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Decoding McCarthy/Zimmer Report, Week 16
There was plenty of good and bad on both sides of the ball in the win over the Bucs.
Bob Sturm
Dec 24, 2024
Our objectives today:
I think the honest question has to be – if I write this on Christmas Eve, will anyone care to read it?
But, at the same time, just like Sturmstack, we just write because we must.
So, I am not promising anything that is terribly long, but if you know me, you know that usually takes care of itself.
The Offensive Overview vs the Buccaneers
We should start at the most obvious point. Dak Prescott was injured during the Atlanta game on November 3, which was also the day CeeDee Lamb hurt his shoulder. Since then, the team has been attempting to win games with little contribution from the passing game. When you are playing a backup QB, his only chance of success is having enough weapons to ensure someone is always open.
However, that is not the case in Dallas. By any measure, the WR2, WR3, and TEs have all been fairly disappointing as offensive weapons this season, which could warrant its own essay. But we know this: Cooper Rush is going to have a very difficult time winning games with just an injured CeeDee Lamb and a supporting cast that falls short. Rush is a limited player with a limited arm, but if he were running an offense with many playmakers, the story might be different.
Rush’s seven starts have painted a picture: most of the time, he has been coached to stay out of trouble. When he gets the ball out quickly and safely, Dallas has a chance to compete. If you look at just the sacks and interceptions, the story becomes clear.
In the Houston game, he had six combined sacks and interceptions, and they lost. In the Bengals game, they had four combined and lost. Otherwise, in the four wins, Rush had one sack/interception against Washington, zero against the Giants, one against the Panthers, and one against the Bucs. It might sound like a strange way to track how the offense works, but if your backup QB can simply run the offense, accept punts, and avoid a QB's two biggest pitfalls—sacks and interceptions—they can win. And they are.
I thought this success was predicated on the running game doing most of the heavy lifting. Each week in this space, we get excited about the progress there. Yet, on Sunday night, Dallas might have had one of its worst rushing performances in recent memory.
Success rate may or may not be a perfect way to measure a running game, but I find it useful. On Sunday, they were 2 for 20, or 10%, in rushing success. That is so comically bad that I can barely put it into words.
31 yards rushing was the season low. In fact, it is one of the single worst games the Cowboys have ever had in which they ran for less than 32 yards and still won. Here is the entire list of two games ever:
As you can see, only a 1987 Monday game right after the players strike ended against the mighty New York Giants defense can compare. Given that I know you have time on your hands, if you would like to take a look at that game, here is a wonderful copy on Youtube with the 1st half here and the 2nd half here.
Whether you watch it or not, rest assured that this game was the only time ever that Dallas won a game while rushing for less success.
So how did they win?
Well, Cooper Rush hit just enough plays early to CeeDee Lamb and then they asked the defense to save the day.
Given that they had six possessions after the half and only one of them went for even 30 yards should tell us that this offense did put up points and they did win. But, barely. Truly a case where we saw complimentary football to help eachother pull through.
Here are the offensive numbers:
There is the recipe in green ink: 0 giveaways, 2-for-2 in the red zone, and hit a few passes when your opponent doesn’t think you can.
Todd Bowles surely spent all week saying that “if we take away the run game, they have no way to beat us”, and who can blame him? But, they took it away and still lost.
Rushing Game Crashes Back to Earth
We won’t belabor the point, but the running game was rough. In particular, both left tackles were poor: Tyler Guyton and Chuma Edoga. Guyton was only given a few snaps before they pulled the plug on him, but the first play below was all the coaches needed to see. However, I don’t think Edoga was much better.
Only two linemen were graded well on Sunday: Tyler Smith and Cooper Beebe. Everyone else had a rough night, and credit should go to Tampa Bay, as Vita Vea and his teammates were a handful and were dead-set on stopping the run.
Yet, as we will show you in the Xs and Os, credit to Dallas for still figuring out how to score 26 points, with all six of those scores requiring drives by the offense. The defense did well when it counted, but they did not help the offense score points.
The Defensive Overview vs the Buccaneers
Now, as we flip the field, we look at the defense’s night. They were going up against a very productive offense and they took their lumps. I guess this would be a “bend but don’t break” performance. Baker Mayfield had a nice day and they ran the ball well, but in the end, they lost the game as Dallas found sacks and takeaways to squeak out a win. Not pretty, but also, it doesn’t have to be.
It really is a hard game to fully describe from a defensive standpoint. At no point did they really show they could handle everything Tampa was attacking with, and at no point did it look like Micah Parsons and the pass rush were having a huge night.
As the game went on, we saw Mike Zimmer get to play with the lead and unleash his blitz, which was probably the difference. The complementary football always forced a long field for the Bucs (no turnovers by Cooper Rush and the offense), and that made Tampa accumulate a ton of yards without doing much damage.
Then, with almost no margin for error, you force two turnovers in the 4th Quarter and that is all you needed to win the game. So, yes, they got away with it and it is wonderful when it works. But, probably, don’t make a habit of trying to win this way – especially against good teams and we think Tampa Bay is probably a pretty good team.
Now, on to some great news.
Is Marist Liufau taking off?
Losing DeMarvion Overshown was obviously terrible news. But we know this sport well enough to admit that we have to play the next snap.
“Next Man Up” is as familiar as anything in this sport. People might roll their eyes, but on any play, your best player can be taken from you. We preach depth and development for a reason. It is the only way a team can survive.
Enter Marist Liufau. Now, look, he is a third-round pick, so he needs to be more than just depth at some point, or we are wasting our premium picks. And yes, he is the guy they took over all sorts of running backs who could have immediately been the best RB on the roster.
Marist has been fantastic over these three games since Overshown was injured. He has made multiple splash plays for three weeks in a row.
Here, I’ll prove it!
I imagine a world where my two starting LBs are Overshown and Liufau. Now, we have to remember that a full-time LB is a whole different ballgame and you cannot hide any further deficiencies. So, we should slow our roll on what he is going to ultimately be, but boy, he finds the ball and gets the ball. He is a play-maker and a very energetic prospect. I am very optimistic.
There was plenty of good and bad on both sides of the ball in the win over the Bucs.
Bob Sturm
Dec 24, 2024
Our objectives today:
- The Offensive Overview vs the Buccaneers
- Rushing Game Crashes Back to Earth
- The Defensive Overview vs the Buccaneers
- Is Marist Liufau taking off?
- 10 Plays that defined this game - Xs and Os breakdown
I think the honest question has to be – if I write this on Christmas Eve, will anyone care to read it?
But, at the same time, just like Sturmstack, we just write because we must.
So, I am not promising anything that is terribly long, but if you know me, you know that usually takes care of itself.
The Offensive Overview vs the Buccaneers
We should start at the most obvious point. Dak Prescott was injured during the Atlanta game on November 3, which was also the day CeeDee Lamb hurt his shoulder. Since then, the team has been attempting to win games with little contribution from the passing game. When you are playing a backup QB, his only chance of success is having enough weapons to ensure someone is always open.
However, that is not the case in Dallas. By any measure, the WR2, WR3, and TEs have all been fairly disappointing as offensive weapons this season, which could warrant its own essay. But we know this: Cooper Rush is going to have a very difficult time winning games with just an injured CeeDee Lamb and a supporting cast that falls short. Rush is a limited player with a limited arm, but if he were running an offense with many playmakers, the story might be different.
Rush’s seven starts have painted a picture: most of the time, he has been coached to stay out of trouble. When he gets the ball out quickly and safely, Dallas has a chance to compete. If you look at just the sacks and interceptions, the story becomes clear.
In the Houston game, he had six combined sacks and interceptions, and they lost. In the Bengals game, they had four combined and lost. Otherwise, in the four wins, Rush had one sack/interception against Washington, zero against the Giants, one against the Panthers, and one against the Bucs. It might sound like a strange way to track how the offense works, but if your backup QB can simply run the offense, accept punts, and avoid a QB's two biggest pitfalls—sacks and interceptions—they can win. And they are.
I thought this success was predicated on the running game doing most of the heavy lifting. Each week in this space, we get excited about the progress there. Yet, on Sunday night, Dallas might have had one of its worst rushing performances in recent memory.
Success rate may or may not be a perfect way to measure a running game, but I find it useful. On Sunday, they were 2 for 20, or 10%, in rushing success. That is so comically bad that I can barely put it into words.
31 yards rushing was the season low. In fact, it is one of the single worst games the Cowboys have ever had in which they ran for less than 32 yards and still won. Here is the entire list of two games ever:
As you can see, only a 1987 Monday game right after the players strike ended against the mighty New York Giants defense can compare. Given that I know you have time on your hands, if you would like to take a look at that game, here is a wonderful copy on Youtube with the 1st half here and the 2nd half here.
Whether you watch it or not, rest assured that this game was the only time ever that Dallas won a game while rushing for less success.
So how did they win?
Well, Cooper Rush hit just enough plays early to CeeDee Lamb and then they asked the defense to save the day.
Given that they had six possessions after the half and only one of them went for even 30 yards should tell us that this offense did put up points and they did win. But, barely. Truly a case where we saw complimentary football to help eachother pull through.
Here are the offensive numbers:
There is the recipe in green ink: 0 giveaways, 2-for-2 in the red zone, and hit a few passes when your opponent doesn’t think you can.
Todd Bowles surely spent all week saying that “if we take away the run game, they have no way to beat us”, and who can blame him? But, they took it away and still lost.
Rushing Game Crashes Back to Earth
We won’t belabor the point, but the running game was rough. In particular, both left tackles were poor: Tyler Guyton and Chuma Edoga. Guyton was only given a few snaps before they pulled the plug on him, but the first play below was all the coaches needed to see. However, I don’t think Edoga was much better.
Only two linemen were graded well on Sunday: Tyler Smith and Cooper Beebe. Everyone else had a rough night, and credit should go to Tampa Bay, as Vita Vea and his teammates were a handful and were dead-set on stopping the run.
Yet, as we will show you in the Xs and Os, credit to Dallas for still figuring out how to score 26 points, with all six of those scores requiring drives by the offense. The defense did well when it counted, but they did not help the offense score points.
The Defensive Overview vs the Buccaneers
Now, as we flip the field, we look at the defense’s night. They were going up against a very productive offense and they took their lumps. I guess this would be a “bend but don’t break” performance. Baker Mayfield had a nice day and they ran the ball well, but in the end, they lost the game as Dallas found sacks and takeaways to squeak out a win. Not pretty, but also, it doesn’t have to be.
It really is a hard game to fully describe from a defensive standpoint. At no point did they really show they could handle everything Tampa was attacking with, and at no point did it look like Micah Parsons and the pass rush were having a huge night.
As the game went on, we saw Mike Zimmer get to play with the lead and unleash his blitz, which was probably the difference. The complementary football always forced a long field for the Bucs (no turnovers by Cooper Rush and the offense), and that made Tampa accumulate a ton of yards without doing much damage.
Then, with almost no margin for error, you force two turnovers in the 4th Quarter and that is all you needed to win the game. So, yes, they got away with it and it is wonderful when it works. But, probably, don’t make a habit of trying to win this way – especially against good teams and we think Tampa Bay is probably a pretty good team.
Now, on to some great news.
Is Marist Liufau taking off?
Losing DeMarvion Overshown was obviously terrible news. But we know this sport well enough to admit that we have to play the next snap.
“Next Man Up” is as familiar as anything in this sport. People might roll their eyes, but on any play, your best player can be taken from you. We preach depth and development for a reason. It is the only way a team can survive.
Enter Marist Liufau. Now, look, he is a third-round pick, so he needs to be more than just depth at some point, or we are wasting our premium picks. And yes, he is the guy they took over all sorts of running backs who could have immediately been the best RB on the roster.
Marist has been fantastic over these three games since Overshown was injured. He has made multiple splash plays for three weeks in a row.
Here, I’ll prove it!
I imagine a world where my two starting LBs are Overshown and Liufau. Now, we have to remember that a full-time LB is a whole different ballgame and you cannot hide any further deficiencies. So, we should slow our roll on what he is going to ultimately be, but boy, he finds the ball and gets the ball. He is a play-maker and a very energetic prospect. I am very optimistic.
