The Los Angeles Rams are world champions, a former Cowboys’ CB records an interception on the biggest stage, starting the 2022 offseason by predicting what next season could look like, and more.
Los Angeles Rams’ all-in, star-heavy approach results in Super Bowl LVI win over Cincinnati Bengals- Brady Henderson, ESPN
The Rams are this years version of “who won the game the Cowboys have been desperately trying to get to.”
Super Bowl LVI was shaping up to be a supersized disappointment for the Los Angeles Rams.
They had lost their lead during a disastrous start to the second half. They had lost one of their best players in wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a knee injury. They were about to waste MVP-caliber performances from Aaron Donald and Von Miller, not to mention what might be their best shot at a championship in the foreseeable future.
Then, as they have so many times during the Rams’ championship season, quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp came to the rescue.
In a drive that will go down in NFL lore, Kupp converted a fourth down with an end around, drew three straight penalties and caught four passes from Stafford, the last of which produced a 1-yard touchdown with 1:25 left, capping a 79-yard drive that started with 6:13 remaining.
Donald then closed the door with another pressure of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
The Rams’ return to the top of the NFL world is the perfect ending to a story that reads like a Hollywood script.
WATCH: Ex-Cowboys CB Chidobe Awuzie intercepts Matthew Stafford in Super Bowl LVI- Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire
Good for the former Dallas Cowboy.
Cowboys fans had precious little to get invested in during Super Bowl LVI, save for an exciting game, some funny commercials, and a halftime show that delivered the goods.
Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie stood out as one of the few Cowboys connections on either sideline. Early in the third quarter, the former second-round draft pick ended up with an interception of a bobbled Matthew Stafford pass attempt to wide receiver Ben Skowronek.
Awuzie was a fan favorite in Dallas during his four seasons with the Cowboys, though he didn’t compile much in the way of head-turning stats. After logging 213 tackles, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles in 49 games wearing the star, he was allowed to hit free agency after the 2020 season.
Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp named MVP of Super Bowl LVI after 92-yard, 2-TD effort vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Nick Waggoner, ESPN
The final game of the year belongs to the Rams.
All season, whenever the Los Angeles Rams needed a big play, it was receiver Cooper Kupp who delivered it.
And when it mattered most on Sunday night in Super Bowl LVI, it was Kupp who found a way to finally get the Rams back to the top of the NFL mountain as they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to win the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in more than 22 years.
Kupp caught the game-winning 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford and finished with eight catches for 92 yards and two scores en route to earning the game’s Most Valuable Player award. He’s the eighth wide receiver to win Super Bowl MVP and the first since the New England Patriots’ Julian Edelman in Super Bowl LIII.
5 steps the Dallas Cowboys must take to be a Super Bowl team- Reid Hanson, FanSided
For the last two and half decades, the Cowboys have fallen short of playing on the biggest stage. What would it take to change that?
Step 1: Don’t be afraid of the salary cap
The top objective to know and understand right now is regarding the salary cap. At a time of the year when Stephen Jones is going through his annual “we’re restricted by the salary cap” routine, keep in mind NFL owners created the cap in order to make money and win fan favor.
The salary cap is a mostly-artificial ceiling to spending that is highly manipulatable and only slightly restrictive. It’s something owners can point to when they don’t want to spend money and it’s something they can massage when they do want to spend money.
On paper, the Dallas Cowboys don’t have money to spend. But that’s only because they want it to look that way. Adjustments here and there are a snap-of-the-fingers away, and while some call that “kicking the can”, it’s actually savvy accounting that maximizing buying power and offers very little consequences on the backend.
The only people who are afraid of “Cap Hell” in the NFL are those who don’t understand the salary cap. There’s a reason none of the experts worry about it #Cowboys
— SportDFW (@TheRealSportDFW) February 12, 2022
Many fans have fallen hook line and sinker for the myth of the salary cap and that’s exactly how the owners want it. But they know better, the league knows better, and everyone who’s studied the cap knows better.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Calls Eagles Fans Both ‘Frauds’ and ‘Good People’- Daniel Chavkin, Sports Illustrated
Jerry didn’t hold back his opinions on the Cowboys’ biggest rival in an interview during Super Bowl week.
While Jones may not particularly like Philadelphia fans, there is still some respect there, and he thinks that the feeling is mutual.
“I know the frauds that the Philadelphia fans are,” Jones said to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark. “Behind that there are some hellacious people, and they are good people, and I know it, and they know I know it.”
This rivalry goes way back, even predating Jones’ tenure as the Cowboys’ owner. And for the past three decades, Jones has had his fair share of experiences in Philadelphia.
Jones explained how much he enjoyed his team playing the Eagles twice a year. He also described his favorite kind of interaction with Eagles fans when the Cowboys go to Philadelphia.
“I think probably the thing I get the most kick out of is when one of the fans are really giving it to me, it’s wonderful to be able to [blow a kiss]. So we have a good time when we go to Philadelphia,” Jones said.
3 Cowboys who could potentially make their first Pro Bowl in 2022- Lauren Barash, The Landry Hat
Let’s just hope that next year the Cowboys will be playing in the game the week following the Pro Bowl.
1. Neville Gallimore, DT
Gallimore’s situation is very similar to Odighizuwa’s. Both are young defensive tackles who have an opportunity to make a big impact if they can play in more games/snaps next year. Gallimore was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma. With the Sooners, Gallimore earned the nickname “Canadian Bulldozer” for his dominance on the defense and was named first-team All-Big 12 in his final year.
In 2020, Gallimore started nine games as a rookie after Trysten Hill got injured. He didn’t have a stellar rookie year, but he still stepped up in the veteran’s absence.
Sadly, this year Gallimore was injured. After being projected as a 2021 starter, the Oklahoma product injured his elbow in preseason, causing him to miss the first 12 games of the season. In his five available games, Gallimore started four and had 1.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and two QB hits. While we haven’t seen as much of this DT as we want, given his huge potential out of college, he can have a huge comeback year if he remains healthy.
Cowboys’ Micah Parsons Wants Roughing-the-Passer Calls Reviewed, Hates Dirty Players- Adam Wells, Bleacher Report
Parsons wants the freedom to play with more aggression without playing dirty. You have to appreciate the tenacity.
Speaking to Mike Florio and Chris Simms on PFT Live (h/t ProFootballTalk’s Michael David Smith), Parsons addressed the situation when asked about a controversial penalty called against him during the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
“I think some of these flags that they throw should be reviewable. I hate that that’s not reviewable,” Parsons said. “Because those cost games.”
The call came in the third quarter when Parsons’ hand made contact with the side of Derek Carr’s helmet as the Raiders quarterback scrambled out of the pocket to complete a pass to Hunter Renfrow.
Parsons went on to say he would never play dirty during games: “I will never play dirty. That’s not part of my game. I hate dirty players.”
After a brief deliberation on the field, the officials assessed Parsons’ a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty. The Raiders were set up with a 1st-and-10 from the Cowboys’ 15-yard line instead of the 30-yard line. They scored a touchdown three plays later to take a 24-13 lead.
Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel
We offer a different show every single day on the Blogging The Boys podcast network.
- Monday: CowboysCast with Bobby Belt
- Tuesday: The 75O with Tony Casillas and RJ Ochoa
- Wednesday: The NFC East Mixtape with RJ Ochoa and Brandon Gowton
- Wednesday: Talkin’ The Draft with Connor Livesay, Cole Patterson, and Dalton Miller
- Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
- Friday: Girls Talkin ‘Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
- Saturday: Cowboys Hoy with Mauricio Rodriguez
- Sunday: Jersey Boyz with Dave Sturchio, Bret Ernst, and Keith Ernst
We also offer daily episodes of Dallas Cowboys Roundup where we give you that day’s latest headlines so that you always stay caught up. Consider it an audio version of the links, and every episode is 10 minutes or less so you can catch up in a hurry.
The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.
Subscribe here on Apple devices.
Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.