Hopefully the Cowboys offense is indeed improving.
The Dallas Cowboys have won two straight games and are back to having a winning record. The recent success is largely due to the improvement of the defense; we mentioned yesterday they are doing the heavy lifting for the team. The offense, on the other hand, has been underperforming. While they’re doing enough in most games, it’s just not the offense we’re used to seeing from this Cowboys football team.
There’s been plenty to complain about, but there have also been some gradual signs that things are slowly coming together for them. Let’s take a look.
OFFENSIVE LINE IS GOING TO BE OKAY
When a team loses two key starters in free agency and replaces them with rookies, that’s always going to create some concern, but the Cowboys were right in their decision. Third-round pick Cooper Beebe has been great at center and even though first-round Tyler Guyton is experiencing growing pains, it’s a necessary evil to get where he needs to go.
Guyton exited Sunday’s game with a knee injury and has a good chance to play this week according to Dr. Jerry Jones. but the team learned they could survive without him if needed. After Guyton came out of the game, they moved Tyler Smith to left tackle and inserted T.J. Bass at left guard. This group held up quite well.
The Guyton injury showed they have some viable depth should the OL get nicked up. And that doesn’t even include second-year player Asim Richards who had a really strong camp. As a unit, the Cowboys offensive line is middle of the road with a pass-block win rate of 60% (ranked 16th) and run-block win rate of 72% (13th). They are doing okay.
We know it’s tempting to entertain a change that features more Bass and less Guyton, but let the rookie get his reps. With more experience, he’ll improve and this should be a very cohesive group down the stretch.
RUNNING GAME IS SHOWING PROMISE
On the surface, the Cowboys running game is dismal. They have run for 410 yards at just 3.5 yards per attempt, both are second-worst in the league. Advanced analytics tell a slightly different story. Their rushing EPA/attempt ranks 15th in the league compared to their EPA/pass attempts which is 17th in the league. The Cowboys are essentially right dab in the middle in both categories.
Sunday marked a career game for Rico Dowdle. The team finally decided to give him a good dose of work as he’s had at least 12 carries in each of the last two games. That matches the same amount of double-digit carries he’s had in his previous 39 games. Oddly enough, every time Dowdle carries the ball more than 10 carries, he’s found the end zone. Getting him more involved seems like a favorable thing to do.
Ezekiel Elliott continues to fade and the Deuce Vaughn experiment may be coming to an end. Dalvin Cook remains a big mystery, but we shouldn’t throw dirt on the notion that this team just might get things figured out in the running game. Packaging Dowdle with a TBD sidekick could be the winning formula.
EVERYBODY GETS SOME
The team’s wide receiver group still makes fans uneasy, and it’s especially concerning when they lose Brandin Cooks for a month. No one outside the CeeDee Lamb/Cooks duo has stepped up to do much. That was until Sunday.
Jalen Tolbert had a career game that featured the game-winning touchdown catch. Seeing him turn the corner would be a sight for sore eyes. While the receivers behind him included the rarely targeted Jalen Brooks and the finally-active-but-no-targeted Ryan Flournoy. KaVontae Turpin is coming off a career-high four catches on Sunday, which isn’t much, but we applaud the effort to get him more involved.
Despite their issues, the Cowboys are second in the league in passing yards. Lamb and Cooks make a nice duo and there is still belief that Tolbert and Turpin can be contributors. They also have Jake Ferguson who is third in the league in receiving yards for tight ends this season despite missing a game with a leg injury. With Lamb, Cooks, Ferguson, Tolbert, and Turpin, the Cowboys have the personnel to be a good passing team.
DAK DEPENDENT
We can talk about the offensive line, the running game, and who catches the ball, but the Cowboys’ offense revolves around Dak Prescott. The Cowboys quarterback is either great or terrible depending on who you ask, and to be quite honest, both would be correct at different times this season.
Prescott is a talented quarterback. And whether it sits well with you or not, he’s their guy. But that’s not to say that he’s not deserving of criticism. Sometimes he is fantastic and other times he makes a bonehead play. This past game was a perfect example. We saw brilliant tosses on one play and unforced errors on others. Prescott is coming off a game where he committed three turnovers but saved the day in the end with a game-winning drive that featured a fumble recovery and a fourth-down strike to Tolbert to win the game.
So far this season, Dak is near the middle of the pack in QB efficiency.
https://rbsdm.com/stats/stats/
Prescott needs to be more consistent if this team is to go anywhere, but that’s not a tough ask. He should improve and when some of these other things start coming together, the Cowboys will find the end zone more frequently.