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The Dallas Cowboys whipped the Washington Redskins Sunday afternoon by the score of 31-21.
Dak Attack
Dak Prescott and the Cowboy offense started the game off sluggish. They couldn't get anything going for most of the first half and the Redskins intercepted a tipped pass that led to an early 7-point deficit. But that was the only time the Redskins would lead in the game.A bout mid-way through the 2nd quarter the Cowboy offense found its rhythm and went on to score on five consecutive possessions.
Prescott finished the game 26/30 for 269 passing 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.He also ran the ball 5 times for 69 yards that included a 42-yard scamper down the left side. His longest career run helped lead to another Cowboys touchdown. Dak connected with 8 different receivers, which included a 51-yard bomb to Devin Smith that tied the game at 7.
With the offense clicking, Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott saw his workload increase and finished the day with 25 touches. He had 23 carries for 111 yards, 1 rushing touchdown, and 2 catches for 9 yards .When he has games like this, Dallas is extremely hard to beat.
The Cowboys are now 2-0 for the season and all alone in first place of the NFC East.
3 Things to Watch For
1.Ezekiel Elliott (Running Back): Looks like he is back to regular season form and is set for another big day this week when he goes up against the Miami Dolphins who are the worst defense in the league so far. Zeke should get 20+ touches again.
2.Randall Cobb (Wide Receiver): With #2 receiver Michael Gallup out for the next few weeks due to a knee injury, Cobb should see an increased amount of playing time.He was the second most targeted pass catcher last week and could be in store for a big day.
3.Cowboys Defense (All): The Dolphins are the worst team in the league so far and the defense should have multiple opportunities for turnovers, sacks, and maybe even scoring.Miami gave up 2 defensive touchdowns last week.I would expect career games from both Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch.
Coming Up
Sunday Sept. 22, the Dallas Cowboys (2-0) will be taking on the Miami Dolphins (0-2) at home in AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is set for noon Central time.I expect another easy win for Dallas. Dak and company should have no problem going to 3-0 and I am sure Zeke will have another 100 yard game with multiple touchdowns.
If you have any fantasy players, the only must start players are:
Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott (RB), Amari Cooper (WR), and Dak Prescott (QB)
Dolphins:N/A
For you gamblers out there, the Cowboys are currently -22.5 and the over/under is 47. 21+ points is ridiculous, I don't think I have ever seen the any team favored by this many points. There is no possible way anyone should take that. If you have to play it, I think the under might be the way to go. You would be banking on Miami not scoring more than 10 points.
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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.