WR’S ARRIVAL SPURS COWBOYS
Amari Cooper says life is
suddenly “a dream come true.” He’ll probably find his employer has plenty of
fans who feel the same.
The wide receiver, a player the
Dallas Cowboys desperately needed when they pulled off a blockbuster trade six
weeks ago, has resuscitated the Cowboys’ playoff hopes this season and beyond.
Cooper, acquired for Dallas’
first-round pick next year, didn’t catch a pass until late in the second
quarter of a Dec. 9 game against Philadelphia but established career highs with
217 yards receiving and three touchdowns during the Cowboys’ 29-23 victory in
overtime.
Cooper hauled in two scores from
Dak Prescott in the final 8 minutes of regulation, and then sent AT& T
Stadium in a frenzy with his 15-yard game-winning catch in overtime.
This is a prime example why young
people should never give up on their dreams.
Dallas (8-5) has won five of six
games — five in a row — since Cooper’s arrival and can clinch the NFC East
title for the second time in three seasons with a victory at Indianapolis in
Week 15.
The accusation of Cooper has move
the Cowboys one step closer to the playoffs. The chemistry between Cooper an
Prescott has started to jell. Prescott who owns 13 game-winning drives (tied
for the NFL lead) since his career began in 2016, states that the Cowboys are
looking at this Sunday and this Sunday only.
A 75-yard score with 3 minutes
remaining in regulation preceded Cooper’s TD snag of a deflected pass in
overtime. The 75-yarder wasn’t supposed to happen that way.
Cooper became the first player in
NFL history with three go-ahead receiving TDs in the fourth quarter/overtime of
the same game.
In addition, nine of Cooper’s 10
catches moved the chains.
Even Garrett, often criticized
for his conservative approach, proved to be uber-aggressive with the game
on the line in overtime. Facing 4th-and-1 at Philadelphia’s
19, Garrett opted against
an attempt at a chip shot,
go-ahead field goal with 4 minutes remaining. Instead, Ezekiel Elliott extended
the drive with a 1-yard plunge.
Six weeks ago, Prescott, a
Mississippi State legend, thought something was wrong with Cooper. It’s not
that he questioned his talent, he’d seen the former Alabama star firsthand
during SEC play, but how the Cowboys could pull off such a coup.
Prescott recovered from three
costly turnovers to tally a career-high 455 yards passing. He completed 78
percent of his throws and set a franchise record for completions in a game with
42. The Cowboys piled up 576 yards of total offense, their most in a game since
1978 and the fourth most in franchise history.
In the final 12 minutes of
regulation plus overtime, Prescott completed 17 of 20 passes for 243 yards and
three touchdowns.
The game was also the first time
the Cowboys had a 400yard passer, 200-yard receiver and 100-yard rusher
(Elliott, 113) in the same game.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took
pride in what he called the “golden opportunity” of acquiring Cooper from the
Oakland Raiders.
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