WFT Embarrasses Cowboys: 10 'Whitty' Observations - How You Know You're Bad

The Washington Football Team Embarrasses the Dallas Cowboys in Thanksgiving: 10 'Whitty' Observations - How You Know You'r Team Is Bad

Richie Whitt | Nov 26, 2020

Washington Football Team 41, Dallas Cowboys 16, and here are our 10 "Whitty'' Thanksgiving Observations on how you know you're team is bad.

10. Jerry Jones: COVID is so bad I need to wear two masks in my suite. Also Jerry Jones: COVID isn’t so bad, let’s allow 30,000+ to attend a game on Thanksgiving in my stadium.

9. Me: “You pay Ezekiel Elliott to get the tough yard, so give him the ball on fourth-and-one from your own 35!”

Also me: “That’s five lost fumbles for Zeke this season, maybe it’s time to stop trusting him with the ball?!”

8. This was complete devastation. Special teams made a gaffe. Elliott fumbled. CeeDee Lamb dropped a touchdown. The defense was gashed for three rushing touchdowns by a rookie. The coach staff got too cute.

No way your turkey tasted good after watching this one.

7. Don’t know about you, but Jason Garrett’s ol' 8-8 looks pretty good right about now.

6. Andy Dalton scrambled up the middle in the first quarter. Joe Bostic lined him up for a big hit. But this time Washington’s linebacker let up. In the earlier meeting, Bostic gave the Cowboys’ quarterback a concussion, was ejected and fined. On Thanksgiving, he gave Dalton a diving first down.

After the play, Bostic raised his palms as if to say “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”

5. You know how you know your team sucks? You go 0-2 to a very mediocre Washington Football Team by an embarrassing combined score of 66-19.

4. Coaching. Injuries. General incompetence. Lotsa reasons for this Cowboys’ 2020 catastrophe. But the main excuse is the decimated offensive line.

Planned to be a strength, it was further pantsed on national TV on Thanksgiving by having Cam Erving and Zack Martin injured on the first series.

In the two (almost) full fames missed by Martin – arguably Dallas’ best player – the Cowboys scored only 19 points and allowed 10 sacks.

Remember the days we thought we could count on Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Martin and, a year ago, even Travis Frederick?

3. Thought nobody could catch Jaylon Smith + Thought Lamb would catch everything = Disappointing field goal.

.@thejaylonsmith taking it the other way!

Watch #WASvsDAL now: https://t.co/6tio4adLye pic.twitter.com/uP37CXYWWz
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 26, 2020

Was even more surprised that Lamb dropped Dalton’s perfect pass in the end zone than I was that Smith was tracked down at the 4 by Washington’s (admittedly-speedly) Terry McLaurin.

2. Days after teammate Jerry Brown was killed in car accident with Josh Brent in 2012, the inspired Cowboys went to Cincinnati and upset the Bengals on a last-second field goal.

Days after strength/conditioning coach Markus Paul passed away from a heart attack in 2020, the Cowboys wore black “MP” decals on their helmets but …

1. Be careful what you ask for.

We all – myself included – bellyached for years about Jason Garrett being too conservative. No trick plays. Punting from an opponent’s 34-yard line in overtime. Just boring white bread with the crusts cut off.

But this? THIS?!

Coach Mike McCarthy and his precious analytics blew this game with two bad decisions compounded by horrible play calls. With the score tied 10-10 in the second quarter, the Cowboys faced fourth-and-1 at their own 34. The play? Not a handoff to Elliott, but instead an 11-yard comeback pass to Lamb. Incomplete.

Five plays later, Washington (now a 4-7 first-place team) scored a touchdown. Down 20-16 early in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys faced fourth-and-10 from their own 24.

The play? A reverse fake punt to Cedric Wilson that fooled no one and lost two yards. One play later Washington scored a touchdown.

After the fatal fake punt, Dallas was outscored, 21-0.

The 3-8 Cowboys aren’t good. But McCarthy’s gambling makes them worse.

Published Nov 26, 2020

RICHIE WHITT