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By Jon Machota 1h ago
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are hurting right now. The results of the first three games led to talk of a Super Bowl run and a first-time offensive coordinator potentially getting head-coaching offers in the near future.
The brakes are now being pumped after the last two games, with many wondering whether the Cowboys are just the same team they’ve been the last few years: good enough to beat bad teams but not on the same level as the game’s elite.
Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence probably summed it up best on Wednesday when he was asked about playing through several different injuries.
“Who cares? You care? Be honest,” he said. “Do you really care? Nobody cares. Nobody cares about your feelings. Nobody cares if you’re hurt. Nobody cares if you’re broke, rich. Nobody cares. Who cares? Be you. Go to work.”
As the Cowboys prepare for a Week 6 matchup against the winless New York Jets, they are working to find solutions to their problems.
What are the biggest issues during this two-game skid?
Well, here are the top five problems and how they can be fixed.
1.) Stopping the run. The Cowboys haven’t done this up to their standard. Tackling was especially sloppy against the Packers, as they allowed 120 yards and four rushing touchdowns on Sunday. The pieces are in place for Dallas to have one of the NFL’s top run defenses. Instead, they’re currently ranked 13th through five games, allowing 101.4 rushing yards per game. They were fifth last year at 94.6. They were No. 1 in the league in 2016 at 83.5 yards per game. This year, they’ve already allowed six rushing touchdowns. They allowed 12 all of last season and only nine in 2016.
“If you want to be casual today, it will be casual in the game, and you will look like shit,” a Cowboys defensive coach said during a tackling drill on Wednesday. “Le’Veon Bell will break that tackle and get 20 yards.”
Solution: Getting Antwaun Woods back is a good start. Dallas’ starting one-technique defensive tackle is close to returning. His injured knee is much better and he probably could have played last week if it were a playoff game. Christian Covington has been solid in his absence but stopping the run is Woods’ specialty. They also need to tackle better. Their fundamentals were poor against the Packers. The defensive line struggled to get in their gaps, and starting linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith missed too many tackles they need to make.
“First off, we got to stop the run,” DeMarcus Lawrence said. “In order to win the game, you got to stop the run, get turnovers, and that’s it. It ain’t rocket science. We gave (Green Bay) the upper hand, we beat ourselves. That’s it. Now it’s time to move on.”
2.) Lack of takeaways. This has been a problem for years. The Cowboys have four takeaways this year on defense. Only four teams have fewer. Dallas has never finished higher than 16th in this department since 2015, with a lack of interceptions being the biggest concern. They have only one this year. Since 2015, Dallas has never had more than 10 in a season. To compare, the New England Patriots already have 11 through five games this year. The Cowboys came up with 18 in 2014. Since then: 8, 9, 10 and 9.
One reason for this is Dallas’ soft coverage on the back end. They would rather give up a throw underneath and tackle the receiver in front of them than gamble on a potential interception. The belief is that such a gamble could lead to a big play. They want to force opposing offenses to put together long drives, knowing that’s difficult to consistently do in the NFL.
“How soft can you play?” FOX NFL analyst and legendary Cowboys QB Troy Aikman wondered aloud at one point while calling Sunday’s game. “I’ve seen it for many, many years. You play soft against Rodgers, and he will dice you up all day.”
Solution: More pressure on the quarterback. The Cowboys aren’t changing their defensive philosophy. The way to create extra interception opportunities is by forcing quarterbacks into poor decisions or by getting hands on passes near the line of scrimmage. Having DeMarcus Lawrence, Robert Quinn and Maliek Collins up front should generate more pressure than it has through the first five games. Jaylon Smith is a good blitzer, so look for him to continue getting opportunities to get after the quarterback.
“It’s certainly something we have to continue to strive to get better at,” Jason Garrett said Wednesday. “We talk about it a lot — the importance of taking the ball away, the turnover ratio. We have to do a great job at securing the ball offensively and going to get the ball on defense. I believe that the ball is a team thing, securing it is a team thing and going to get it is a team thing. Every level of our defense is responsible for it. We have to punch the ball out more, we got to scoop and score, we got to intercept more passes. Those are impactful plays in the game, so we’re constantly striving to do that better and better.”
3.) Turning the ball over on offense. One of Dak Prescott’s greatest strengths has been taking care of the ball. Going back to college, Prescott threw 70 touchdowns to 23 interceptions. During his senior year at Mississippi State, he threw 29 touchdowns and only five interceptions. That continued during his rookie season when he threw only four interceptions. He only threw eight last year. But Prescott did not take very good care of the ball on Sunday, throwing three picks, a number that easily could have climbed to five if you include Kevin King’s drop in the third quarter and Will Redmond’s in the fourth. Prescott was an excellent steward of the ball during the first two weeks. He forced a very uncharacteristic interception against the Dolphins in Week 3, throwing deep to a well-covered Randall Cobb.
Photo courtesy: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Like a good teammate, Amari Cooper tried to shift the blame away from his quarterback when discussing Prescott’s three interceptions against the Packers.
“One of them was definitely my fault,” Cooper said of Prescott’s first interception, which bounced off his hands. “There was another … I know I didn’t get out fast enough on my route so the defense could declare what they were in. … The one to (Michael) Gallup was blatant pass interference. None of them were his fault.”
Cooper makes an interesting case for all of them, but even Prescott would admit that he’d like to have the last two back. He’s not the only one who turned the ball over at a key moment: In the loss at New Orleans, Ezekiel Elliott and Jason Witten both had uncharacteristic fumbles in key moments of the game. But Prescott has the ball most often, so it starts with him.
Solution: Take what the defense is giving you more often. Prescott is very comfortable in Kellen Moore’s offense and big plays down the field have been there. Prescott likely took a few more chances last Sunday because his protection wasn’t as good without Tyron Smith. Despite moving the ball well all day, key sacks ended too many drives before the Cowboys were able to get points. But a few more checkdowns to Elliott or throws underneath to Cobb or Witten aren’t a bad thing. Cobb was certainly there on Prescott’s final interception against the Packers, a turnover that basically ended any realistic chance of a comeback.
4.) An out-of-sorts run game. After struggling against the Saints, gaining only 45 yards on 20 carries, Ezekiel Elliott and the running game showed life again against Green Bay. But despite averaging almost six yards per carry, the score forced Dallas to throw more often.
“We’ve just got to get our edge back,” Elliott said Wednesday. “We’ve got to go out there and play like us. We’ve got to go out there and play fast. We’ve got to run, we’ve got to play physical football. We’ve got to hit those guys and just get back to our identity.”
Solution: Get out to early leads. Since Elliott was drafted in 2016, the Cowboys are 19-4 when they score a touchdown in the first quarter. The losses: at New York in 2016, vs. Green Bay in 2017, at Atlanta in 2017 and vs. Tennessee last year. This season, the Cowboys are 3-0 when they have the lead at halftime and 0-2 when trailing. As potent as the passing game can be, running the ball is still this team’s greatest strength. Early leads mean the running game should be a factor throughout.
5.) Field goals. Brett Maher has missed three of his last six field-goal attempts. Two have been from beyond 50 yards, but the most costly came last week from 33 yards out in the game’s final minutes. There should be serious concern about this situation because so many games are decided by field goals. A poor kicker can certainly be the difference in making a long playoff run or not even making the playoffs at all.
“Everything is correctable,” Maher said. “Just getting back at it and going one-for-one the next time I go out there.”
Jason Garrett said the Cowboys have not discussed potentially bringing in another kicker.
“He’s made a lot of big kicks for us, and we believe he can make big kicks for us again,” Garrett said. “Unfortunately, he missed a couple for us (against Green Bay) that were important in the game. But you learn from those experiences, and you move forward. Again, he’s done it for us in the past, and we believe that he can do it for us again in the future.”
Solution: Take Jerry Jones’ advice and score touchdowns. If they aren’t looking at other options, and Maher continues to struggle, the only solution is to not rely on as many field goals. That means going for it more often on fourth down and calling some different plays on third downs, knowing a field goal isn’t something that can be counted on.
“We got spoiled around here when we had an outstanding kicker,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan and RJ show [KRLD-FM]. “(Maher’s) performance so far is giving us, when we step up there, we don’t know if it’s going through or not. We really need to make our decisions based upon whether or not we think we can score a touchdown.”
By Jon Machota 1h ago
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys are hurting right now. The results of the first three games led to talk of a Super Bowl run and a first-time offensive coordinator potentially getting head-coaching offers in the near future.
The brakes are now being pumped after the last two games, with many wondering whether the Cowboys are just the same team they’ve been the last few years: good enough to beat bad teams but not on the same level as the game’s elite.
Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence probably summed it up best on Wednesday when he was asked about playing through several different injuries.
“Who cares? You care? Be honest,” he said. “Do you really care? Nobody cares. Nobody cares about your feelings. Nobody cares if you’re hurt. Nobody cares if you’re broke, rich. Nobody cares. Who cares? Be you. Go to work.”
As the Cowboys prepare for a Week 6 matchup against the winless New York Jets, they are working to find solutions to their problems.
What are the biggest issues during this two-game skid?
Well, here are the top five problems and how they can be fixed.
1.) Stopping the run. The Cowboys haven’t done this up to their standard. Tackling was especially sloppy against the Packers, as they allowed 120 yards and four rushing touchdowns on Sunday. The pieces are in place for Dallas to have one of the NFL’s top run defenses. Instead, they’re currently ranked 13th through five games, allowing 101.4 rushing yards per game. They were fifth last year at 94.6. They were No. 1 in the league in 2016 at 83.5 yards per game. This year, they’ve already allowed six rushing touchdowns. They allowed 12 all of last season and only nine in 2016.
“If you want to be casual today, it will be casual in the game, and you will look like shit,” a Cowboys defensive coach said during a tackling drill on Wednesday. “Le’Veon Bell will break that tackle and get 20 yards.”
Solution: Getting Antwaun Woods back is a good start. Dallas’ starting one-technique defensive tackle is close to returning. His injured knee is much better and he probably could have played last week if it were a playoff game. Christian Covington has been solid in his absence but stopping the run is Woods’ specialty. They also need to tackle better. Their fundamentals were poor against the Packers. The defensive line struggled to get in their gaps, and starting linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith missed too many tackles they need to make.
“First off, we got to stop the run,” DeMarcus Lawrence said. “In order to win the game, you got to stop the run, get turnovers, and that’s it. It ain’t rocket science. We gave (Green Bay) the upper hand, we beat ourselves. That’s it. Now it’s time to move on.”
2.) Lack of takeaways. This has been a problem for years. The Cowboys have four takeaways this year on defense. Only four teams have fewer. Dallas has never finished higher than 16th in this department since 2015, with a lack of interceptions being the biggest concern. They have only one this year. Since 2015, Dallas has never had more than 10 in a season. To compare, the New England Patriots already have 11 through five games this year. The Cowboys came up with 18 in 2014. Since then: 8, 9, 10 and 9.
One reason for this is Dallas’ soft coverage on the back end. They would rather give up a throw underneath and tackle the receiver in front of them than gamble on a potential interception. The belief is that such a gamble could lead to a big play. They want to force opposing offenses to put together long drives, knowing that’s difficult to consistently do in the NFL.
“How soft can you play?” FOX NFL analyst and legendary Cowboys QB Troy Aikman wondered aloud at one point while calling Sunday’s game. “I’ve seen it for many, many years. You play soft against Rodgers, and he will dice you up all day.”
Solution: More pressure on the quarterback. The Cowboys aren’t changing their defensive philosophy. The way to create extra interception opportunities is by forcing quarterbacks into poor decisions or by getting hands on passes near the line of scrimmage. Having DeMarcus Lawrence, Robert Quinn and Maliek Collins up front should generate more pressure than it has through the first five games. Jaylon Smith is a good blitzer, so look for him to continue getting opportunities to get after the quarterback.
“It’s certainly something we have to continue to strive to get better at,” Jason Garrett said Wednesday. “We talk about it a lot — the importance of taking the ball away, the turnover ratio. We have to do a great job at securing the ball offensively and going to get the ball on defense. I believe that the ball is a team thing, securing it is a team thing and going to get it is a team thing. Every level of our defense is responsible for it. We have to punch the ball out more, we got to scoop and score, we got to intercept more passes. Those are impactful plays in the game, so we’re constantly striving to do that better and better.”
3.) Turning the ball over on offense. One of Dak Prescott’s greatest strengths has been taking care of the ball. Going back to college, Prescott threw 70 touchdowns to 23 interceptions. During his senior year at Mississippi State, he threw 29 touchdowns and only five interceptions. That continued during his rookie season when he threw only four interceptions. He only threw eight last year. But Prescott did not take very good care of the ball on Sunday, throwing three picks, a number that easily could have climbed to five if you include Kevin King’s drop in the third quarter and Will Redmond’s in the fourth. Prescott was an excellent steward of the ball during the first two weeks. He forced a very uncharacteristic interception against the Dolphins in Week 3, throwing deep to a well-covered Randall Cobb.
Photo courtesy: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
Like a good teammate, Amari Cooper tried to shift the blame away from his quarterback when discussing Prescott’s three interceptions against the Packers.
“One of them was definitely my fault,” Cooper said of Prescott’s first interception, which bounced off his hands. “There was another … I know I didn’t get out fast enough on my route so the defense could declare what they were in. … The one to (Michael) Gallup was blatant pass interference. None of them were his fault.”
Cooper makes an interesting case for all of them, but even Prescott would admit that he’d like to have the last two back. He’s not the only one who turned the ball over at a key moment: In the loss at New Orleans, Ezekiel Elliott and Jason Witten both had uncharacteristic fumbles in key moments of the game. But Prescott has the ball most often, so it starts with him.
Solution: Take what the defense is giving you more often. Prescott is very comfortable in Kellen Moore’s offense and big plays down the field have been there. Prescott likely took a few more chances last Sunday because his protection wasn’t as good without Tyron Smith. Despite moving the ball well all day, key sacks ended too many drives before the Cowboys were able to get points. But a few more checkdowns to Elliott or throws underneath to Cobb or Witten aren’t a bad thing. Cobb was certainly there on Prescott’s final interception against the Packers, a turnover that basically ended any realistic chance of a comeback.
4.) An out-of-sorts run game. After struggling against the Saints, gaining only 45 yards on 20 carries, Ezekiel Elliott and the running game showed life again against Green Bay. But despite averaging almost six yards per carry, the score forced Dallas to throw more often.
“We’ve just got to get our edge back,” Elliott said Wednesday. “We’ve got to go out there and play like us. We’ve got to go out there and play fast. We’ve got to run, we’ve got to play physical football. We’ve got to hit those guys and just get back to our identity.”
Solution: Get out to early leads. Since Elliott was drafted in 2016, the Cowboys are 19-4 when they score a touchdown in the first quarter. The losses: at New York in 2016, vs. Green Bay in 2017, at Atlanta in 2017 and vs. Tennessee last year. This season, the Cowboys are 3-0 when they have the lead at halftime and 0-2 when trailing. As potent as the passing game can be, running the ball is still this team’s greatest strength. Early leads mean the running game should be a factor throughout.
5.) Field goals. Brett Maher has missed three of his last six field-goal attempts. Two have been from beyond 50 yards, but the most costly came last week from 33 yards out in the game’s final minutes. There should be serious concern about this situation because so many games are decided by field goals. A poor kicker can certainly be the difference in making a long playoff run or not even making the playoffs at all.
“Everything is correctable,” Maher said. “Just getting back at it and going one-for-one the next time I go out there.”
Jason Garrett said the Cowboys have not discussed potentially bringing in another kicker.
“He’s made a lot of big kicks for us, and we believe he can make big kicks for us again,” Garrett said. “Unfortunately, he missed a couple for us (against Green Bay) that were important in the game. But you learn from those experiences, and you move forward. Again, he’s done it for us in the past, and we believe that he can do it for us again in the future.”
Solution: Take Jerry Jones’ advice and score touchdowns. If they aren’t looking at other options, and Maher continues to struggle, the only solution is to not rely on as many field goals. That means going for it more often on fourth down and calling some different plays on third downs, knowing a field goal isn’t something that can be counted on.
“We got spoiled around here when we had an outstanding kicker,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan and RJ show [KRLD-FM]. “(Maher’s) performance so far is giving us, when we step up there, we don’t know if it’s going through or not. We really need to make our decisions based upon whether or not we think we can score a touchdown.”
