1) Not surprised that Kellen Moore came in and gave this offense a little juice. You could tell that the receivers were getting back into the game, and it was like he gave them a little hope. I am disappointed for him with the interceptions. I have always said it's never a bad option to throw the ball in the direction of Dez Bryant, but on that second interception, he was late and he has to see Jets safety Calvin Pryor there before he lets that ball go. Moore is like a rookie in playing experience, but has been around this game. Hopefully he will get more opportunities these last two games.
2) Coming into this game if you would have told me that Darren McFadden was going to be able to gain 100 yards on the ground, I might have emptied my bank account to bet against it. In this game he ran with a purpose and toughness when things didn't always look clean. In a game where they needed him to play well, he held up his end of the bargain.
3) I continue to be impressed with what this Dallas defense is getting from DeMarcus Lawrence. There was a portion of this season where I thought that fans were a little too critical of him because the numbers were not there. The film told a different story and now we are starting to see him finish more plays and become a more consistent player, down after down.
4) Thought that cornerback Brandon Carr had a mixed bag of a game from what I was able to see from my seat in the press box. It appeared that in his assignment of carrying Jets receiver Brandon Marshall, he was better in the first half than he was in the second. He appeared early in the game to have Marshall measured, but as the night wore on, Marshall was able to find more space to work in. Need to see if that was more because of a change in scheme calls or if Carr's play just fell off.
5) I had my concerns about the Jets just loading up and hammering the ball at this Dallas defense much like the Packers were able to do last week. I was especially worried with no Rolando McClain in the lineup to help with those point-of-attack runs. For the night, I liked what I saw from Anthony Hitchens and how he was able to fill in for McClain. There was only one time when I felt like he was out of position and that was on Bilai Powell's touchdown run where he was blocked well on the play.
6) I lost track of how many times Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to climb the middle of the pocket and make a throw down the field. His success reminded me of another New York quarterback that tends to play the same way. It appeared that the rush was getting up the field, but the Jets offensive linemen were able to keep them wide, which allowed Fitzpatrick to make those throws. That third down throw for 24 yards to Quincy Enunwa was a backbreaker and was all set up because Fitzpatrick was able to work the front of that pocket.
7) For Muhammad Wilkerson not to have a sack says a lot about the job this offensive line was doing on him. Wilkerson rushes from several different spots in the Jets' scheme, so it wasn't just the job of one blocker to contain him all night, but the work of entire group. All season long he has been a nightmare to deal with, but he was not a factor at all.
8) I was on the field when Fitzpatrick hit Kenbrell Thompkins to put the Jets in position for the game-winning field goal, so I did not see what was happening in the secondary. It did appear that cornerback Byron Jones got caught out of position on the route. I don't know if he was expecting help from the safety, but there is no way Thompkins should have been that open. I will get to the bottom of it in my film study on Sunday.
9) I have to admit that I did not think that cornerback Darrelle Revis was going to travel with Bryant in this game. The Jets defensively had been showing that they were allowing their corners to stay on their own side of the field. I don't think that Revis surprised Bryant, but it wasn't until Moore came into the game that Bryant was able to get anything going. I thought also that we would see more of Bryant in the slot in order to get away him from Revis. Bryant's touchdown was a nice adjustment by Moore to get him the ball one-on-one in space and allow Bryant's power to take over.
10) I have always loved the way in which Cole Beasley plays, but his drop on that slant from Moore in the third quarter is a play that he usually makes in his sleep. The ball was put exactly where it needed to be and would have set the offense up inside the Jets' 10-yard line with the chance to make it a nine point game. It's a play that had to be made and just wasn't.
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11) I might be missing a call, but I think Jets guard Brian Winters had two penalties? He's the guy I believe the Cowboys should have tried to attack more, especially in the passing game. The film might show that they in fact did, but I just didn't get the feeling they did it enough.
12) Punter Chris Jones doesn't get enough credit for the job he does. When you talk about consistency from week to week, Dan Bailey gets more praise, but Jones has helped this defense to at least have the ability to hang in these games. He has been outstanding this season.
