Washington Football Team studs and duds from Thanksgiving 2020 win
By Ian Cummings
Dud No. 3 – First-half Ronald Darby
The Cowboys’ offense would eventually be overcome by the Washington Football Team’s heat-seeking defense, but early on, this game was very much a contest, and Dallas’ offense showed enough life to suggest that this one would go down to the wire.
It was the Cowboys’ passing game that was especially worrisome, particularly in the second quarter, when Andy Dalton found Amari Cooper deep for a long, momentum-shifting touchdown. Cooper burned Ronald Darby on the play. Cooper feigned catch preparation, coaxing Darby into slowing down to search for the ball. When Darby whirled back around, the ball was now arriving to a wide-open Cooper, and he strolled into the end zone.
That play by Darby was rough, accounting for nearly half of Dallas’ point production. But Darby would put on the clamps in the second half. He remained a solid tackler, and he also notched two pass deflections, again proving his proficiency at the catch point.
Darby’s play on Thursday is emblematic of the modern cornerback experience. Darby was somewhat volatile, but good cornerbacks will get beat sometimes. It’s just the way it is in the offense-oriented 2020 NFL. Darby’s play in the first half failed to live up to the expectations he’s set this season, but he came back in the third and fourth quarters and redeemed himself.
Darby has low-key been one of the best cornerbacks on the team, if not in the entire division. Lately, he’s arguably been more disruptive than Kendall Fuller, as he has six pass deflections over the past two weeks. He’ll have to avoid the big plays moving forward, but Darby, who turns 27 in January, has the athletic ability and ball skills to be a long-term piece of this defense.