The Cowboys Report
Cowboys rock Redskins but fall short of postseason
Jan 2, 2020, 6:57 am
Tim Warner/Getty Images
The Dallas Cowboys (8-8) came away with an easy win on Sunday when they blew out the Washington Redskins (3-13) by the score of 47-16.
Recap
The Cowboys needed to win and have the New York Giants (4-12) beat the Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) for them to win the NFC East and make it into the playoffs. Dallas played hard and looked like the team everyone expected them to be all year but sadly, the Giants couldn't beat the Eagles and the Cowboys season came to an end.
Quarterback Dak Prescott had one of his better games of the year. He was 23/33 for 303 yards, 4 touchdowns, and NO turnovers. Dak connected with seven different receivers, second year man Michael Gallup led them with 5 catches for 98 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was Gallup's first multi score game of his career. Also, super star wide out Amari Cooper finally showed up for the first time in a few weeks, he had 4 catches for 92 yards.
With Dak and Company having so much success through the air, Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott also had a big day. He carried the ball 18 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully, this was just a glimpse of what this team can in the years to come.
Improvements to watch for in the Offseason
New Head Coach: First and foremost, they need a new voice in the locker room.I believe this team has quit on Jason Garrett and he is the main reason this extremely talented team under performed. I don't know why he wasn't fired first thing Monday morning but if they stick with him next year will just be more of the same.
Offense: They locked up Zeke with a huge contract this year, now it's time for them to pay both Dak and Cooper as they enter free agency. The QB position is way more important than receiver so believe Dallas will give Dak a market value contract and then probably franchise tag Cooper to make him prove his worth, especially with the play of Michael Gallup towards the end of the year. The resigning of slot receiver Randall Cobb would be great for them as well if they can get him at a reasonable price.
Defense: They all are set with their two core stud linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch but Vander Esch missed most of the year with a neck injury. Hopefully he can recover during the offseason and come back at an elite level. I believe Dallas will look to sign some secondary help and improve the defensive backfield.The top free agents at this moment are Chris Harris (CB), Jimmy Smith (CB), and Logan Ryan (CB).
NFL Playoffs
With that being said there are still 11 NFL Postseason games to be played:
Saturday January 4th:
AFC Wild Card:Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans at 3:35 pm Central Time
AFC Wild Card:Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots at 7:15 pm Central Time
Sunday January 5th:
NFC Wild Card:Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints at 12:05 pm Central time
NFC Wild Card:Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles at 3:40 pm Central time
Saturday January 11th:
NFC Divisional Round Games:Will be at 3:35 pm and 7:15 pm Central time
Sunday January 12th:
AFC Divisional Round Games:Will be at 2:05 pm and 5:40 pm Central time
Sunday January 19th:
AFC Championship:Will be at 2:05 pm Central time
NFC Championship:Will be 5:40 pm Central time
Sunday February 2nd:
Super Bowl LIV (54):Kickoff is at 5:30 pm Central timeMost Popular
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.