DALLAS — This is a prove it game for both teams.
I love these types of games!
Both the Cowboys and Dolphins are looking to quiet the naysayers as they prepare to battle on Christmas Eve at Hard Rock Stadium.
The Cowboys are looking to fumigate the stench from that 31-10 debacle in Buffalo. The Dolphins are kicking off their toughest stretch of the season with the Cowboys, Ravens and Bills on the schedule to close out their regular season.
Here's a familiar narrative: the Fins are looking to prove they can beat a quality team. They're 6-1 at home, but those wins have come against the Jets, Raiders, Patriots, Panther, Giants and Broncos. And they've yet to beat a team with a winning record all season. Dallas fans are all-too-familiar with that storyline.
The Cowboys are looking to beat anybody on the road. They're an NFL-best 7-0 and home, but a meager 3-4 on the road. And the two best teams they've played away from home -- the 49ers and Bills -- dominated them by a collective total of 53 points.
"The mindset is [when] a lion's roaming, does he take over the land or does he die? Last week we died, so we got to take over some land this week," said Cowboys do-everything defender Micah Parsons.
Parsons proverbial "take over some land" reference would be more precisely interpreted as defending turf in the ground game Sunday. The Cowboys gave up a season-high 266 yards against the Bills. The Dolphins are ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing but lead the league with 5.1 yards per carry. Running backs Raheem Mostert and Texas native De'Von Achane, along with Miami receivers, will challenge Cowboys run defenders, especially on the perimeter.
The Cowboys are likely to again be without defensive tackle and run-stuffer Johnathan Hankins, so rookie Mazi Smith has another chance to step up. In his starting debut, Smith had a sack and a couple of tackles, but nowhere near the needed impact at the point of attack.
The Cowboys whiffed on a season-high 12 tackles against the Bills. For reference, an acceptable number is usually about six. They were challenged physically up front and didn't answer the bell in terms of playstyle or technique.
Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said tackling and ball-hawking creates the secret sauce that makes the Cowboys defense great, and he vowed his squad will bounce back.
"I would be hard-pressed to think of anything other than our guys to respond in an absolutely critical and accountable way to one another to make sure our performances are exactly like we want them to be," Quinn said.
There's actually reason to believe Quinn is right. In the McCarthy era, the Cowboys have proven to be resilient - not losing consecutive games since Thanksgiving of 2021.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, despite the Dolphin's league-best offensive production, still must answer tough questions from the Miami media. So much so, he was quite confrontational this week, clapping back at the criticism he receives.
"At the end of the day I really don't care," said the fourth-year signal caller. "But I do keep receipts."
Sounds like Tua and Dak can have a serious powwow, although rarely does Dak take that approach.
Some of the questions surround whether Tagovailoa can be at his best without extremely talented wide receiver Tyreek Hill. And we'll see if that is the case this week. Hill took part in practice this week in limited fashion and will more than likely be a game-time decision after he works out for the training staff pregame. "Pivotal" only begins to describe the outcome that decision will have on the game.
There's been plenty of spice in the Dolphins press room this week. McDaniel told reporters to ask questions about the playoff picture at their own peril. He said if there were any questions other than about that player or the team they're playing this week, he gave them license to tell the reporter: bug off. Except he didn't say "bug," he used the first letter of the expletive that is oftentimes followed by the word "off."
Rant Alert!!!
My default setting is logic-over-emotion, but I'll forego that because this rant needs to be made.
You want to know how you beat a good team on the road? PLAY WITH DISCIPLINE!
The Cowboys lead the NFL in penalties (102) and penalty yards (872). They only had five against the Bills, but three of them - roughing the passer, roughing the kicker, and unnecessary roughness - were instrumental in extending the Bills first three touchdown drives.
And for the love of everything holy, can we get rid of the brain-dead pre-snap penalties?
Let's try to go one week -- one week I ask -- without a Cowboys defender lining up offsides. Alignment and assignment - it's just so basic! Geez!
Ok, rant done.
Let's return to our regularly-scheduled programming.
A Quick Look at the Weekend Ahead
- Who: Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins
- When: 3:25 p.m. on Sunday, December 24, 2023
- Where: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, FL)
- Weather: Cloudy. Temperatures in highs in the mid-70s and lows in the high-60s with 13 mph winds.
- Watch: FOX (Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi)
- Listen: KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan (Brad Sham, Babe Laufenberg, Kristi Scales)
- Last Meeting: Miami 6 - Dallas 31 (September 22, 2019, at AT&T Stadium)
- Series Record: Dallas Cowboys lead series 8-7-0
X's and Joes
The Cowboys offense didn't take as much heat as their defensive counterparts after the Bills blowout. But make no mistake, Dak Prescott and company have plenty to prove after not scoring a touchdown against the Bills until garbage time.
The forecast calls for possibly heavy rainfall, so this will not be the pristine conditions of AT&T Stadium that we've seen Dak and the Cowboys offense thrive in. It will be a fantastic test to prepare the Cowboys for what they will probably face in the postseason.
The Eagles finish the season with two games against the Giants sandwiched with one against the Cardinals.
Dallas will need help from either the "G-men" or Arizona to catch the Eagles for the NFC East crown. Otherwise, it will mean a road test is likely in Philadelphia or against the 49ers. The less-than-ideal conditions Sunday could be a preview of what to expect in the postseason.
The matchup also brings up an intriguing reunion between Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. After the Broncos beat the Cowboys in 2021 when Fangio was the Denver defensive coordinator, he said teams weren't playing the Cowboys the right way, hinting that he had a blueprint to stop the Cowboys offense. It was an odd comment that you rarely hear from coaches in the NFL.
"In 2021 maybe," said Prescott when asked about Fangio's so-called blueprint, "I don't think that blueprint's gonna hold up."
Ok Dak. Now go prove it.
And while he's at it, Prescott needs to lead his team to its first road win over a team with a winning record since Week 11 last season versus the Vikings.
Random Stat of the Week
If you're a veteran reader of the The Playbook, you may have seen this one before. But, because of the expected rain, I thought it would be of relevance and interest.
Ever wonder how many footballs are used in each NFL game?
54 - Each team is expected to supply 12 primary footballs, and 12 backup footballs. Besides those 48 balls, refs break open six brand new balls that are shipped directly to the game's head referee a few hours before the game. Those six balls are specially marked to be used in the kicking game, known as K-Balls.
Bandwagon Meter
Prediction Time: Joestradamus speaks!
The Cowboys have been awful against good teams on the road for quite a while now.
I think that changes on Christmas Eve. I'm banking on the resiliency factor ruling the day after embarrassing beatdown at the hands of the Bills.
In an early Christmas gift to Cowboys nation, Dak Prescott leads the Cowboys to a shootout win over the Dolphins, 34-31.
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