Some things are pretty darn predictable. Bad takes from ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, lies from politicians, and light rain the day after a carwash all seem somewhat inevitable in life. The Cowboys’ 47-9 lopsided defeat to Detroit in Week 6 was a similarly predictable outcome. Maybe not the degree to which Dallas lost, but certainly the ease in which the Lions won.
Even though the Cowboys came into Sunday afternoon’s game on two-game winning streak and within a game of the division lead in the NFC East, Dallas was damaged goods. Significant injuries across the defense headlined their excuse list.
Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Eric Kendricks, DaRon Bland and more, were all missing from the defensive lineup on Sunday. In their place a collection of role players, practice squad elevations and various replacement level acquisitions from outside.
To say the Cowboys defense struggled against the Lions is an understatement. Giving up 47 points is a certified whoopin’. But given the circumstances in Dallas, losing big to an elite offense like the Lions is to be expected.
The Cowboys’ inability to keep up with the Detroit offense is also unsurprising in its own right. But there were plenty of new takeaways learned along the way as well.
Cowboys offensive line is an issue
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Given the aforementioned injury issues, the defense has all the excuses in the world to stink. The offense isn’t afforded such grace. The offensive line, in particular, was an indefensible clusterfudge of ineptitude on Sunday.
The Cowboys line blocked like a well lubricated turnstile most of the afternoon. Dak Prescott was running for his life, facing pressure up the middle and on the edge with a concerning degree of regularity. Pressured on nine of his first 15 dropbacks, Prescott was running for his life most of the day.
Running backs didn’t have lanes to run through as the Cowboys’ running game became an exercise in futility. Nothing worked downfield because nothing worked up front. The Cowboys have to steady the ship over the bye, and it all starts on the offensive line.
Cowboys lack of offensive weapons is an issue
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Offensively the Cowboys have an elite player in CeeDee Lamb and a solid player in Jake Ferguson but beyond that the well runs dry pretty quickly. Role players populate the ranks at running back and receiver and if teams can take away Lamb, the Cowboys don’t have many reliable options to turn to.
The Lions have weapons at every level all over the field. Three deep at WR, two deep at RB and one of the best tight ends in the NFL, it’s no wonder Detroit is top five in most major offensive categories. Until the Cowboys address their depth issues at the skill positions, this offense will be easy for good teams to thwart. This is a front office problem.
Cowboys offensive play calling an issue
Arlington, Texas on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023.
Coming off his impressive 20 carry, 87-yard performance in Pittsburgh, Rico Dowdle was rewarded with just two first half carries in Week 6. As if that wasn’t head-scratching enough, McCarthy called an inordinate amount of first-down runs, despite the results being unsuccessful play after unsuccessful play.
Per in-game play tracking, the Cowboys called seven first down runs in the first half. Only one of them was deemed a successful play. The other six put Dallas in worse shape on second down than they were on first down.
And while the offensive line struggled in all things pass protection, the Cowboys were extremely efficient passing on first down in the first half. Prescott and company converted three of five first down pass plays for a successful outcome. It’s a success percentage any offensive coordinator would love to take against a playoff-caliber defense such as Detroit’s.
Between McCarthy’s offense and the Lions offense, it was an illustration of how far behind the Cowboys are in play design and play selection from the rest of the league. If Detroit’s Ben Johnson was just auditioning to Jerry Jones for the head coaching job in Dallas next year, it’s safe to say he passed with flying colors and remains at the top of the wish list for most of Cowboys Nation.
Donovan Wilson stock up/ Trevon Diggs stock down
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The Cowboys’ defense was down to one superstar in Week 6. Diggs, Dallas’ last standing defensive All-Pro, had the unfortunate task of leading this merry band of “who are those guys” to respectability in Week 6. Instead, he gave the distinct impression of mailing it in. Whether in coverage or run support, Diggs didn’t look like the star player he’s been billed to be all season.
The same can’t be said for Wilson, Dallas’ somewhat maligned safety. Wilson played to the end with the same energy, the same gusto, the same tenacity he played with at the start. Calls to bench Wilson began to gain traction through the early part of the season but the character Wilson showed on Sunday should silence some of that criticism.
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