Countdown to Kickoff

Days Hours Minutes Seconds
Cleveland Browns
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Sunday

September 8, 2024

4:25 PM ET

Cleveland, OH

Dallas Cowboys
VS
New Orleans Saints

Sunday

September 15, 2024

1:00 PM ET

Dallas, TX

Dallas Cowboys
VS
Baltimore Ravens

Sunday

September 22, 2024

4:25 PM ET

Dallas, TX

New York Giants
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Thursday

September 26, 2024

8:15 PM ET

New York, NY

Pittsburgh Steelers
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Sunday

October 6, 2024

8:20 PM ET

Pittsburgh, PA

Dallas Cowboys
VS
Detroit Lions

Sunday

October 13, 2024

4:25 PM ET

Dallas, TX

San Francisco 49ers
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Sunday

October 27, 2024

8:20 PM ET

San Francisco, CA

Atlanta Falcons
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Sunday

November 3, 2024

1:00 PM ET

Atlanta, GA

Dallas Cowboys
VS
Philadelphia Eagles

Sunday

November 10, 2024

4:25 PM ET

Dallas, TX

Dallas Cowboys
VS
Houston Texans

Monday

November 18, 2024

8:15 PM ET

Dallas, TX

Washington Commanders
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Sunday

November 24, 2024

1:00 PM ET

Washington, D.C.

Dallas Cowboys
VS
New York Giants

Thursday

November 28, 2024

4:30 PM ET

Dallas, TX

Dallas Cowboys
VS
Cincinnati Bengals

Monday

December 9, 2024

8:15 PM ET

Dallas, TX

Carolina Panthers
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Sunday

December 15, 2024

1:00 PM ET

Carolina, NC

Dallas Cowboys
VS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday

December 22, 2024

8:20 PM ET

Dallas, TX

Philadelphia Eagles
VS
Dallas Cowboys

Sunday

December 29, 2024

4:25 PM ET

Philadelphia, PA

Dallas Cowboys
VS
Washington Commanders

Sunday

January 5, 2025

TBD

Dallas, TX

For a team relying heavily on young players, the Cowboys need more from star veterans

For a team  relying heavily on young players, the Cowboys need more from star veterans
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cowboys made it a point to rely on young players this season, but they also need the veterans they do have to step up their play.

It is clear that the Cowboys’ plan this season was to put a lot of responsibility on the young players and rookies on the team to make up for the players lost in the offseason. There are flaws and holes to this strategy on its own as it is a lot to expect young players to play consistently up to par. However, in order for this strategy to even have a chance at success, the Cowboys need better performances from their star players and veterans.

Sunday’s beat down from the Detroit Lions was a terrible day at the office for most of the team (outside of maybe Brandon Aubrey and KaVontae Turpin). And while not ideal, that may have been expected out of the young guys and backups when facing an opponent as well-rounded as the Lions. However, a few veterans had some of the worst games of their careers on Sunday, erasing any chance the Cowboys had.

The QB and WR1 have had much better performances than what they had against the Lions, to say the least. And while there are multiple variables that contribute to the success (or lack thereof) of this offense, the responsibility is going to fall on the shoulders of those two players. Dak Prescott was pressured all night long, and while he is usually one of the best passers in the NFL when pressured, he was quite the opposite on Sunday; finishing the game 17/33 for 178 yards, two INTs and zero TDs.

One of the larger concerns coming out of the game is the connection between Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Lamb missed all of training camp and while it may have been the cause for some of the miscommunications early on in the season, this was Week 6. Those excuses have now expired.

Continuing on the offensive side of the ball, guard Zack Martin had quite possibly his worst game in his career on Sunday. The future Hall of Famer struggled all day long allowing three pressures and a sack, his second this season after only allowing two sacks in all of 2023 and none in 2022. According to PFF, it was the lowest grading of his career at 28.3 and a pass blocking grade of 0.0. While Martin was dealing with some back issues earlier in the week, it was still a very uncharacteristic game for him.

The other side of the ball was decimated with injuries, requiring backups on all three levels of the defense. In desperate times like these, the remaining starters need to be reliable. Trevon Diggs was supposed to be that reliable player on Sunday and unfortunately, it turned out to be one of his worst games of his career. Tackling has been a bit of a recurring issue with Diggs while he usually makes up for it in pass coverage. Against the Lions, however, both tackling and coverage were glaring issues for him.

Diggs was targeted four times allowing all four completions for 80 total yards and allowed a touchdown for the first time all season. Jameson Williams had his way with Diggs accounting for 57 of those yards allowed, 37 on the touchdown. According to PFF, his passer rating when targeted was 158.3. It was a performance that did not meet the standards for the former All-Pro and NFL interception leader.

The Cowboys are now heading into a bye week. The rest will be needed in order to get some players back from injury, and the time will be needed to try to fix all of the issues that surround this team. Unfortunately, the team they will be facing next is the biggest boogeyman that has haunted the Cowboys for years. In order for the Cowboys to have a shot at finally defeating the 49ers, the stars and veterans on this team have to step up to the plate, play to their standards, and help make these young players better.

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