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Jimmy Johnson delivers motivational halftime speech to fire up Cowboys

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•01/14/24
jimmy-johnson-delivers-motivational-halftime-speech-to-fire-up-cowboys
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

The first half of Sunday’s Wild Card matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers simply could not have gone any worse for the Cowboys. Dallas was trailing 27-0 at one point, but scored a late touchdown to make it 27-7. Cowboys fans had to have been furious with their team’s awful showing in the first half. At halftime, Dallas legend Jimmy Johnson was steaming mad and delivered a speech to fire the players up.

“I don’t need to have people pointing the fingers one thing or another. You get your rear end in there and you play the way you know how to play. We can win the game. We’re gonna open it up. We’re gonna go fast tempo. Defense get after Jordan Love. You can’t give him that much time. You do what you’re supposed to do, and we’ll win this game!” Johnson shouted into the Fox broadcast cameras.

He’s one of the greatest football coaches ever to live and this speech is a great example why. He’s a remarkably charismatic figure with a way with words and an exceptional motivator. It’s too bad the Cowboys didn’t have Johnson in the locker room on Sunday. They certainly could have used it.

The Cowboys did manage to battle back to make the score 48-32 on Sunday evening, but that certainly won’t wash away the embarrassment and humiliation for the fans, coaches, and players of their franchise. It was one of the more humiliating defeats in Dallas history. Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones was not pleased after the game, as you might expect.

Dak Prescott threw for over 400 yards, while tossing in three touchdowns and two interceptions. One of those interceptions was a costly pick six. The team as a whole did play better in the second half, but it was too little, too late. CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup both hauled in over 100 receiving yards.

Green Bay running back Aaron Jones had a dominant showing, rushing for 118 yards and three touchdowns.

The Dallas secondary had some mind-blowingly bad lapses in coverage, including a 38-yard touchdown catch by Packers tight end Luke Musgrave where there was nobody anywhere near him. Romeo Doubs hauled in six catches for 151 yards and a touchdown. And Green Bay rookie receiver Dontayvion Wicks also hauled in two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown.

Green Bay advances to the next round of the playoffs, and the Cowboys will now have to answer plenty of questions about the future of their franchise, after yet another excruciating early exit.