Cowboys, And FishTips, Dominant In Chicago
By Mike Fisher| @fishsports
CHICAGO (105.3 THE FAN) - December is reputed to be a scary month for the Dallas Cowboys. Yet, since 2006, the Cowboys are 13-6 in December under a very specific circumstance: when a running back scores a TD.
And when a running back fails to do so in December games for Dallas since '06? The Cowboys are 1-14.
That was my central "FishTip'' going into Thursday's game at Chicago, as discussed on 105.3 The Fan. And I got even more specific to this group:
The Cowboys are 4-1 in December when DeMarco Murray scores a rushing touchdown. When he does not, they are 1-7.
*My FishTip moral to the story: Run in the red zone.
RESULT: Dallas crushed the Bears 41-28 … and the starting point to it all was feeding Murray, who registered a 1-yard TD in the first quarter to start the scoring and who by the time two minutes were left in the first half had 16 carries and six catches. That's 22 touches before anybody even got a chance to work up a sweat in the relatively pleasant 36-degree weather in The Windy City.
Murray's final numbers: 179 rushing yards on 32 carries and nine catches, too … Dallas started running in the Chicago red zone … and finished by running DeMarco all the way to Winnetka.
FishTip 2: Dez Bryant would be part of the solution to avoiding a familiar December swoop. In fact, he's always part of it; Dez' average December-game stats: 5 receptions, 78 yards and a TD.
RESULT: Bryant had six catches for 82 yards. Pretty much on the money.
FishTip 3: Since 2010, Tony Romo has never followed up a multi-interception game (as he suffered in last week's Thanksgiving loss to the Eagles) with another multi-interception game. History said he would rebound; a full week of healthy preparation (unavailable to him in the short week before Turkey Day) said he would, too.
RESULT: Romo was at his time-buying best, even when his offensive line — intent on erasing the embarrassment of its play last week — has already protected him sufficiently. And when you give this QB that extra time? You give extra offensive weapons like Cole Beasley (two touchdown catches) and Gavin Escobar (one touchdown catch) extra chances. Romo threw 26 passes; only five fell incomplete.
FishTip 4: Sources told me earlier in the week that rookie Demarcus Lawrence (ribs, chest) might not play, that Henry Melton was going to move to end, that Josh Brent would for the first time be activated and would be the backup 1-tech and that it all needed to add up, in part, to some playmaking on the end and some Matt Forte-plugging bulk inside.
RESULT: Lawrence was inactive. Melton had a big pass deflection. Brent made his first tackle in an NFL game in two years, and Forte was eliminated as a factor, in part by the defense and in part by the lopsided score.
FishTip 5: On the road in general, coach Jason Garrett entered Thursday with a record of 15-14 since 2011, which ranks as the seventh-best road winning percentage in the league.
That number belies a largely negative perception of his leadership, and Dallas-on-the-road is an even more foundational piece for this year's Cowboys. Going into Thursday, they were 5-0 on the road and in fact, their last road loss was ... Last winter. To the Bears. In Chicago.
Except for that, though? This team shows some resilience. Some willingness to accept a challenge. Some ability to overcome adversity — which is what road football can, by definition, be.
Garrett oversees a very, very good road team.
RESULT: Yes, he does. Throw in our predictions that Chicago QB Jay Cutler collapses under pressure, that Brandon Carr would need to survive Alshon Jeffery and that Dallas came in 12-6 when Ed Hochuli is the referee, and, well … FishTips dominated almost as much as the playoff-contending 9-4 Cowboys did.
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