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Oh what a Thanksgiving it was!
Getting together with loved ones, having a delicious family feast, and watching the Washington Football Team completely pummel the Dallas Cowboys on their home turf on Turkey Day - it just doesn’t get much better than this!
It what was a close game in the first half, Washington pulled away in the second half to seal the victory and complete a season sweep of the Cowboys; the first since 2012!
Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some notes.
Studs:
Antonio Gibson - The rookie is coming into form during the second half of the season, and it’s REALLY fun to watch. Yesterday, Gibson carries 20 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 21 yards. The best may have been him waving bye-bye to a Cowboys defender on the way to the end zone - especially after Washington fans have had to endure that annoying Elliott feeding himself BS over the years!
Gibson has scored at least one rushing touchdown in his past five games, and in that span, he has 402 yards and eight touchdowns - giving him 11 total on the season.
Terry McLaurin - McLaurin was yet again a stud in Thursday’s game. The second year receiver caught seven passes for 92 yards, and chased down a would-be touchdown by Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith who intercepted an Alex Smith pass and looked to be taking it to the house. On that play, which was D.K. Metcalf-Esq, the Cowboys were forced to settle for a field goal after having the ball inside the five yard line.
Washington Offensive Line - Yet again, this group came to play! Behind the patch-work quintet, Washington gained 182 yards on the ground(a 5.1 YPC average) and scored three times. I give offensive line coach John Matsko a LOT of credit for the job he’s done with this unit over the last 6 weeks.
Montez Sweat - Sweat continues to make his impact felt in games this year. Despite the game being out of reach in the fourth quarter, Montez made an amazing play, leaping into the air and deflecting an Andy Dalton pass right into his own hands; which he then took to the end zone for six!
Chase Young - Young was his usual menace self Thursday, collecting a sack, two tackles for a loss, a quarterback hit and multiple pressures on the afternoon.
Daron Payne - Payne was a beast inside against a battered Cowboys offensive line, collecting three tackles, half a sack, recording two quarterback hits and forcing a fumble. Hopefully this is a sign of him turning the corner.
Cole Holcomb - Holcomb was in rare form Thursday afternoon, collecting a team high 10 tackles, while also adding a half sack, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit. He played decent in coverage too. I loved that he shot the gap on a few occasions and made plays! We REALLY need this from our linebackers.
Tress Way - Way punted just twice, but he averaged over 58 yards per kick!
Duds:
Skip Bayless - The commentator was a crybaby on Twitter during this game, and his takes were just awful with his ALL CAPS headings and whining excuses! He did however, give both Gibson and Alex Smith some credit(later on, mind you).
You can tell I’m reaching here...
The Dallas Cowboys would've won this game if Zack Martin and Cam Erving wouldn't have been lost in the first offensive series of the game.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 27, 2020
Besides that...NONE! It’s was Thanksgiving and we just swept the Cowboys!!! Enjoy!
Notes:
- Alex Smith did have a horrific interception, and missed some open receivers on crossers and a few times up the sideline between the corner and safety, but he also made some nice plays where he delivered the ball accurately, allowing his receiver the ability to gain some RAC yards. I just feel, right now, that this teams believes they can win with him under center - and that is important.
- I hyped Ronald Darby up on Twitter Wednesday after his very solid play this season, only for him to come out and have a sub-par game Thursday. He did however make some good plays, so all was not lost. For the record, I’d still re-sign him to a multi-year deal in the offseason.
- Tim Settle collected yet another sack against the Boys on Thursday, taking his season total to five. It may be a wise idea to start talking contract extension in the offseason.
- Hey, Thomas Davis didn’t completely embarrass himself today - that’s how you know your team played well!
- I don’t know how coach Rivera trotted out Wes Martin and Geron Christian Sr....and Troy Apke for that matter, to start the season. Imagine if we’d have rolled with this current group on the O-line in week one? Would we possibly have another victory or two...or three under our belts? Oh well - you live and learn.