He waited too long to release the ball on short throws, giving defenders time to move and get their hands in the passing lanes.
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Washington followed that possession with a field goal, and then did the same after Zeke Elliott put the ball on the deck on the very next possession. With the defense presumably gassed, a touchdown would be inevitable.
The game looked over in the fourth quarter when the Redskins were driving down the field up three.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, several players on Washington’s offense have “begun to complain” about quarterback Kirk Cousins. A 37-yard completion on third down to Chris Thompson got them to midfield, but a desperation Hail Mary on the final play landed out of the back of the end zone.
Breeland did shut down Bryant on two fade route attempts in the end zone from rookie quarterback Dak Prescott.
Prescott has not turned the ball over once so far. The teams went back and forth, but the Cowboys went into the half with a lead of 13-10.
One of those incompletions came on 4-and-1 with the Redskins trailing by four points late in the game. Ultimately, this would hurt Washington as they had first-and-10 from the Dallas 36. His first TD in a Cowboys uniform capped an 80-yard drive that started when Barry Church picked off a pass intended for Pierre Garcon. Dallas knocked the ball down and the game ended. The best case scenario for them is that Cousins improves his play heading into the third game.
Two incompletions and a 1-yard run by Elliott forced a 22-yard field goal by Dan Bailey for a 3-0 lead. Elliott rushed for 83 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown. Washington never faced a third down play the entire drive as Cousins tight end Jordan Reed for a 25-yard pass, and was later aided by a questionable penalty on Dallas cornerback Morris Claiborne when he was hit with defensive holding against DeSean Jackson.
CHARGERS 38, JAGUARS 14: In San Diego, Philip Rivers matched his career-high with four touchdown passes, including two to Travis Benjamin, and Melvin Gordon ran for one score to lead San Diego.
A team that has struggled to finish in the fourth quarter was back in the same situation. You can invest thousands of words detailing the intricacies of playing the most hard position in sports, but it can be simplified to this: To do the job well, the quarterback must seize the most precious moments. Yet, Cousins overthrew the receiver and Washington went three-and-out. The New York Giants have won two games, while the Philadelphia Eagles have won one. The fourth-round pick from Mississippi State went 22/30 for 292 yards. Dez Bryant had seven catches for 102 yards. The veteran running back had extra incentive to have a great game.
As the Cowboys start off 1-1 for the fifth time since 2011, they host the Chicago Bears next Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, a venue they have not been victorious in since Opening Day 2015.
The Cowboys have been excited for Prescott and today he delivered in a big way.
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Butler, a Dick LeBeau disciple, has aggression laced in his DNA, but his understanding of his current personnel and willingness to adapt deserves a ton of credit as Pittsburgh storms out to a strong 2-0 start in the AFC North. Morris ran five times for a total of 7 yards. He was targeted five times in the first quarter alone.
