Here We Goooo: 3 things that must get fixed – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
There are a lot of issues in Dallas, here are two that need to get corrected.
Scoring in the Red Zone
The Cowboys have not been able to get touchdowns on their trips in the redzone, with just a 37.5% touchdown scoring percentage, good for 3rd worst in the NFL. Dak Prescott has completed just nine of his 23 passing attempts for 80 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions (tied for the most in the league). CeeDee Lamb has only hauled in two catches on six targets for 11 yards and has yet to score from short distance.
And the run game isn’t setting them up for success either, as the Cowboys have run the ball nine times for nine yards and a touchdown, keeping them in difficult situations on second and third downs. Nothing is going right for Dallas when they get deep into their opponent’s territory, and while Brandon Aubrey has done his job to get points on the board, the offense needs to try and get him on the field for extra points, not field goals.
Stop The Run
Opponents run the ball on the Cowboys defense 50.53% of the time averaging 143.2 yards per game on the ground, the 6th most rushing yards allowed per game in the league.
What’s more troubling for the Dallas defense is that 629 of the 859 rushing yards they’ve allowed this season has come after contact and are allowing 1.7 rushing touchdowns per game, the second worst average in the league. The Dallas defense has been playing from behind with guys like Eric Kendricks, DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons all missing time, and needs this bye week to get them healthier and hopefully back on the field soon.
Five areas the Cowboys could realistically improve to make a run at NFC East title – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News
If the Cowboys want a shot to make the postseason, these areas have to get better.
Improve the running game
The Cowboys’ offseason moves — not drafting a running back, signing Ezekiel Elliott in free agency and starting two rookies in the offensive line — have hampered the running game. The Cowboys are starting Rico Dowdle with Elliott as a backup.
One thing the Cowboys could do is elevate Dalvin Cook from the practice squad and make Elliott either inactive on gamedays or release him. Dowdle’s ability to return kicks, if necessary, allows him to remain on the gameday roster.
Another issue that must be addressed is the offensive line. The Cowboys need their best five players on the field, and if that means sitting rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton in favor of left guard Tyler Smith moving to tackle to fix things, then that has to happen. But the Cowboys believe in Guyton’s potential. If he has a strong week of practice heading into the 49ers game and that balky knee of his holds up, then he’ll remain in the starting lineup. But you have to figure out something for a rushing attack averaging a league-low 3.5 yards per game.
The Cowboys also need to get ahead in games. They’ve trailed big in home losses and it’s caused them to pass more often than they want. The team is tied for the sixth-fewest rushing attempts in the NFL. The Cowboys had the 14th most attempts last season. When you’re down in games, it disrupts getting into a good offensive rhythm. It’s one thing to be involved in a high-scoring game, where the passing game is the best way to win, and another when the run game just slogs along.
Get injured players back
Injuries are part of the NFL. Always. The return of starting cornerback DaRon Bland, edge rusher Micah Parsons and linebacker Eric Kendricks should help. Bland led the NFL in interceptions last season and his absence in the first six games is noticed. Parsons has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. His return for the 49ers game would be a boost to a defense in need of QB pressures. Kendricks, as the middle linebacker, is a key component in the defense. He was missed in the loss to the Lions when Damone Clark took over his spot. The loss of three key players also exposed a lack of depth. The return of No. 2 receiver Brandin Cooks at some point brings another element to the offense. Jalen Tolbert has moved into the No. 2 spot, but Cooks’ speed is something this team seeks.
After Lions game, there is little doubt over what Ezekiel Elliott’s role should be – David Howman, Blogging The Boys
Dallas needs to go back to giving Rico Dowdle the bulk of the carries.
In terms of short-yardage plays, the Cowboys have had 36 plays with three yards or less to go for the first down, regardless of what down in the series it was. Of those 36 plays, the team has run the ball 25 times; Elliott makes up seven of those carries and is averaging 3.1 yards, while Dowdle has 11 attempts and averaged 4.8 yards.
When McCarthy called a run in the red zone or in short-yardage scenarios, Elliott was often the guy. However, his results had been discouraging thus far, which made it easier to give more carries to Dowdle.
If there was ever any doubt that Elliott was no longer capable of being the top dog in this running back rotation, then the Cowboys certainly took care of that this week. It was already becoming clear that Dowdle was the most explosive runner in the backfield, and his career night against a really good Steelers run defense should have been the impetus for an even larger role.
Instead, the Cowboys scaled his snaps back considerably versus Detroit to make way for their former star player, and Elliott made it very clear that McCarthy and this coaching staff had correctly judged his effectiveness prior to the Lions game. There are plenty of things this team needs to adjust during the bye week, but this one is easy: go back to Dowdle as the top dog and Elliott coming in when the situation calls for it.
How did the struggling Cowboys get here? Ranking the front office’s offseason missteps – David Moore, DMN
Moore’s collection is a long list of players the Cowboys should have signed, should have signed earlier, or should not have let leave. But one point is not about the players and everybody saw this one coming a mile away.
Allowing head coach Mike McCarthy to go into a lame-duck season.
McCarthy appeared on those lists of coaches most likely to be fired early in his tenure. He was on one even after his first of three consecutive 12-5 seasons.
There was never any validity to it. And Jerry Jones isn’t inclined to make a move during this season, either.
But not signing McCarthy to an extension, even a modest one, does make for an awkward atmosphere when this team struggles. It’s the reason Jones was hit with questions about McCarthy’s job status in the aftermath of the team’s loss to Detroit.
If this team falls a few games below .500 before it starts to get some of its key players back, McCarthy’s authority with his players is undercut because of his status, and the howls from the outside about delaying the inevitable will intensify.
It’s not a good situation for anyone.
Colin Cowherd thinks Troy Aikman calling out the Cowboys is foreshadowing what’s to come for head coach Mike McCarthy – Staff, Foxsports
Winter is coming for McCarthy.
Jones’ remarks prompted Troy Aikman to blast the team this week, saying their route-running was “terrible” and that they sometimes look “lazy” coming off the line of scrimmage.
“I’m not impressed,” Aikman said, via Sports Illustrated.
Colin Cowherd is on the same page, saying that he believes head coach Mike McCarthy’s days are already numbered.
“[Dallas] can no longer compete at home with the better teams: Green Bay, Detroit, Baltimore,” he said on Friday’s edition of “The Herd.” “They couldn’t compete at home when the Saints were healthy. That’s a problem. Jerry Jones can get on local radio and bang on the hosts all he wants, but when Troy Aikman calls you lazy and when Michael Irvin … calls you soft — Mike McCarthy’s career is over. … It’s just not official.
“In five seasons, Mike McCarthy [has] one playoff win. … When you have Aikman and Irvin going out and willing to say this publicly in the same week, the messaging is pretty clear. Mike’s out. Jerry wants him out. Make the landing soft, but they can’t compete at home. And lazy receiver routes? That’s on coaching.”
Troy Aikman: Cowboys have multiple red flags amid early season issues – Staff, DMN
Aikman’s comments on the Cowboys’ route running made the headlines yesterday, but he had more to say.
Q: Dak and some other players have said this year after these losses, ‘We didn’t have a good week of practice’ or ‘We’re not paying attention to detail in practice.’ That’s a red flag, isn’t it?
Aikman: “It absolutely is. If the quarterback is saying we were not practicing hard enough, we need to be more accountable, or whatever the terminology is that he’s using — I know that a couple weeks ago, he said something similar. Yeah, that’s a huge red flag. One, because it’s an indictment on how things are being done. But usually, as we know, Dak is the last person who’s going to say something like that publicly. So, if he says something, as is the case for most quarterbacks, if they’re saying something publicly like that then it’s a problem, and it’s obviously causing some real frustration on his part. And so that stuff, you know, we talked about it before, that stuff’s got to get cleaned up. I don’t care if it’s sports, business, whatever it is, I mean, there are certain things, in my opinion, that are relatively easy to clean up. And effort and paying attention to detail and knowing assignments and practicing at a certain level is among the easiest things that I would be able to fix.”
Q: That falls to, I would think, the head coach and the offensive coordinator. Some of the things that you see in the passing game, their lack of productivity in the ground game, and that guys don’t appear to be real excited about routes and doing the same thing every time, that almost makes me think that they’re going through motions of something maybe they don’t believe in.
Aikman: “Maybe, you know, it’s hard. From my perspective, it’s just not good enough. It’s simply not good enough. If I was quarterbacking that team, I would not be happy with what I’ve seen. From where I sit, that has to be better. Now, why is it what it is? Do the coaches like what they’re seeing? Do they tolerate what they’re seeing? Is it emphasized? All of that. If it’s the players, do they believe in it? I wouldn’t question whether or not they believe in it, but there’s a disconnect somewhere.”
Way-too-early first round targets for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 NFL Draft – Nick Harris, Star-Telegram
When your opponents regularly wipe the floor with your team, it can never be too early to talk about the draft.
Harris offers eight prospects for your consideration, among them a running back, three defensive linemen, two defensive backs and these two wide receivers:
Tetairoa McMillan, Wide Receiver, Arizona: Tetairoa McMillan is starting to emerge as the firm WR1 in a class that has talented playmakers that can stretch the field and move offenses down the field in a hurry. The Cowboys haven’t had a true possession receiver since Dez Bryant, and McMillan would give them that red zone ability and jump ball ability as soon as he touches the field.
Luther Burden III, Wide Receiver, Missouri: While Luther Burden III may not be the jump ball savant that McMillan is for Arizona, his speed, separation and route running makes him a big play machine for Missouri that could directly translate to the NFL.
