Pick Six: Dallas Cowboys ride away with win in star-studded night at Wembley
Neil Reynolds analyses the talking points points from the final London game of the year
Monday 10 November 2014 12:39, UK
It was another great night at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, although the game ended up being a little one-sided for the second time this season in London.
The British fans – of which many were clearly supporters of the Dallas Cowboys – created a tremendous atmosphere and the NFL did a great and respectful job of paying tribute to British service men and women on Remembrance Weekend.
It was a night when the stars flocked to London for the final leg of the NFL’s Wembley triple-header and here is what caught my eye on Sunday evening.
A must-see event
I think you can see how significantly the NFL is growing in the UK based on the famous faces who felt the urge to visit Wembley Stadium for the Dallas Cowboys’ 31-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It was an eclectic mix on Sunday night that included David Beckham, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, former heavyweight boxing champion David Haye, former England cricketer Jonathan Trott, Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne and Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
There were also true superstars of the NFL in attendance in Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, as well as former Jags legends Tony Boselli and Fred Taylor. It was certainly a star-studded night at Wembley.
Cowboys stars shine
The team with the star on their helmets certainly relied on their modern-day version of ‘The Triplets’ in beating the Jags. The big stars all showed up for the Cowboys, particularly in a first half which pretty much decided this contest.
Tony Romo shrugged off concerns about two broken bones in his back by completing 20 of 27 passes for 246 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in his most efficient performance of the year.
Dez Bryant only really played in the first half as he suffered from cramps in the second half and was in and out of the locker room for much of the third and fourth quarters. But his 30 minutes in action was enough to register six catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. And DeMarco Murray registered an even 100 rushing yards for his ninth 100-yard rushing day of the season. Murray also caught six quickly-thrown passes to keep the pressure off Romo.
Not enough pressure
I felt one of Jacksonville’s biggest failings on Sunday was not getting nearly enough pressure on Romo. That has to be disappointing for a defence that came into the game ranked third in the NFL with 27 quarterback sacks.
The Jags got Romo on the ground once – by my count – in the first half and it came after he had already thrown the ball away. But Romo was incredibly slow to get off the floor, indicating that he might have been in trouble if the Jags could have inflicted more of a beating on him.
And as Romo jogged out for the second half, he trotted past our Sky Sports position on the sidelines and he could barely move. He looked like an old man jogging out for the second half. But he played throughout the contest relatively untouched and now gets a week off to rest and recuperate before the Cowboys’ make their playoff run.
He’s all right, Jack!
What a night to remember for London-born and raised Cowboys defensive end Jack Crawford. Jack had told me earlier in the week that he had a huge contingent of family and friends going to the game.
And they must have been delighted to see the pride of Kilburn record two tackles, one quarterback sack and one forced fumble in his most productive game of the season to date.
Crawford’s performance was not the reason the Cowboys won this game, but he did play his part and dialled up plenty of pressure on Jags’ rookie quarterback Blake Bortles. And we should all be proud that a genuine Brit playing in the NFL is making an impact, particularly when returning to home soil!
Painful mistakes
The Jacksonville Jaguars are improved, but they are clearly not good enough or mature enough to overcome some of the huge mistakes at critical times on Sunday evening.
The Jags led 7-3 in the first quarter and had built up considerable momentum by stopping the Cowboys and forcing a punt. But Ace Sanders – who probably should have let the kick bounce into the end zone anyway – muffed the kick and C.J. Spillman recovered at the Jacksonville six yard line. Three plays later, Romo took full advantage of the gift by throwing a touchdown strike to Jason Witten. A 7-3 lead had turned into a 10-7 deficit in the blink of an eye.
Towards the end of the first half, the Jags trailed 17-7 but created a “wow” moment at Wembley as Bortles connected with wide receiver Cecil Shorts III for a 53-yard gain. With 2:44 left in the first half, the Jags were at the Dallas 35-yard line and threatening to pull within one score at the break.
But Denard Robinson fumbled on the very next play and Barry Church recovered for the Cowboys. Dez Bryant scored again before the intermission and what could have been a 17-14 Cowboys lead was suddenly 24-7 and it was essentially game over.
See you in 2015
The Jaguars are clearly a better team than when they ‘graced’ Wembley in 2013. They are taking their lumps right now with a roster that features 30 of its 53 players in their first or second year in the league.
But there are cornerstones upon which this franchise can be built and that may be hard to believe after their shaky performances in London on Sunday night.
But I do think Bortles is the real deal who has a bright future as long as he doesn’t let the mistakes that are bound to come as a rookie affect his game, Denard Robinson is an exciting running back who will grow into the position even further in years to come and I do like the look of rookie receiver Allen Robinson.
The Jags have one win on the season, but they are not ready to compete right now. Let’s hope they are when they return to face the Buffalo Bills in 2015.
