The Dallas Cowboys were famous for their Triplets back in the day. Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin combined to take the Cowboys to highest of highs. Ever since, the Cowboys have been trying to get back there. They have rolled through a multitude of quarterback, running back and wide receiver combinations but none have panned out in the way they hoped. They are now trying out a new set of Triplets. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper are auditioning, and in their first playoff game together, they all came through.
Dak Prescott didn’t put up the biggest numbers in the game. He only had 226 yards passing and one touchdown. He did have almost a 67% completion rate, but threw a poor red zone interception (which should have been called back for defensive pass interference). His quarterback rating was only 83.7. But when it counted, when his team needed him most, he converted a 3rd and 14 through sheer will. He then backed that up with a rushing touchdown and basically sealed the deal.
Ezekiel Elliott just did his thing. His “I’m going to get mine” thing. 26 carries for 137 yards and one touchdown. A 5.3 yards per carry average. Four catches for 32 yards. All together, that’s 30 touches for 169 yards from scrimmage. Let’s just get this out of the way, Zeke is the premier back in the NFL, a do-it-all, physical-with-speed, run-catch-block, stud.
Amari Cooper was the late addition to the party, The trade for him mid-season transformed the Cowboys offense. They now had a wide receiver who could create separation on anybody, who could demand double-teams, and could take it to the house on any play. On Saturday night, he caught seven pass for 106 yards and was instrumental in setting up Cowboys points. No other Cowboy had over 32 yards receiving on the day. Cooper was the man, Seattle knew it, but couldn’t stop him.
The new Triplets are a work in progress, they have so much to try and accomplish that it is almost a disservice to compare them to the old Triplets. Still, for one night, in the playoffs, they got the job done. Maybe it is just the beginning of something special.