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Cowboys' third-and-long work exemplary against Washington
10:54 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- A big reason why the Dallas Cowboys were successful in 2014 was their success on third down.
They converted 47.3 percent of the time as they went 12-4 that season. In their 4-12 finish in 2015, the Cowboys converted on 34.6 percent of their third-down opportunities.
So far this season, the Cowboys are 16-of-29 on third down with a rookie quarterback in Dak Prescott.
Diving deeper on third down, how teams fare in third-and-7 or more is hugely important, and Prescott’s work in those situations played a key role in the Cowboys’ victory over Washington.
Seven times the Cowboys faced third-and-7 or more and they converted first downs four times. They had a first down on a scramble by Prescott wiped out by a holding penalty.
On the Cowboys' first drive, he converted third-and-8 and third-and-9 with completions of 18 and 17 yards to Dez Bryant. In the third quarter, he hit Bryant for 16 yards to convert a third-and-11 from the Washington 22 that ended in a Prescott scramble for a touchdown.
“Third downs are challenging in the NFL. Obviously, third-and-short is easier than third-and-long. Third-and-extra-long are really, really hard to convert in the NFL, but that 7-plus range is challenging,” coach Jason Garrett said. "I thought we did a really good job handling those situations in the game."
But the final two third-and-long situations might have been the best of the game. With an empty set, Prescott found Cole Beasley for 12 yards on third-and-11 two plays before Alfred Morris' touchdown run.
Garrett called that a “big-time play.”
“Dak did a good job with his communication to the offensive line, making sure we handled the pressure,” Garrett said. “Beas did a good job running the route, and Dak delivered a strike. Those situations are critical to keep drives alive, keep scoring opportunities alive.”
Prescott took a sack on the final third-and-7 play as the Cowboys looked to kill the clock, but it was the right play. He could have thrown the ball on a bootleg but did not force a decision, tucked the ball and made Washington use its last timeout.
“They had an all-out blitz, if he had something clean right now he could deliver a completion you can go ahead and do that and if not he was going to make sure he didn't throw the ball away and that he took the sack to force them to use their last time out,” Garrett said. “He handled that situation very well.”
10:54 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- A big reason why the Dallas Cowboys were successful in 2014 was their success on third down.
They converted 47.3 percent of the time as they went 12-4 that season. In their 4-12 finish in 2015, the Cowboys converted on 34.6 percent of their third-down opportunities.
So far this season, the Cowboys are 16-of-29 on third down with a rookie quarterback in Dak Prescott.
Diving deeper on third down, how teams fare in third-and-7 or more is hugely important, and Prescott’s work in those situations played a key role in the Cowboys’ victory over Washington.
Seven times the Cowboys faced third-and-7 or more and they converted first downs four times. They had a first down on a scramble by Prescott wiped out by a holding penalty.
On the Cowboys' first drive, he converted third-and-8 and third-and-9 with completions of 18 and 17 yards to Dez Bryant. In the third quarter, he hit Bryant for 16 yards to convert a third-and-11 from the Washington 22 that ended in a Prescott scramble for a touchdown.
“Third downs are challenging in the NFL. Obviously, third-and-short is easier than third-and-long. Third-and-extra-long are really, really hard to convert in the NFL, but that 7-plus range is challenging,” coach Jason Garrett said. "I thought we did a really good job handling those situations in the game."
But the final two third-and-long situations might have been the best of the game. With an empty set, Prescott found Cole Beasley for 12 yards on third-and-11 two plays before Alfred Morris' touchdown run.
Garrett called that a “big-time play.”
“Dak did a good job with his communication to the offensive line, making sure we handled the pressure,” Garrett said. “Beas did a good job running the route, and Dak delivered a strike. Those situations are critical to keep drives alive, keep scoring opportunities alive.”
Prescott took a sack on the final third-and-7 play as the Cowboys looked to kill the clock, but it was the right play. He could have thrown the ball on a bootleg but did not force a decision, tucked the ball and made Washington use its last timeout.
“They had an all-out blitz, if he had something clean right now he could deliver a completion you can go ahead and do that and if not he was going to make sure he didn't throw the ball away and that he took the sack to force them to use their last time out,” Garrett said. “He handled that situation very well.”
