The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins entered Sunday as the league's top two scoring offenses with identical 10-4 records, but in a game in which defense dominated most of the afternoon, both offenses did what they had to do to give their team a lead late. The Dolphins had the ball last, which proved to be the difference, allowing them to kick the game-winning 29-yard field goal with no time remaining.
Miami clinched a playoff spot, reaching the postseason in consecutive seasons for the first time since making it five seasons in a row from 1997-2001. Unless the Philadelphia Eagles continue to stumble down the stretch, winning the NFC East is likely out of the realm of possibility for Dallas.
The Cowboys and Dolphins combined to kick and make seven field goals, five of which were off the leg of Miami's Jason Sanders, but Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott was able to cap a 17-play, 69-yard drive with the go-ahead touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks on a throw that drifted just over Dolphins All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and into Cooks' hands.
On the Dolphins' first play of what ended up as the final drive of the game, running back De'Von Achane drew a facemask penalty on Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark at the end of a six-yard run. The 15-yard infraction pushed the Dolphins to near midfield after just one play, which was all the help they needed to run the clock down to two seconds left prior to Sanders' field goal.
At the start of the game, Dallas had marched 78 yards across 15 plays to get to the Dolphins 2 yard line, but a botched handoff between quarterback Dak Prescott and fullback Hunter Luepke led to a fumble recovery and a takeaway for the Dolphins defense. On their second drive, the Cowboys got in the end zone after just three plays.
In a game that was decided on a last second field goal, the Cowboys will likely be shaking their heads at how their opening drive of the game concluded since an extra seven points could have been the difference.
Why the Dolphins won
Miami's offense was simply more consistent. They crossed midfield with a much higher frequency than the Cowboys, and while they were stopped on fourth-and-goal from the 5 on their second possession, they consistently turned those drives into points. Whether it was from 57 yards out -- Jason Sanders' career-long -- or as close as the game winner (29 yards) with seconds to go, the Dolphins kicker was given the opportunity to keep stacking up points, and he did.
That was the difference in an otherwise close game. The Dolphins only had three more first downs (22-19) and only 36 more total yards (375-339) on just three more offensive plays (64-61) than the Cowboys. But they executed at a higher level more routinely, plain and simple.
Why the Cowboys lost
There was only one official turnover in the game, and it was on the Cowboys' opening drive. The misaligned handoff between Prescott and fullback Hunter Luepke two yards away from going up 7-0 to start the game ended up serving as a difference in their defeat.
Given Dallas went through an offensive rut in the second quarter and to begin the second half with three punts and an end-of-the-half snap, the Cowboys desperately needed points. They did score 13 points on their final three possessions, including a touchdown on the final one, but their inability to move the ball earlier doomed them.
Turning point
Not scoring the touchdown on their opening drive because of the goal-line fumble changed the tenor of the game. The Cowboys are a much better team when playing ahead because it allows their NFL-best pass rush (45.2% quarterback pressures rate leads NFL) to tee off on opposing quarterbacks at a higher frequency. Instead, they went down 3-0. Even though CeeDee Lamb put them ahead 7-3 with a 49-yard score on the next drive, it appeared Dallas was never able to truly find its footing on either side of the ball until it was too late.
Play of the game
Sanders' field goal decided it, but it was Lamb's 49-yard catch-and-run touchdown that stood out. In a game defined by field goals and grinding out first downs to burn clock at the end, Lamb's touchdown was the most explosive, exciting play of the day. He left defenders grasping at air as he effortlessly zoomed into the end zone to put the Cowboys ahead early.
What's next
The 11-4 Dolphins hit the road in Week 17 to take on the AFC's top-seed, the 11-3 Baltimore Ravens, who play on Christmas Day against the NFC's top seed, the San Francisco 49ers. The 10-5 Cowboys return home for their final game at AT&T Stadium in the 2023 regular season against the NFC North champion Detroit Lions on Saturday.
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