TNF Recap: Bears-Cowboys

touchdown true, chrisky. What a night for a number tack Mitchell Trabinsky, I remember that guy, the Chicago Bears quarterback with the twenty three yard touchdown and run that essentially ice the game for the Chicago Bears, who are alive suddenly in the NFC after a thirty one to win over the Cowboys, who you know what stink Here in the Throwback Podcast Garage contractually obligated to call it that with for the first time ever as he prepares for

his first throwback pot ever, Greg Rosenthal, Welcome to the Garage, Buddy, big times, big change marks at the long form. I'm stepping in, I'm loving it. I'm wearing like a Bears jacket that we got in London. And uh, what a night to do with Mitchell Trabinsky. We were all wrong about you. But what a night for Mark to to not be on the show. Also because that for me, that's the big takeaway and we know how the NFL media sphere works. Again, the biggest story probably will be

tomorrow morning. The Cowboys in a free fall, and that is that is a big story considering all the expectations and where they were back in September. But to me, the big story here is that Mitchell Trabinsky, with a yard three touchdown performance averages eight yards are per attempt running the ball again, runs for sixty three yards, including that touchdown that you heard. He might be playing himself

back into the future plans of the Bears. I mean, I don't think it's crazy to suggest that that's now in play, which you would have never ever even considered three weeks ago, unless you still think that's not posible now. I think it's in play because you know he's under contract, and what are they gonna do. He's going to be part of the middle. I think that's I think that's a possibility depending on how the next three weeks ago, and they should be open to it. But good for

him for playing better. We have talked about it a little bit on the podcast that he has been running a bit more. But this is the game where I think they looked at the matchup and they just thought this Cowboys team struggled with Jeff Driscoll running, they struggled with Josh Allen running Let's let Mitchell be Mitchell. That's that's what he does best. And the Cowboys didn't do

anything on that. You could hear Troy Aikman being frustrated though, about the Cowboys defense more than anything, because the Cowboys so they look Troy looks so good too, with the jacket in the hoodie that was like the coolest Troy ever looked. And then the Cowboys what you got in your notes. I'm just slipping my notes around to Dan just so he can see. And the only thing in capitol letters Troy nice hoodie slash jacket slash sweater combo. Yeah,

I'll throw it back to you. I just want to point out that the the the pro Graham starts with the greatest Cowboys quarterback ever, arguably looking cooler than he ever has, and then Dallas promptly goes on a seventeen play, seventy five yard touchdown drive that ends with that Zeke

touchdown you heard off the top. That's the longest opening drive in yardage and time of the season and spanning nine minutes, and everything is going their way and then everything explodes and they get an interception on their first drive on defense. But that was still a bad sign because the Bears were moving the ball and what Troy was frustrated, but I think was the defense, which is coordinated by Rod Marinelli and Christouchard and there in their

minds what they would call like an execution defense. You know, Richard comes from Seattle, where Okay, we're not gonna mix it up too much. We're gonna bend but don't break. But what we're gonna do is play fast and we're gonna execute, you know, and we're gonna be great at tackling and fundamentals, and we're gonna have you know, the ball in front of us so we can force big places. And like none of that is happening, like they're counting

on them to fly around and make tackles. And Travisky had a great uh night numbers wise, and he ran the ball well, but he didn't have to make that many tough throws. I mean, I'm not trying to rain on the parade, but there was a lot of like third and fives where he just threw it to a guy that's wide open, and he had clearly defined reads and it reminded me a little bit of spots. He had a couple like low percentage. You know where he where.

He snuck it in there. But for the most part, it reminded me of the Bears last year, where Matt Naggie created a big place for him. I mean, that's nothing wrong with that. I mean they went up, they dominated, so it's not I'm not like saying anything about them. But the Cowboys defense has been pretty trashy all year. Yeah, and that's been a huge disappointment because we saw that

as a position of strength. I think Layton Vanderesh being out with this neck injury plays a role, but it probably shouldn't explain why it's been this bad because they

could not get a stop. I mean, even when they got back into the game, I thought, you know, I'll remember the game for Trabiskie's great play, but also just the Cowboys a team that just you know, obviously is in such a deep funk that when they finally get back into that game with the second Zeke touchdown, they go for it on fourth down and I think it pulled them within what was at ten points. They got it back down to ten points, and then what's Brett

mar do. He kicks He kicks the damn ball out of bounds, setting up the Bears at the forty and then Trabisky leads him right down for another touchdown. This has been a team wide collapse for the Dallas Cowboys, and and you wonder again what happens with Jason Garrett and with Jerry Jones. The patients obviously has to be

either out or running out. And I think Troy Aikman and and you know, we talked about the way he looks and all the stuff, but he's nobody's more plugged in than Troy when it comes to Cowboys business because he's a fan. He loves, he loves that team. And he makes the point as the game is kind of a time running out And this is a quote who on that staff has earned the right to be the

interim coach? I can't think of one guy. And that's going about for his boy Garrett, but also, you know, you know, pointing out that there's there's really no magic fix no matter who you brought in. This team is a team that had so much hope and so much um anticipation that this would be a year and it's going down the drain. Well, it might also just be paraphrasing something he heard from Stephen Jones. You know what

I mean, because because Jerry Jones. You know, there was a report by Adam Schefter last week which Adam you know, re up tonight that said, no matter what, the Cowboys are not gonna fire Garrett during the season, and maybe that's their reasoning, assuming they stick to that. I don't you know, I'm not gonna Mar has been a disaster.

It wouldn't matter. At no point was this Cowboys stop. Yeah, the it was ten seven, and that was pretty late in the second quarter, and that's when Dak in the fullback om Oma Wally, we're not on the same page on a third down that should have been a layup, and then mar misses the kick and then the air's go right, go down the field and they have a first and fifteen at the twenty four yard line with thirty seconds left and a half. You do not expect to give up a touchdown in that situation, and so

you give up a touchdown. Then you come out a halftime and the Cowboys give up US seven and a half minute touchdown drive where that that's the drive I'm thinking of where Trabisky didn't really have to do much in that drive where he was either running or getting layups on third downs and they're picking on Jalen Smith and he gets a touchdown to Allen Robinson with Jalen Smith on him. It was a rough, rough night for Jalen Smith. And it's just like they knew the matchups

that this was a coaching game. And I think that's gonna be something in Jerry Jones's mind that Naggy kept identifying matchups and the side of the field and the play. Collin was doing a lot of the work for them. And we talked about it on the Thursday, Um, you know, Week fourteen preview episode. I was saying that, just talking about the Raiders and how they look like they're in

the tank, but you never know. In the NFL, things happened changed so quickly, and when just when you're sure of something, what's the old Roddy Piper line, Just when I had all the answers, they changed up all the questions like that's that's the NFL, And like two weeks ago, he's the best. Two weeks ago, we're reading stories, maybe ten days ago about Matt Naggie's going to give up the play calling, and I think that was obviously ridiculous

notion but also trabisky. To me, confidence is such a big part of this and it goes for like anything in life. But you could tell that he was playing without any confidence. And he's already not a gifted player physically like the best quarterbacks in the league, but you could see the way he's carrying himself on the field. It's with confidence. And that was a takeaway from me. And then back on the Cowboys side of it, I just want to you need a big performance from your

big guys in a really important game. And Zeke Elliott he had that one big run, but he still finished with just eighty one yards. I know they got behind on the score, but he's five straight games under a hundred yards rushing. Um Prescott I thought miss throws and never really got into a groove. He had a garbage time touched down to him, Mark Cooper. Cooper, he hasn't had a big game in while Michael Gallup's the only guy that really flashed me on their offense today. Yeah,

Doc's timing was off. I think that's had a really good season. I had him in the m v P race, you know, two weeks ago. Um, but Kurt Warner pointed out a couple of times when when he's taking drops and the timing was just off on third and four. There were some situations where it's like Cooper was singled up on buster screen on third down one on one and Doc doesn't even look to him. It. Doc to me has been a very streaky quarterback in his career, and the last three weeks has been a rough streak

against good defenses. And that's the thing with where I where I meant, you know, worry about. If you're a bearrass fan, it's like, yeah, Trabinski is playing better, but you have the Packers next, not maybe not the toughest matchup in the world. I think that that's a winnable game. But then you have the Chiefs. That's a tough one, and you have the Vikings to finish it out. And even if you want all three of those, that might

not be enough. If you're a Bears friend, that you're happy you get to play the two teams in your division that are in front of you. That's actually what you want, because that's that's the only chance that they would have to come. The fact that we've been talking about them as like a playoff team playoff contention is ridiculous there now at seven seven and six uh four wins in five weeks, they're up to the eighth seed. They get the Rams and the Vikings ahead of them

in the wild card. You know, crazier things have happened. It's still such a brutal schedule, like you're saying that. And they lost for Roquan Smith today. Although the guy who came in for pack injury too, would you never like to hear it. Probably usually that means you're not coming back, that it's a torn muscle, but you never know. But yeah, the guy who came in, Kevin Pierre Lewis,

was awesome tonight. And they've got they've actually, at the very least if any talk which I didn't believe that Naggie and Ryan pace their GM we're gonna be in trouble, that's out the window that they're they're gonna be fine. Trabinsky maybe gets a little uh longer rope next year. But the crazy thing is that Cowboys are still in first place. I mean, it it's like as bad as it was. But I saw some you know, advanced metrics

site that was it said that the Cowboys. You know, playoff odds went from sixty three to fifty seven per cent tonight, so it's like it barely even hurt them. They're sick. There's like they're they have a pretty good chance to host a home game in the playoffs. It's just gonna come down to that Eagles game. It's so bad. As you know, I've talked about it for years on

the podcast. I love the NFC East. I grew up with my grandfather sitting on his brown couch drinking RUPI or watching the Giants and the Redskins and all those great rivalries in the eighties and the the NFC has never been one with an eight and eight record. And this is a tweet from Rich Eyes and actually for that street to continue, Dallas must finish three and oh and or Philly four and oh. Uh they both have

won one in the last four games. And the Washington Redskins and the Giants and the other two teams in the division. I mean, it's just it's hard to believe that it's come to this in this division. Uh, it's kind of a bummer. Yeah. I mentioned on the previous show they're out of division. Record is potentially going to be the worst in NFL history for the NFC East. And this doesn't help it. I mean, so many teams have had their best win of the season against the Cowboys.

I even every week, you know, the Jets, the Patriots. I as a Patriots fan, I kind of felt like that was their best win because at the time, I'm like, well, the Cowboys have a good offense. That's a legitimate team. The Patriots really haven't been beating many legitimate teams. That was Kirk Cousins is big primetime moment. They get there when against the Vikings, Who am I forgetting here? Last week? The Cowboys lose that game? Um, how to the bill

and Thanksgiving that's their bigguse. So it's like every team and this was I know, the Bears beat the Vikings early in the year. It's like when Chase Daniel, but no, this was the Bears best win of the year. It's like the Cowboys are the feel good team. It's like you play them and you're like, hey, maybe we're we beat the Cowboys or maybe Now as a Patriots fan,

I'm thinking, oh gosh, maybe I don't mean much. I know they're they're kind of a tough team to figure out, and uh, it doesn't make any sense like the numbers we keep on putting on Garrett too. And I'm sure they could do better with a better head coach. But is there something more to this than we overrate the talent on the field. Certainly not the skill players on offense. We know how good they're Big Holy Trinity is. But maybe on the defensive side of the ball or the

offensive line, like what Tyrann Smith and Travis Frederick. Uh, one of which is you know, maybe going to the Hall of Fame and Smith or has a chance and Frederick who has been an All Pro. They're not as good as they used to be, so the line isn't as good, but it's still quite good. I think it's more of a culture thing we taught West and I thought about this in the off season. It's one of my tropes I keep going to because it always hits.

The Cowboys always blow it the year after their good year, the year that they're expected to be good and they're feeling themselves. There's such big stars there, you know, Jane slay They got Jane Slayter shows they got it all. It's like they're like they're they're gods and they I don't know, there's something about them that they they read their own press clippings or something. Um, let me just throw out a couple more stats that jumped out to me.

When they had that interception of Trabinsky, which was a beautiful the rare toe drag swag by a cornerback excellent. That was their first takeaway in two d and sixty three snaps spanning five games. So there's a problem as well. You got your defense has to make plays and and make game plays that set up your offense. It's all it all ties together and then the other big sets.

So they went four for four on on third down on that seventeen play initial drive, they went over their next ten they they offense just went in the tank. In the tank as as Mitch Trobinsky went up and down the field in a game the Cowboys needed. What else needs to be said? Right? Uh Like, there was a key third down conversion by the Bears when Michael Bennett had his seven thousand uh encroachment penalty. Watching Michael Bennett fail, there was a lot of I mean, now

that he's Patriot, I don't mind it. Uh Like, there was a lot of Michael Bennett getting up off the ground after looking dumbfounded, like in this game. I've got something for you though that I thought maybe you were going to other big time Roddy uh rowdy Roddy Piper quotes, you don't throw rocks at a man with a machine gun. I don't remember that, Well you don't. I'm so quick I could spit in the wind duck and let it hit the old lady behind me, poor lady. See, aren't

you happy you got my wife? I passed right now. I'm I'm the reason hul Cogan lost his hair. Oh that's good. Really deliver it the same way. But Roddy was. He was a guy. Um alright, any anything else going now? I feel all good for you know, we know a lot of Bears fans sometimes in a totally miserable season, if they just give you at least a couple of little moments, at least at least this want or at least it didn't go to five and eleven total misery,

they give you a little bit. That's what I'm saying. With the Jets, so I really was hoping they would beat the Bengals last week. You know, relevant December football. You don't even have to get to the playoffs. Just give me something where they're not playing out the string. The Bears are not playing out the string. Did we watch a playoff team tonight? No? Not with their schedule. Oh,

then I see what you're doing here. No, I've been keeping the Eagles off of the chopping block, and so I'm sticking with that that they kept thinking the Eagles will somehow figure it out, and the Cowboys keep allowing them time to do it. Well, we've forked the Eagles and the Bears. We didn't fork the Eagles. I kept them clean. That was yeah. I kept I kept fighting to keep them alive because I still thought they maybe they get in. All right, there we go, Greg, You're

not going to stay in the garage. That's the big news tonight. Ye throwback pod. We're gonna tape Funeral, the debut album from Arcade Fire. That's one of the bands that in the event diagram both of us love a little a f One of the defining albums of the odds has to be Bob What I mean, the Door Squeaky. We're trying to do an NFL pocket. People actually listen to the show, Bob, Well he's not wrong, all right.

Next time you hear from us it will be with the whole gang on Sunday night, wrapping up the rest of the week four teen action. But until then, this is Dan handis signing off four the old Boss Still Sunday, all right, m