Every week, we gather to discuss the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have David Howman, Tom Ryle, RJ Ochoa, Jess Haynie, and Sean Martin.
What did you make of Dak Prescott’s decision-making and leadership of the offense against Green Bay?
Mike: If you were searching for evidence that Dak Prescott still has complete command of the Dallas offense, the Green Bay game delivered it in high definition. This wasn’t empty-calorie production or a dink-and-dunk stat pad. It was a quarterback running the show with pace, intention, and restraint, then punctuating it with a few throws that only a handful of guys will even try.
The first thing that jumped off the screen was how quickly Prescott got from decision to delivery. He played on time, layered the ball between levels, and refused to feed Green Bay free possessions. He elevated the entire operation. George Pickens became a featured weapon, Jake Ferguson’s chain-moving routes mattered, and ancillary touches were purposeful, not forced. That’s leadership you can feel: the huddle trusts the call, the ball goes where the read says, and the offense retains its shape instead of shrinking around a single target.
Prescott’s signature moment came on a sideline laser to Jalen Tolbert, threaded where only Tolbert could touch it. The window was microscopic, the timing unforgiving, and the placement pristine. This was A-grade quarterbacking. Decisive, turnover-averse, situationally sharp, and emotionally steady. The scoreboard will invite debate, the tape won’t.
Howman: It proved the point I’ve been making the past week: The Cowboys are a playoff-caliber team as long as Dak Prescott is on the field. No CeeDee? No problem. Prescott is good enough to make plays without him, and it’s about time the rest of the league takes note of that.
Tom: Really, how can you fault a QB who gives you 40 points and no turnovers? Like Howman, I’m impressed about how the chemistry has developed with George Pickens. There is also a bit of an emergence for Jalen Tolbert, who had 61 yards. Give Dak some defense, and this team is dangerous.
RJ: Dak was easily the highest point of stability for the Cowboys on Sunday night. It is incredibly unfortunate that they were unable to come out with the win as those types of performances are not promised.
Jess: It’s the best we’ve ever seen him, and as good as anything we’ve seen since this team was winning Super Bowls. But unless this defense finds some level of solvency, there’s just no way Dak and the offense can do enough to keep this season afloat. Hard to enjoy it too much until it starts resulting in wins.
Sean: Prescott was nothing short of dominant against the Packers, but the fact the game called for him to be this close to perfect to merely squeak out a tie is a heartbreak. Every third down attempt or passing situation in general felt like the opportunity for the Packers to make a play and completely take over the game was inevitable, but even down multiple offensive linemen and CeeDee Lamb, this moment never came. Prescott was clutch and so too were George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, and Ryan Flournoy all at different times.
Mike: The useless and short answer here is both, but to aim an answer one way or the other it leans toward resilience. Dallas showed the kind of spine you can build on after Thanksgiving. But the same film that praises their fight also underlines a repeatable, finishing issue.
The Cowboys proved they can take a punch and keep creating chances. That means if they clean up the controllables, they’re not hunting for an identity, they’re optimizing one. The tie showcased heart, but it also spotlighted the gap between being hard to beat and being the team that actually wins it. Fix the defensive sloppiness, and the resilience everyone admires becomes wins everyone remembers.
Howman: Resilience, for sure. The Cowboys were not supposed to have a chance in this one, and early on they were fixing to get blown out. The fact that they not only took it to overtime but didn’t lose is a testament to their ability to rise to the occasion, even without their best skill player.
Tom: They came so close. Had that final pass from Jordan Love been deflected back into the end zone, the game would have ended with a win no one saw coming. The tie itself exceeded expectations. I didn’t think a tie game could be labeled as wildly entertaining, but up until the end, it was.
RJ: I hate to ride the fence, but I am going to go with both. That is the main issue. They have one side of the ball that can go toe to toe with anyone, but the other side is so impossible to trust. Those things cannot function simultaneously.
Jess: I agree with R.J. that it’s resilience on offense and dysfunction on defense.
Sean: Easily resilience, because this game shared some similarities with the Cowboys other primetime loss this season at the Eagles. Backs against the wall, nobody in the world picking your team to even be in the game, and Brian Schottenheimer had his group focused and ready to execute a “camel through the eye of a needle” type game plan on the fly to match the Packers and nearly upset them. It’s been a while since we could say a Cowboys coach had his team the most prepared for the toughest games with the most noise around them, but so far it feels like that’s what the Cowboys have in Schotty, keeping in mind he calls the plays on offense and in that way did everything he could to pull out this win. The defense simply has to find a way to get a few more stops to make it all matter.
How confident are you in Dallas getting a win against a lackluster New York Jets, or does the Cowboys defense make you nervous?
Mike: I’m going with a 7-out-of-10 on the Cowboys-confidence meter. That’s mostly because a clean, on-schedule Dallas offense should be enough to beat a Jets team that too often sputters between the 20s. But let’s not pretend the Cowboys’ defense doesn’t raise an eyebrow.
If Dallas plays with discipline and leverage they displayed in their best stretches last week by rallying to tackles, capping explosive plays, and forcing the Jets to stack 10-play drives, the game leans in their way fast. If Dallas jumps to an early lead that makes New York chase, muddy the intermediate windows for Garrett Wilson, then Dallas wins with room to breathe.
Howman: The defense makes me very nervous still, but I saw a couple encouraging signs this week. I think the Jets present a more manageable matchup, respectfully, and think the Cowboys should be favorites in this one.
Tom: The best thing defensively was that they only got beat deep a couple of times. After the abysmal showings before this game, that was a huge step forward. Now they just need to figure out how to generate more pass rush, and I think the secondary will start to look better.
RJ: At the moment the Cowboys have allowed three straight quarterbacks to each throw for (at least) three touchdowns against them. I have zero reason to believe Justin Fields will not make it a fourth. This is more about the Cowboys than Fields, but it feels fair to the point nonetheless.
Jess: These next two games are a welcome chance for Dallas to work some things out on defense in the softest remaining part of their schedule. The good news is that even if what they try fails, it can’t really get any worse than what we’ve seen. So as long as Prescott stays hot, I feel pretty good about getting to 3-2-1.
Sean: To flip things on its head for a second, I liked what I saw from the Dolphins offense attacking the Jets defense on Monday night. This should be another game that bodes well for the Cowboys offense, and I just have such a hard time believing that with another big point output, the defense can’t do even marginally better to earn a win and not another loss or tie. My biggest overall concern for the Jets game is trying to hand another loss to a winless team, which Dallas was not mentally prepared to do in week three at the Bears, but I think the defense still finds a way to do just enough.
Rapid fire section
Bigger WR impact, George Pickens or Garrett Wilson?
Howman: Pickens, but more so by virtue of the guy throwing him the ball.
Tom: Second Howman’s motion.
RJ: I’ll third.
Jess: Pickens, but because Fields will do more damage with his feet.
Sean: Pickens, and I’ll give some love my other colleagues didn’t to Bland and Diggs working against Wilson.
Dallas edge plan, more Jadeveon Clowney or unleash rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku?
Howman: I like the rotation approach they’re using, but Clowney and Ezeiruaku should both get more reps. Oh, and James Houston, obviously.
Tom: To blatantly steal a line, why not both? Or all three? I don’t know if Matt Eberflus is creative enough, but in clear passing downs, put nothing but edge guys on the line and get after it.
RJ: EZ.
Jess: The only plan I care about is keeping Sam Williams off the field.
Sean: I liked Ezeiruaku’s game, penalty withholding, against the Packers. Let’s see more of him.
Dak Prescott passing yards, over/under 268.5.
Howman: Over.
Tom: A worse defense, so over.
RJ: Totally over.
Jess: Over by necessity.
Sean: Screenshot alert, we’re all on the over.
Cowboys team sacks- over/under 3.0
Howman: Probably under, just because of Justin Fields’ mobility.
Tom: I’ll take the under until this D line shows me more.
RJ: I’ll also go under. The mobility is a big factor.
Jess: Agreed.
Sean: Under, mobile QB and farthest thing from a lockdown secondary.
Better third-down weapon, Jake Ferguson or Ryan Flournoy?
Howman: Jake Ferguson isn’t the YAC threat he once was, but his connection with Prescott makes him an ideal safety blanket.
Tom: To me the deciding factor is that Ferg had seven targets and hauled them all in.
RJ: 100% Jake Ferguson for me. No disrespect to Flournoy.
Jess: Depends on the distance, but anything under 10 yards is Ferg time.
Sean: Fergy.
Total Cowboys points on offense, over/under 31.5
Howman: I hope it’s over, because this defense probably isn’t hitting the under.
Tom: The Jets are a bit further down in the stats than the Pack, so the over sounds good.
RJ: Over because they will be necessary.
Jess: If field goals count for the offense, I’ll say over.
Sean: Under but by one or two points.
On a scale of 1-10, how much do you trust Javonte Williams currently?.
Howman: 11. Williams looks like he did in his rookie year, when he was on the verge of breaking out as one of the league’s best backs.
Tom: 9.5, just because the season is still young. In a game that quickly became a QB shootout, he still had a solid 85 yards. If they get a big lead in a contest, he will probably go well over 100.
RJ: Tom said it well. I’ll say 9.5 also just because of the Chicago fumble.
Jess: 10/10. He maximizes everything the blocks set up and consistently creates extra yards.
Sean: 9/10, would be nice to see another explosive TD run this week
KaVontae Turpin receptions, over/under 4
Howman: Over, because Brian Schottenheimer wants to get him more involved after this past week.
Tom: I’m going to go with the under on this one, because that Pickens connection is clicking and as I said Tolbert is coming on. Plus you do want to protect the best return man in the game a little.
RJ: Definitely over here.
Jess: I think it’s only 3-4 catches, but he’ll get some more touches in other ways.
Sean: I think the Cowboys will see some missed opportunities to get Turpin the ball on the film vs. the Packers. I’ll take the over as they correct it at the Jets.
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