To say that the Dallas Cowboys didn’t get off to a good start against the Detroit Lions is to understate matters pretty dramatically.
Matthew Stafford and co. jumped out to a 14-0 lead on their first two possessions while the Cowboys were forced to punt on each of their first four drives. They were able to come back to defeat the Lions, but they know they’d do well to come out a mite faster in Green Bay.
“This was a decent day for us to not start slow because teams now are getting better,” said second-year receiver Terrance Williams, who caught two touchdowns in the 24-20 win, per ESPN Dallas. “The slower we start, the harder it is to come back ... We can’t start slow (this week) because they’ve got a high-powered offense. We got to keep our mindset in it.”
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett believes the team may be better prepared this week, having a playoff game under their belt. After all, for many players on the Dallas roster, it was their first postseason experience.
“It certainly was a big focus for us as a coaching staff last week to stay in that same routine, to prepare each day, focus on each day and focus on just going out and playing,” Garrett said. “To be honest with you, I don’t know that we achieved that early on in the ballgame. I think guys were excited, they were amped up, and at different times we didn’t play with as good of technique as we’ve played with in all three phases up to this point in the season. I think it was because it was kind of a playoff atmosphere, so I do think our guys learned a little bit from (the Lions’) experience.
“We have a young team, not many guys have been in the playoffs and I think they further understood what we were trying to convey to them all during the week. You just go out and play. We understand the stakes are higher, everybody gets that. But the idea to somehow, some way to create a feeling like you’re just going to play like you always play. I think as that game wore on, we did a better job at that.”
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