Cowboys @ Chargers Game Day Thread / Post Game Discussion

[Xenos]

They haven't throw the ball deep to Guyton all year.

So you’re saying that having Johnson on the roster would have negligible too?

[Xenos]

No, we didn't lose because Johnson isn't in this game or on this team, per say, but it is likely he would have contributed a hell of a lot more in this game than Pipkins had or even Palmer for that matter which is the entire point.

I'm hoping they give Jaimes some reps, even at the Pipkins level to give him some mental gameday reps to see if they can utilize him or further integrate him in the frontline. I think trotting out Pipkins at this point in order to give him gameday reps to see if he can progress and develop to his draft pick is already too late.

I doubt he would have contributed that much. Receivers weren’t the problem today.

[powderblueboy]

So you’re saying that having Johnson on the roster would have negligible too?

I can't think of one bomb period that Herbert has thrown to anyone. Johnson would have been useless the first two games.

[gzubeck]

I can't think of one bomb period that Herbert has thrown to anyone. Johnson would have been useless the first two games.

Joe Lombardi missed the memo that we don't have Drew Brees as our QB for Dink and Dunk plays...Unleash the Rocket launcher until the defenses DB's are completely gassed by half time.

:beer:

[equivocation]

We don't know what routes are being called without the all 22 film. We don't know what coverage they are in. We only know what routes are being thrown to.

We ran a lot of play action today that seemed like they had downfield routes where it wasn't thrown downfield.

We also had a bunch of downfield throws called back.

[equivocation]

Joe Lombardi missed the memo that we don't have Drew Brees as our QB for Dink and Dunk plays...Unleash the Rocket launcher until the defenses DB's are completely gassed by half time.

:beer:

We are running a LOT of routes that Drew Brees couldn't throw. There are throws that require more arm than a 40 yard go route.

[gzubeck]

We are running a LOT of routes that Drew Brees couldn't throw. There are throws that require more arm than a 40 yard go route.

Took Joe a whole half to figure out Storm was not getting the job done. Gotta unleash the Herb...man!

[Formula 21]

NFL Week 2 Game Recap: Dallas Cowboys 20, Los Angeles Chargers 17




Sep 19, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) prepares to take the snap against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

By Michael Renner
Sep 20, 2021
Los Angeles Chargers • Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys inexplicably settled for a 56-yard field goal with time set to expire, but it didn’t matter. Greg Zuerlein drilled a kick that would have been good from much further if need be. The Los Angeles Chargers have to be kicking themselves for how many inexplicable mistakes they made in the 20-17 defeat.

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DALLAS COWBOYS

Quarterback


Dak Prescott had one bad overthrow that was intercepted, but he was pretty much pinpoint otherwise. He finished 23-of-27 for 237 yards, including a perfect 20-of-20 for 189 yards on throws within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. If there are any ill effects from his shoulder and ankle injuries, we couldn’t tell.
Running back


The Cowboys got seemingly whatever they wanted on the ground. Ezekiel Elliott went for 71 yards on 16 attempts with a score, while Tony Pollard cracked the century mark with 109 yards and a score on 13 attempts. The two combined to pick up eight first downs on the ground.
Wide Receiver/Tight End


CeeDee Lamb was once again the reliable No. 1 option the Cowboys thought he could be when they drafted him in the first round last year. After multiple costly drops last week, Lamb caught all eight of his targets for 81 yards. That’s all the more impressive considering Dallas took less than half as many dropbacks as it did last week.
Offensive Line


The Cowboys have to be thrilled with what they saw from Terence Steele at right tackle as he filled in for the suspended La’el Collins. While he was far from perfect, allowing three pressures on 28 pass-blocking snaps after first review, the Cowboys will take that performance every time against the competition he faced. Steele was matched up with Joey Bosa for much of the day and more than held his own.
Defensive Line


What a defensive line debut for Micah Parsons. He was giving right tackle Storm Norton fits all day long. The rookie finished the day with seven pressures, including one sack and one hit. He wasn’t using too many moves, but he still regularly got home.
Linebackers


With Parsons' snaps up for grabs in the Cowboys' linebacking corps, Jaylon Smith finished with 10 tackles, including three stops on 47 snaps, and didn’t miss a single tackle. That’s not a bad day at the office for the much-maligned backer.
Secondary


It was a bit of a roller-coaster day for Trevon Diggs, which has become his M.O. at this point. He had a key interception in the first quarter as the Chargers were driving.



He subsequently gave up three of his four other targets for 65 yards and added an unnecessary roughness penalty.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Quarterback


Justin Herbert flashed high-end plays but also came up unfortunately short in moments where it mattered most. He made arguably the throw of the day on a crucial third-down where he put it just over Trevon Diggs' outstretched hands.



Herbert heaved a head-scratching interception directly into the hands of Cowboys safety Damontae Kazee at the end of the third quarter. He then got inexplicably charged with a big sack after a touchdown pass to Jared Cook was called back, and the Chargers never got the ball back.
Running back


Austin Ekeler fought through an ankle injury to still make an impact in this contest. He made one of the catches of the day with a one-hander up the left sideline in the second half. Ekeler also racked up 54 yards on nine carries with four broken tackles. as the Chargers eschewed the ground game for much of the day.
Wide Receiver/Tight End


Mike Williams took over as the top option for the Chargers. He hauled in seven catches on 10 targets for 91 yards and a score. Not quite known for his after-the-catch ability, he shrugged off Anthony Brown en route to the end zone.


Offensive Line


After a lights-out debut against Washington last week, Rashawn Slater showed he was human this week. He allowed four hurries on 45 pass-blocking snaps. That was far from the biggest issue for the Chargers up front, however. Storm Norton was a liability filling in for Bryan Bulaga. The right tackle allowed 10 pressures on the day — and most of them in swift fashion.
Defensive Line


With Joey Bosa getting game-planned for a bit and removed from the equation, no one really stepped up in his stead. Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery led the team with three pressures, but one of those came in clean-up fashion. The Chargers are going to need a second option to step up when they face good offensive lines like the Cowboys' unit.
Linebackers


Kenneth Murray had his fair share of struggles in coverage on the day. He allowed catches on all four of his targets for 33 yards, with two of those going for first downs. He also added a missed tackle for a tough day against the Cowboys' running backs.
Secondary


Rookie Asante Samuel Jr. showed out. He notched a pick, a pass breakup in the end zone and another pass breakup on fourth down. They were all crucial plays that kept a reeling Chargers defense still in it.

[chris9341]

So I just got home and just finished watching the game. Here's my take on the game. #1 Penalties are the number one thing that killed this team today. Whether legit or not. # 2 Lack of a strong running game is putting to much pressure on Herbert. This team needs to draft a strong running back and not an eckler type or joshua kelly or roundtree kind of running back. We need a RB who can consistently move the chains because the running backs we have obviously can't. #3 No run defense. If other teams seen what the cowboys and Washington Football team aka Washington redskins they'll just do the same thing they did. #4 Herbert's costly int's especially the one in the redzone. Don't worry Herbert you got a long ways to go before you break Rivers int's.

[Eurobolt]

The Chargers defense is mostly completely healthy and yet gave up 100+ rushing yards to Washington last week and now 200+ rushing yards to Dallas this week.

And we have teams like Ravens, Browns and Patriots all coming up and they love to run the ball…

We need to draft / sign DT for that defence to truly work.
There are some glimpses of what it can be but well, after heavy invest in defensive part of the team in recent drafts by TT we still lacking talent....

[Stamm321]

The refs have to LET you get the job done. In critical situations the refs decided the outcome. Tell me where was the second man in motion? How do the chargers get it done more than scoring the td to have it ripped away? Oh and how much more can they get it done than score a long td to have it called back by a tick tack holding call that shouldn’t have been called?

chargers got it done, the refs took it away.

100% correct
We can - and should - always look back at the team and wonder what we could have done better to get the job done, but that does not negate the fact that we actually DID get the job done and were completely robbed of the benefits.
Dallas is a tough team, but they were not the better team yesterday. Without those ridiculous calls, this would not have been a close game or a loss.

[wu-dai clan]

I think Diggs is probably the exception. He shut down Mike Evans last week. He may be for real.

Agreed. I study depth charts. Kazee must be mentioned too, when healthy. DAL seeks energy up front, with this big turnover in DB population.

TBH, LAC foolishly took the Cowboys lightly. It was a bit of a trap situation with KC on deck.

Dak & Cowboys impressed vs Bucs D. Healthy Tyron + Zack greatly elevates DAL Oline.