Vikings-Cowboys

Y'know...'Go Cowboys', but this might be one of those seasons N.F.L. fans should just sit back and watch history. Brady's on pace (a phrase that should always be taken with a grain of salt) for, what, 62 TDs this year?!? That's the way (49 - 28) a good team (Patriots) should beat a bad team (Dolphins).

Yesterday was a crummy win for the Pokes. Just seemed that way to me. They were lucky Minnesota fielded the QB they did. Oof, if that dude wasn't nearly costing his team a safety, he was throwing at the knees of his receiver, as if to get rid of the ball, when the receiver had a step on the defender and could have made a first down.

The easy part of the Cowboys' schedule looks to be behind them. I don't remember many penalties, but it seemed like there were a few questionable decisions. Newman's punt return where he kept running back and Barber's run where, once he ran a yard past the first down, he ended up three yards behind it. I can look past the latter more than I can the former.

@ Philly, @ N.Y., Redskins...I'd be content if they came out of that 2-1 the way they're playing. 8-2, after all, isn't bad.

Patriots-Cowboys

As a casual fan (didn't read any recaps yesterday), I didn't come away all that dispirited from the game Sunday. Two of their biggest concerns were simply exploited by a superior team: pass coverage and penalties.
They did a good enough job containing Moss, but at the expense of (again, without knowing the stats) a good game from Stallworth and Welker abusing them underneath. He showed them that they have to be good covering allll areas/zones. Pass defense was something I was hoping they were working on since Week 1.
And the penalties, aye yiy YIY! My first thought: for all the "right fit at the right time" commentary about Phillips, aren't excessive penalties the kind of thing that follow an easy-going coach, as opposed to a drill sergeant? That, to me, was the worst part of the game.

They played true to form. They were all over the field, hustling and whatnot. They could be a diamond whose rough edges simply need smoothing. I was impressed to see them close to 4 by halftime, and take the lead in the 3rd quarter. But their defense helped the Patriots prove that sometimes the best defense is a good offense. They wore the Cowboys D down. The Pats last two scores looked like they came against a tired defense. I can't help but wonder if a few more 3rd down stops and a few less (offensive) penalties would have contributed to something less than a 21-point final margin.