There were some bright spots in the Cowboys Week 14 loss to the Bengals.
The Dallas Cowboys were riding high on a two-game winning streak coming into their Week 14 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, due to not sticking to the running game and an inexcusable special teams blunder, Dallas ended up on the short end of the stick in a 27-20 loss. That puts them at 5-8 on the season, and that makes their already slim playoffs hopes even more difficult to achieve. Not to mention, they lost linebacker DeMarvion Overshown for the season with a major knee injury that could sideline him until 2026.
With only four games left, the Cowboys will have to run the table to have any shot at the postseason. They have a winnable game on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, even though they are underdogs in that game, like they will be the rest of the season. So, they could likely be put out of their misery in the next few weeks, and then they’ll turn the page to 2025.
It wasn’t all had for the Cowboys against the Bengals. So, let’s take a look at some positives as we dive into three things we have learned about Dallas as they head into Week 15.
Brock Hoffman is playing excellent football
With veteran right guard Zack Martin out for the season, Hoffman has gotten the nod to start. To say he’s taken advantage of his opportunity is an understatement. On Monday, per Pro Football Focus, Hoffman only allowed one pressure and one quarterback hit on 36 pass-blocking snaps. For the season, Hoffman has 142 pass reps, and he’s given up one quarterback hit and two pressure total. He’s done so playing all over the interior with 187 reps at right guard, 37 at center, and 19 at left guard.
Hoffman has a run blocking grade of 74.9 (23rd amongst guards), a pass-blocking grade of 77.6 (ninth amongst guards), and an overall grade of 76.5 (15th amongst guards). The Cowboys shouldn’t use Hoffman’s play to justify not taking a guard at some point in the draft or grabbing one in free agency. However, Hoffman is a hard hat, lunch pail-type of guy that provides great depth, and with Martin’s future up in the air, he could possibly compete to start in 2025.
Rico Dowdle keeps showing his value
For whatever reason, the Cowboys decided not to keep riding the hot hand of Dowdle down the stretch versus Cincinnati. Nonetheless, on his 18 carries, he managed to rack up a career-high 131 yards and became the first Cowboys running back to reach 100 yards in back-to-back games since 2022 (Tony Pollard). With 731 yards on the year, Dowdle has a legitimate shot to reach the 1,000-yard mark, something nobody thought was possible at the beginning of the year.
Dowdle has left no doubt about which player is the top dog in the running back room, despite the Cowboys attempting to appease veteran Ezekiel Elliott. His performance in 2024 has been a pleasant surprise, and the Cowboys should consider bringing him back next year and paring him with a young RB1 of the future to make a formidable one-two punch. Until then, the Cowboys should keep feeding him the rock and allow to maintain the confidence he’s built.
Marist Liufau had his most impact performance
As mentioned earlier, Overshown went down for the season with a knee injury. For Liufau, it was the perfect chance to get valuable reps at the linebacker spot, and the former third-round pick looked like he was shot out of a cannon. Liufau finished with only two tackles, but he produced 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits. There’s no doubt that Liufau has clearly set himself a part from Damone Clark as he’s been a non-factor this season.
With Overshown on the shelf, Liufau will get more time alongside Eric Kendricks, which will be extremely beneficial for him to close out the year. Plus, this will better prepare him for 2025 as Overshown could very well miss the entire season, and that will put even more responsibility and expectations on him. Liufau plays with an aggressive nature and fires downhill with purpose, and he can navigate sideline to sideline with speed. That gets him in trouble sometimes, but you’d rather a player make a mistake giving full effort.
