliott needed only one block from Fleming. Once he approached the goal line, there was absolutely no question of the safety of the Falcons.
· I've sometimes criticized Dak Prescott for not having seen the field completely, but I must say that Cole Beasley's 19-yard port made me ridiculous. Prescott did not just slip to his left to buy him space, but he anticipated that Beasley would move away from him and drop a nice touch pass to put the Cowboys within range of the target. Prescott saw Beasley until the end, but he especially gave Beasley the opportunity to use his speed to chase the ball and lead him up the field.
· Hats off to Rod Marinelli and Leon Lett for being shorthanded ahead, while getting the maximum effort and skill for the dressed guys. I'd heard through the bunch that on Friday they were working with Damien Wilson at a straight defensive end, in case they needed a body to play in case of injury. Before the game, Fox Sports' Pam Oliver had confirmed it via Rod Marinelli, but he did not seem to have to follow that path. The rotation was not very deep, especially on offense, but it was a good mix of their lineage of four players and a line of three players enough to put pressure on one of the best quarterbacks in the league . It's likely they could recover Antwaun Woods for the Redskins game and maybe even Taco Charlton. It will help a lot.
· My last thought: I'm sure Jason Garrett had his reasons why he did not shoot a "Hail Mary" shot before half-time, but that made me confused – especially with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Rico Gathers available. The Falcons are not a good team of smugglers and their secondary team is suspicious. Maybe he did not want Dak Prescott to be a victim of potential interception, but that's something I might have tried, especially with his talents, to get it.
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