That is about slumps.
The Cowboys — notably quarterback Dak Prescott — had been supposedly in a droop per week in the past. Even their proprietor, Jerry Jones, mentioned on his radio present, “I don’t need to say that, droop, however that’s in all probability truthful.”
5 days later, Prescott and Cowboys obliterated the Washington Soccer Staff 56-14 and clinched the NFC East title.
Hunch apparently over.
Prescott completed the sport with 330 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. For higher perspective on simply how dominant he was: He threw all 4 of these TD passes within the first half en path to constructing a 42-7 lead.
“I by no means mentioned we had been in a droop,” a defiant Prescott advised reporters after the sport. “These had been your phrases, so I feel it will be exhausting so that you can say that now.’’
It could not, nevertheless, be exhausting to state that the Cardinals are in a droop coming into Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Cowboys (11-4) in Arlington, Texas.
Arizona (10-5) enters having misplaced its earlier three video games after proudly owning the NFL’s finest report at 10-2 lower than a month in the past. The Cardinals started the season 7-0 and seemed like they had been headed towards the No. 1 playoff seed within the NFC.
Maybe it’s a coincidence, maybe it’s not, however groups that Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury have led have had an alarming pattern of fading late in seasons.
In every of his 9 seasons as head coach relationship to 2013, his first season at Texas Tech, Kingsbury’s groups have had a worse report within the second half of the season than within the first.
In Kingsbury’s three seasons in Arizona, the Cardinals are 15-5-1 in Video games 1 by way of 7 and 8-18 the remainder of the season. At Texas Tech, his groups went 27-15 in Video games 1 by way of 7 and 8-25 the remainder of the best way. That’s a cumulative 42-20-1 report in Video games 1 by way of 7 and 16-43 after.
After final week’s 22-16 loss to the Colts in a sport that featured a month’s value of self-inflicted errors (11 penalties for 85 yards and two missed subject targets and a missed additional level by kicker Matt Prater), Kingsbury was requested the right way to repair the mess.
“That’s what we’ve received to determine,’’ he mentioned. “I don’t have a solution to that, but it surely’s premature penalties, the snaps hitting the bottom, missed kicks. It’s simply issues that we had executed effectively all 12 months, however we’re not doing effectively.”
The Cardinals, who path the first-place Rams (11-4) by one sport within the NFC West, can hint their offensive points to the crimson zone. They scored TDs from contained in the 20-yard line 68.8 p.c of the time within the first seven video games, and that’s dropped to 53.8 p.c previously eight.
“We simply received to look ourselves within the mirror, cease making these errors, as a result of that sport was very winnable,” Playing cards quarterback Kyler Murray mentioned of the loss to the Colts. “Good groups don’t do this, and proper now, we’re not doing what we have to do.”
The Cardinals have clinched a playoff berth, their first since 2015. However they’re attempting to keep away from being one and executed within the postseason.
“To be within the playoffs with two video games left is an accomplishment, we perceive that,” Kingsbury mentioned. “However we all know we’ve received to enhance loads and play higher soccer. We’ve received to cease hurting ourselves in these video games earlier than we even take into consideration taking the following step.’’
The Cowboys, in the meantime, appear like among the finest groups within the league proper now, having received their previous 4 video games and within the combine for the highest playoff seed within the NFC.
Prescott, who was slowed by a calf damage earlier this season, seemed nearly as good as he has all 12 months final week.
“Dak was proper on level,’’ Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy mentioned. “I assumed he was in complete management.’’
The Cowboys, who had been regarded as in a droop per week in the past, are the other of the Cardinals, who're in a droop. Whereas Arizona has pale, Dallas went from 1-3 November to 4-0 in December.
“There isn't a ceiling,” Prescott mentioned of his group. “It doesn’t matter who we're enjoying. We're enjoying our greatest ball and we're going to be a troublesome group to cease in all three phases.’’
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