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 Jorge Guajardo, Dyllan Rivers, Tom Ryle and Sean Martin.
The Cowboys committed an embarrassing 14 penalties for 153 yards. At what point does this become a direct reflection of Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching, and what needs to change?
Mike – We’re well past the point where this becomes a reflection of Brian Schottenheimer’s coaching, it already is. Fourteen penalties is absolutely embarrassing, especially in a game Dallas dominated statistically but nearly threw away. The Cowboys are repeatedly giving
opponents free yards and killing their own momentum through completely avoidable mistakes. Schottenheimer needs to stop talking about accountability and start enforcing it. You cannot expect to compete with the NFL’s best teams when you’re handing away 153 yards through sheer carelessness.
Jorge – It already is a direct reflection of his coaching, or lack thereof. Bone-headed penalties are nothing new in Dallas; however, that many penalties with that much yardage is absurd and completely disqualifying for a coach. The funny part is Schotty blew so much smoke in the preseason that he really had people fooled that the culture was changing in Dallas. Remember when he had players running sprints after the Rams scrimmage?
This team is as undisciplined as they come, and the perfect example is their now-seemingly weekly unraveling against lesser opponents. Ultimately, execution falls on the players on the field, but the plans, the culture, the techniques and the approaches are set by the coaches, and it seems, every week, that there is a fundamental failure to apply measures that would help this team play complementary football.
Tom – I’ll second that, Jorge. Penalties reflect a lack of discipline, with the most glaring example against the Colts being the celebration penalty. But most flags go back to the same thing, even some of the questionable calls. The refs were clearly watching for offensive pass interference, yet the Cowboys repeated that mistake. Clearly there are no meaningful consequences for getting flagged, and without some kind of hammer, it isn’t likely to change.
Sean – We can’t forget that the closest relevant experience Schottenheimer had prior to actually becoming head coach was basically sitting in on meetings with former head coach Mike McCarthy. He was an OC that didn’t call plays. McCarthy’s teams never had accountability for being heavily penalized, so I guess in this way we shouldn’t be surprised that Schotty’s are the same way. I did think that both pass interference calls against CeeDee Lamb were pretty soft calls, but the lack of discipline hardly stopped there, and even included a player that wasn’t in uniform. Preposterous.
Dyllan – The Cowboys ranked 10th in raw penalty volume before this Week 9 matchup. It’s been a concern, especially the pre-snap penalties that keep opponents’ drives alive. Now I’m normally not a “blame the ref” guy, but I’m going to somewhat chalk this week up to poor officiating.
Two pass interference calls on CeeDee Lamb were nonsensical. The officials were also quick on the trigger with holding calls on Dallas while foregoing calls when Quinnen Williams was actively tackled by the guard. Just a terrible week for officiating deciding to insert themselves into the game which is typically what happens when a team has 14 calls against them.
With that said, however, there were concerning moments. The DeMarvion Overshown flag should result in disciplinary action from the head coach. At a certain point, an example needs to be made and that was a clear chance to do so. If Overshown isn’t at least sat down for a series upon his return, it’ll be a missed opportunity by the head coach.
Christian Parker’s defense held Jonathan Taylor to just 46 rushing yards and Indianapolis to three conversions on 13 third downs. Was this the most complete defensive performance of the season?
Mike – For me, yes, this was arguably the most complete defensive performance we’ve seen from Dallas all season, and Christian Parker deserves credit for it. After watching this defense get bullied on the ground against Arizona, holding Jonathan Taylor to just 46 rushing yards was a massive improvement. Indianapolis converted just three of 13 opportunities on third down and I’ve been extremely critical on the Cowboys third down defense, so this is a huge positive. The challenge now is consistency. One strong performance is encouraging, but doing it against San Francisco this weekend would be a much bigger statement.
Jorge – No, I still think the best this defense has played was against Philadelphia. That said, that was the most complete defensive performance against an opponent’s rushing attack this season. In that Philly game, a hobbled Saquon Barkley almost ran for 100 yards. Sunday was better, but the penalties are atrocious; Bland seems to be doing his best Anthony Brown impression, and the rest of the defense still cannot play cohesively.
Tom – I can’t think of a defensive performance as complete when they allow a 36 yard touchdown run. And this was against a clearly struggling Colts team. It was perhaps a step forward, but the defense is still not carrying its share of the load.
Sean – I also agree it might not be the most complete, but for now it’s one that makes you feel like this team can continue having a chance in every game – even against better competition. We won’t even have to wait more than one gameday to test this theory of course, with the 49ers coming to town.
This defense is getting off the field enough for a better offensive play-caller and personnel with more attention to detail on this side of the ball to be playing the type of complementary ball that’s seen the Cowboys win double-digit games and many by big scores before. That is all we asked of the defense this year, and they’re getting closer, at a time when the offense may unfortunately be getting further from their “elite” status.
Dyllan – This game should have been a blowout. Dallas surrendered seven points in seven drives to start the game, with the lone touchdown coming from a Dak Prescott fumble deep in Cowboys territory. The offense was a disappointment while the defense played undoubtedly their best game of the year.
San Francisco forced five turnovers against Las Vegas, while Dallas committed two turnovers against Indianapolis. Can the Cowboys realistically beat a 7-1 team while continuing to make so many costly mistakes?
Mike – Absolutely not. Dallas cannot keep making these mistakes and expect to beat one of the best teams in football. What makes this question so frustrating is that the Cowboys have enough offensive talent to compete with anybody, but they’re constantly making life harder for themselves through turnovers, penalties and poor decision-making. Schottenheimer needs to make ball security and discipline his biggest priorities this week, because you cannot beat elite teams while repeatedly beating yourself.
Jorge – Realistically, the only shot this Cowboys team has to beat this 7-1 Niners team is that good ol’ “any given Sunday” thing. About four teams own the Cowboys. The Packers, the Cardinals, the Ravens and the Niners. Outside of the Cardinals, all those teams are the antithesis of the Cowboys model.
Structured, well-run organizations with a culture of success and standards, and we bear witness to that every time Dallas lines up against them. The Cowboys will not beat San Francisco if they keep making costly mistakes. If they clean it up, they’ll have a chance. If they force the Niners into their own mistakes, they may even cover. Otherwise, be prepared for what could be a shellacking on Sunday.
Tom – The 49ers are playing like the best team in the league, and that is with a very long IR list. And like penalties, there is certainly an element of discipline involved in avoiding giving the ball away. That bodes ill for Dallas. Like Jorge, I can’t say it could never happen, but a Cowboy win qualifies as an extremely long shot. I am not even going to pretend I have any real hope of it happening. If they prove me wrong, I will apologize profusely. But I don’t expect I will.
Sean – I don’t do official game picks, and to be honest if I did I’d still probably stay on the safe side and pick the 49ers, but I really do see the Cowboys competing in this game. But yes, it will require playing much cleaner football.
These last two games against the Cardinals and Colts have proved you’ll have a hard time beating any opponent at all when you also beat yourself. The 49ers are the best team these Cowboys will see to this point, so the margin for the Cowboys making self-inflicted mistakes is at zero.
I also think turnover margin may end up being a bit misleading in this game, because the last thing the Cowboys should do is play ultra conservative on offense as if they’re scared of turning it over. If an interception happens by taking shots down the field and trying to put the pressure on, so be it. The trust in the defense is growing. If Dallas is turning it over as a result of pressures from poor presnap recognition, ball security in the open field, or getting behind the sticks via penalty though, they will most certainly lose.
Dyllan – Not sure how realistic it is, but it’s certainly possible. This is the NFL afterall! The most realistic outcome is a touchdown or more victory by the 49ers, but sometimes the paper doesn’t translate to the game, as we are well aware by now. Dallas will need to have their cleanest game of the season while counting on San Francisco to make mistakes. It certainly won’t be easy.
RAPID FIRE
Who scores first for Dallas?
Jorge – CeeDee Lamb
Tom – Javonte Williams
Sean – Ryan Flournoy
Dyllan – Brevyn Spann-Ford
Dak Prescott passing yards, Over/under – 280.5 yards?
Jorge – Under
Tom – Under
Sean – Under
Dyllan – Under
CeeDee Lamb receiving yards, Over/under – 120.5 yards?
Jorge – Under
Tom – Under
Sean – Under
Dyllan – Under
Christian McCaffrey total scrimmage yards, Over/under – 129.5 yards?
Jorge – Over
Tom – Over
Sean – Under
Dyllan – Over
Cowboys defensive takeaways, Over/under – 1.5 turnovers?
Jorge – Under
Tom – Under
Sean – Under
Dyllan – Under
George Kittle touchdowns, Over/under – 1.5?
Jorge – Under
Tom – Under
Sean – Under
Dyllan – Under
