My love for the Cowboys would not let me root for the Eagles at all, but I did appreciate the great game – and happy for the ending. Just curious to what the big takeaways from this game would be for the Cowboys' perspective? Do we think we're still close to one of those teams? Did the Chiefs get a break with the refs? Just wondering how this game was seen from other viewpoints. — James A. Moody/Abilene, Texas
Nick: For me, I always watch the Super Bowls and think of it from a Cowboys' perspective. That's really human nature because it's the world we live in. So for me, I saw two teams that obviously know how to score points. I don't think they're head and shoulders above the Cowboys, but it's clear you must have a lot of weapons on offense – not just one or two. Also, I couldn't help but wonder about that last sequence when the Chiefs downed the ball short of the goal line and settled for a field goal. Just thinking about the Cowboys and how their season ended, there is no way they would've been able to do that. They couldn't trust the kicking game to even make the easiest kick out there. I hope that's not something they will deal with next year, but it's just sad how the Chiefs were able to play for the field goal when the Cowboys couldn't count on that with their playoff game. And as for the refs, I saw a hold on Bradberry like everyone else did. Am I surprised it was called? Not really. But am I shocked the refs (with New York help) didn't get together and somehow change the call so we could get the Eagles with one last shot to get the ball tie or win the game? Yes, shocked by that. Still, great way for the NFL to end the season. But like every year, it's time to move on to the next one.
Patrik: I absolutely watched the game through my Cowboys binoculars — wanting to see just how near or not-so-near (they're not far, as I've pointed out before) this team is to the last two standing. My biggest takeaway is simple: there was nearly nothing I saw that Dallas was incapable of doing in 2022 and, stop me if you've heard this one before, but dual-threat quarterbacks create a different type of dynamic entirely. It's what made Jalen Hurts an MVP candidate all season and helped him push the Eagles to the brink of their second franchise Super Bowl win, but his legs were bested by the timely mobility of Patrick Mahomes (hobbled, no less) on a critical fourth quarter run for 26 yards with the game on the line. Dak Prescott has this in his arsenal, by the way, and he also hung 40 on that Philly defense, much like Mahomes nearly did. Overall, the Eagles did nothing special — run, run, QB sneak, big play, rinse and repeat. So why did the Chiefs ultimately win? Creativity of their play-calling and execution, and THOSE are two things the Cowboys couldn't consistently piece together to get to the Super Bowl. Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy put on a clinic of creativity and misdirection, and let's not forget critical game management skills — i.e., sliding at the one-yard line instead of scoring too quickly late in the fourth quarter (whew). Lastly, if you truly want to know why the Eagles lost, circle back to the Hurts fumble-six and you'll instantly see why protecting the ball wins championships, something else the Cowboys have to improve upon to take the final steps in 2023.
