Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Cowboys fanbase is over this team and front office The Dallas Cowboys fanbase is over it. Never before since we’ve been tracking confidence in the direction of the franchise has the percentage of those answering in the affirmative been lower. After the embarrassing loss to the Detroit Lions at home, all faith has been cashed out. We asked earlier in the week if you believe the franchise is headed in the right direction, and the answer was the lowest of any SB Nation team fanbase this week at 3%. The next closest mark was the Jacksonville Jaguars fans at 5% and the Cleveland Browns fans at 9%. Both of those teams are 1-5 on the year. The rot has gone so far that hopes of making the playoffs in 2024 are also at a very low number. Only 11% fans think that Dallas will turn their season around and make a charge into the playoffs. This is really an unprecedented low for a team that is 3-3 on the season. But the blowouts at home, and the fan’s simmering anger from the offseason where it was felt Jerry Jones and company did little to improve the team, together have reached a boiling point.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Cowboys just fell down a peg in the NFC East standings, and their bye week may allow Washington and Philadelphia to build greater leads. With their Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys fell to third in the NFC East. They’re limping into the bye week, both with health issues across the roster and from their cringe-worthy performances. What’s worse, Dallas may have to watch the Commanders and Eagles pick up some more wins while they rest. As miserable as Cowboys Nation feels right now, the face value of Dallas’ situation could be worse. After this week they’ll still be 3-3 and within striking distance of the division leaders. At worst, they’ll be just 2.5 games behind Washington and still have two to play against them and Philly. And so far, the Cowboys are still undefeated against the NFC East. It’s been a lot easier to rip our garments and throw ash on our heads this week, and it’s probably been emotionally healthy to vent. But even if the Commanders and Eagles extend their leads over Dallas this week, there are still eleven more to go and plenty of time for the Cowboys to improve their situation. Current NFC East Standings Washington Commanders 4-2 (1-0 in division, 2-1 vs NFC) Philadelphia Eagles 3-2 (0-0, 2-2) Dallas Cowboys 3-3 (1-0, 1-2) New York Giants 2-4 (0-2, 1-3) We’re talking about assumptive wins for Washington and Philadelphia in Week 7 because of their scheduled competition; the Commanders host the Panthers while the Eagles will face the Giants in New York. After a brief surge of improvement when Andy Dalton replaced Bryce Young at quarterback, Carolina is back to losing games big and staying in the hunt for the first pick in the 2025 Draft. Washington should have little trouble improving to 5-2 this Sunday. The Eagles’ task is certainly taller. The Giants have shown heart the last two weeks, even getting a stunning road win in Seattle. Meanwhile, Philly came off their bye and had trouble putting the Browns away last week. The offense clicked better with A.J. Brown back in action but the game was far closer than expected, and Nick Sirianni is still behaving like a heel wrestler’s manager. Bye weeks are funny things, though. We focus on the opportunities for rest or healing and to get back in the lab to work on issues. We certainly hope all of those things happen for the Cowboys this week. But it’s also well-documented that teams can struggle coming out of a bye, falling out of the rhythm of their schedule. This is especially true of undisciplined teams, and the Eagles seem to be leaning toward that trait the longer they play under Sirianni. So while the narrow win over Cleveland may seem like a red flag, it could be mitigated by the bye week factor. How the Eagles look this Sunday against the Giants is probably a much better indicator of just how much of a threat they are this season.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images If the Cowboys want to turn things around their offense will need to step up. There’s plenty of blame to toss around for the Dallas Cowboys slow start, but their offensive struggles have been arguably the most disappointing thing to come out of the first six games. The past few seasons Dallas was built upon an explosive offense that could consistently score 25+ points a game. This year, the Cowboys have scored more than 25 points in a game just once, coming in their first game of the year against the now 1-5 Cleveland Browns, It’s clear what the Cowboys are currently doing isn’t working, so if they want to come out of the bye week with more offensive success they’ll need to change things up. With that in mind, today we take a look at two offensive changes the Cowboys should make next week. Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images 1) Cut ties with Ezekiel Elliott and promote Dalvin Cook to the active roster There’s no denying Ezekiel Elliott will go down as one of the Cowboys’ best running backs of all time. During his prime, Elliott was one of the most dominant backs in the league. That being said, Elliott’s return to Dallas this season has been unproductive. Every week it becomes clearer that Elliott has no juice left in the tank. The veteran running back has the third-worst success rate (21.1%) among qualifying running backs and ranks dead last in the league with a shocking 0% explosive rush rate. You can’t have success running the football in 2024 when you have absolutely zero explosiveness, and unfortunately, Elliott is at that point. Dalvin Cook is not going to come in and instantly erase all of Dallas’ struggles in the run game. In fact, he may go down the same path as Elliott and prove he just does not have it anymore. But with how much Elliott and Dallas’ run game as a whole have struggled, there’s zero reason not to make this move. Cook will at least provide some relatively fresh legs and could potentially give the Cowboys a decent second back to pair with Rico Dowdle. Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images 2) Make a concerted effort to get Jake Ferguson more consistently involved in the passing game Third-year tight end Jake Ferguson has turned into one heck of a player. The former Wisconsin Badger had a career year last season, catching 71 passes for 761 yards and five touchdowns. Ferguson followed in the footsteps of Dallas’ past tight ends and became a great security blanket for Dak Prescott. In his brief Cowboys career, the Cowboys as a team have performed well when the tight end has had individual success. Dallas is 8-3 when Ferguson has 47 or more receiving yards in a game, 5-2 when he scores a touchdown, and an impressive 8-0 when his Y/T is 10 yards or greater. The last stat in particular shows how important it is to get Ferguson involved in the offense and utilize his ability to make plays down the field. When you get the ball in Ferguson’s hands good things tend to happen, and the Cowboys just haven’t done that enough when it’s mattered so far this year. Next week against the 49ers and moving forward the Cowboys need to make an effort to get their second-best offensive weapon consistent targets and opportunities.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Our latest mailbag features plenty of questions about the Dallas Cowboys. Every week, we take questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook about Dallas Cowboys players and other issues surrounding the team. So let’s get right into it. “Coming off that horrendous home loss to Detroit, how grateful are the Cowboys that now is their bye week?” (@MrEd315 on Twitter) Mike: Well, at least they can’t lose this week. The bye week for this coaching staff needs to be a moment of serious reflection and to figure out what steps they need to take to get the wheels back on track for this season. The front office proclaimed there will be no trades coming to help bolster the this roster. So the only thing left to do as fans is hold on tight get ready for the ride. For some optimism, the Cowboys will face the San Francisco 49ers who are facing their personal struggles. They will face the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend so the hope is the Chiefs will play hard against them and demoralize the 49ers team enough that it softens them up for the following against Dallas. Dana: One of the biggest benefits to having the bye week this week, is it gives time for the injured players to heal up. And the Cowboys are going to need to get back as many players as they can to make the game competitive against the 49ers next week. Guys like DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson, Tyler Guyton, Eric Kendricks, Nick Vigil, and Micah Parsons all have a chance to play in Week 8. The 49ers have a long list of players on their injury report as well. So, one advantage that the Cowboys have over the 49ers is that they don’t have to play the Chiefs this week, the 49ers do. “How do we revamp this O-line for next season, maybe keeping Zack Martin. Every team knows we can’t run the ball.” (@Jörgen Veisland on Facebook) Mike: By the way Martin is playing it looks more likely retirement is coming. There’s a physiological phenomenon where whenever someone talks about retirement, mentally they have already retired. It’s possible this is the case with Martin. As for how to fix the problem with the offensive line, well that’s not something that can be done overnight. An offensive line is only as good as it’s weakest link and there are a couple of links that need addressing. That will mean using draft picks next year or trading for productive linemen (which is unlikely). Or there’s a chance a veteran lineman worth the time enters the free market next year and Dallas manages to snag one (also unlikely). Dana: Next season, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Guyton will have a season under their belt and I expect both to be improved over this year. The main concern for next season is at RG and RT. Even if Zack Martin chooses not to retire, it might be worth looking for a replacement to start to develop behind him. Next to him RT Terrance Steele just hasn’t been able to get back to the level he was at before his injury a few seasons ago. It may be worth looking for new options there as well. “Who is the best player on the roster right now?” (@Steven Sierra on Facebook) Mike: Well this questions is wildly loaded and about to create arguments in the comments section. The star players all remain the same, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs are the first names that spring to mind. To pick from those names is tough as Parsons seems the obvious choice but he’s missed time with injury. Zack Martin has potential at this late stage of his career as fans have seen what he’s capable of time and time again. But let’s also not forget Brandon Aubrey who remains a solid and reliable piece of this team and leads the league in nearly every kicking category. The way to do this is simply this- Parsons is the best player overall but injured, active on the roster currently it’s CeeDee Lamb. Dana: In 2024, after six games, and only judging off of these performances, Brandon Aubrey is the Dallas Cowboys’ best player hands down. No one has been as reliable or consistent as the Cowboys’ kicker. He has made field goals from +50 yards in seven consecutive games, the first kicker in the NFL to do so. And after Week 6, he was tied for first in the entire NFL for most points scored. Unfortunately as of this moment, no one on the team is performing better than “Butter”.

Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images The Lions defense was not worried about anybody beyond CeeDee Lamb when they faced the Dallas Cowboys. Earlier this week Dallas Cowboys legend, Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Monday Night Football color analyst Troy Aikman had some choice words about CeeDee Lamb. Aikman, whose words may carry the most weight among people who have served time for America’s Team, noted that he found the route running from Cowboys wide receivers in general to be terrible. He effectively called it lazy effort. To be clear, Aikman’s words for Lamb were a call for the wide receiver to “improve” his route running and it is hard to feel like improvement isn’t necessary from him as well as everyone on his sideline. While that is undeniably true, it is also impossible to deny that Lamb is the most potent weapon that the Cowboys have from a skill position standpoint. This kind of statement carries a “water is wet” sort of obviousness, but the point isn’t that everyone knows that Lamb is amazing. What is troubling right now is that everyone knows this and that the Cowboys have very little to offer outside of him. Consider the words of Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph who was appearing on the St. Brown Podcast this week, a show hosted by his Lions teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown. When asked what the strategy was from Detroit’s side to limit the Cowboys, Joseph said that the gameplan was to take away Lamb due to a lack of fear from anyone else. “The gameplan was really just take (CeeDee Lamb) away, we know he’s a play maker. Once we take him out the game, we wasn’t really worried about anyone else.” Kerby Joseph goes over the Lions’ defensive game plan in the 47-9 victory over the Cowboys ️ pic.twitter.com/uYqa8Y5bRv — St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) October 17, 2024 Responses to this post on X/Twitter all shared the same common denominators: They noted that this was not breaking news But that this is the case is incredibly frustrating That NFL teams are so openly saying this is an indictment against the Cowboys To those overall points, it is one thing for ordinary Dallas Cowboys fans to feel like “all the Cowboys have” is CeeDee Lamb, but for an NFL safety who was a part of a group that completely dominated them to openly note it is proof that this is how other teams really do view them. From a skill position standpoint (the players who an opposing defense would seemingly have to worry about) the Cowboys are down Brandin Cooks at the moment, but otherwise they are healthy in terms of having the group they determined was the one they wanted. Jalen Tolbert caught the game-winning touchdown in Pittsburgh and has been a nice option, but this has not been a top season from Jake Ferguson quite yet (he missed time to be fair). It is no secret that the running game from Dallas is abysmal. How could Detroit not have the mindset that they did? What’s more is that it proved to be effective so if this overall idea wasn’t obvious to other teams then it certainly is now.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images The Cowboys run game is… a tough scene. The debate over Ezekiel Elliott’s role this past week kind of came out of nowhere. Coming off the Cowboys’ best rushing performance of the year, which highlighted a career night for Rico Dowdle, it didn’t seem like the time to question whether or not there should be a change in the running back rotation. Yet, the question was asked of Mike McCarthy in preparation to face the Lions. Asked Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy about Zeke Elliott role, he said they will operate at running back like they did last week. Elliott was at least supposed to be red zone and shortyardage back but he has not been used much — Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) October 9, 2024 Not long after this response from McCarthy, Elliott himself was asked about his role and how he felt about it. The response from the former fourth-overall pick immediately sparked controversy. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott confirmed he has talked to the coaches about his role and remains dumbfounded by his lack of opportunities at least as red zone back — Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) October 10, 2024 The timing of all of this couldn’t have been any more odd, given how the running game had been getting better in recent weeks as Dowdle cemented himself as the top running back. Furthermore, the notion that Elliott was not seeing work as a red zone or short-yardage back was lacking much-needed context. Prior to Week 6, the Cowboys were seriously lacking in opportunities for Elliott. They ranked 25th in red zone appearances and the average distance to go on third down was 7.3 yards. In other words, they weren’t getting to the red zone and they weren’t getting into true short-yardage situations. Even when they did find themselves in those situations, Elliott hardly proved himself as reliable. Among 13 red zone trips in the first five games, the Cowboys handed the ball off to Elliott three times and he tallied just four yards. Dowdle had as many red zone carries, though two of those three came against the Steelers when he had the hot hand. Prior to that game, Elliott had been the clear go-to option for any red zone runs, though Dallas didn’t run the ball much in the red zone. In terms of short-yardage plays, the Cowboys have had 36 plays with three yards or less 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. Again, much of Dowdle’s work in this area came against the Steelers. A close examination of game situations and actual usage reflects that the Cowboys were honoring the supposed agreement with Elliott as to what his role would be when he returned to Dallas. 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 when he began to go off against Pittsburgh. Then came Week 7. Questions were asked about Elliott’s role, and the running back admitted to being unhappy. When the Cowboys took the field to face the Lions, everything changed. In the first five games, Elliott was seeing just 22% of the offensive snaps and averaging four carries per game. Suddenly, he saw 41% of the offensive snaps and led the team with eight carries. Meanwhile, Dowdle played on just 28% of offensive snaps, the first time all year he had been below 40%, and carried the ball five times. This marked a drastic departure from the norm for this year’s version of the Cowboys, with Dowdle’s usage being slashed while Elliott’s usage effectively doubled. It’s hard to chalk it up to coincidence that this major shift occurred just days after Elliott publicly admitted dissatisfaction with his usage. It didn’t make a difference, though, because Dowdle still led the team in rushing despite the flip flop in carries. He had 25 yards on five carries, averaging a strong five yards per carry. Elliott, on the other hand, tallied just 17 yards and just barely averaged over two yards a carry. Dowdle was the only Cowboy to even run for a first down, something that is a critical piece of having success as a short-yardage back. In terms of efficiency, neither Cowboys running back had a particular good day, but the difference in results was striking. Dowdle averaged -0.03 EPA/rush with a 40% success rate while Elliott averaged -0.34 EPA/rush and a 12.5% success rate. To put this into perspective, only eight other running backs have posted a worse single-game success rate than Elliott against the Lions. It was a new low even for the Cowboys, whose worst single-game success rate for a running back prior to this game was 30%, also posted by Elliott back in Week 1. Coincidentally (or not), that was also the last time Elliott led the team in carries. 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 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

Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images The latest news from around the division. Giants’ Malik Nabers officially cleared to play vs. Eagles – Dan Benton, USA Today New York gets its biggest weapon back ahead of a division duel. After two games on the bench due to a concussion, New York Giants rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers will make his return on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. After clearing the final hurdle of concussion protocol on Thursday and practicing in full, an independent neurologist officially cleared Nabers later in the afternoon. Nabers suffered the concussion in the final moments of a Week 4 game against the Dallas Cowboys and faced a long trek back. At one point, head coach Brian Daboll seemed to imply that the injury was on the more serious side. Before missing the past two weeks, Nabers had led the NFL with 35 receptions and his 386 receiving yards were good for second best. From the Giants: His 35 receptions through four games are the second-most in NFL history (Puka Nacua had 39 in 2023). The other two players with 30+ receptions in their first four games each went on to break the single-season rookie record (Nacua, Anquan Boldin in 2003). Nabers also had at least five receptions in each of his first four games, tied for the fourth-longest streak to start a career since at least 1970. The three players with the longest streaks to start their careers are CeeDee Lamb (six games in 2020), Nacua (five games in 2023), and Terry Glenn (five games in 1996). That’s a lot of offensive production the Giants are getting back. Commanders Coach Still Believes in Struggling Young CB – Jeremy Brener, Sports Illustrated Washington’s 2023 first-round pick has been struggling in his second season. It’s been a rough start in the career of Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. After being chosen with the No. 16 overall pick in last year’s draft, Forbes has gotten beat plenty on the field, mainly for his size, and has been sidelined for most of his second season. There’s a new regime in town than the one that drafted Forbes last year, but coach Dan Quinn instilled some belief in his young cornerback. “I had that conversation specifically and kind of remind him it’s not always going to be this rocky,” Quinn said. “By the work that you put in the things that you want to emphasize, and then you work like hell to go improve upon those specific things and the chance is going to come back around. And when it does, you want to be able to go nail it. But the reason you can is because all the work that you put in, so when that chance comes again, you say, ‘Okay, I’ve put the work in, I’m ready to go do it.’ So, that was my message to him about the readiness and that next chance, it’s going to be there again and absolutely be ready for it.” Forbes, 23, has played in just three games for the Commanders this season after dealing with being sidelined and injured, but with a long season ahead, things will start to open up potentially for him. Forbes could have a chance to return to action in Week 7 when the Commanders host the struggling Carolina Panthers. Eagles give Saquon advice for emotional return against former team – Dave Zangaro, NBC Sports Philadelphia The former Giants star prepares to play his former team for the first time. It’s just any other week. You’ve heard the lies before. Whenever there’s a big game, professional athletes will lie — mostly to themselves — about the significance of that game in an attempt to steady their preparation and emotions. And it’s a worthwhile attempt. But then ask that same player about it after the game is over and, no, it wasn’t just any other game. And that’s what Saquon Barkley is walking into on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. He was once the Giants’ No. 2 overall pick, a Pro Bowler, the face of the franchise and now he’s returning as a member of one of their biggest division rivals. Any other game? No way. Of course, it’s not like Barkley is the first NFL player to play in a potential revenge game. In fact, he’s just the latest Eagle to have the experience. This week, we caught up with several of Barkley’s teammates who have been through it to see if they have any advice for him as he heads back to North Jersey. WR A.J. Brown The Eagles traded for Brown during the draft in 2022 after the former second-round pick had spent the first three years of his career with the Titans. Tennessee didn’t want to give him a huge contract, so they shipped him to Philly and he has since been a two-time Pro Bowler and one of the best receivers in the NFL. “I think [Barkley is] handling it the best way he can,” Brown said. “I think the beast will probably be let out on Sunday. But he’s doing a great job keeping it one day at a time and he’s just doing what he regularly does, that’s coming to work and doing the little things.” Brown really let out the beast the first time he faced the Titans. When they came to Philly in Week 13 of the 2022 season, Brown made them pay for their mistake. He had 8 catches for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 35-10 win.