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.
Who deserves the biggest credit on the offense this week for the victory? Dak Prescott, Javonte Williams, or the offensive line?
Mike – The offensive line, and for me, it’s not even close and wrote about this in the Winners and Losers article here on BTB. Dallas rushed for 204 yards against a physical Eagles defensive front, averaging 5.4 yards per carry, while keeping Dak Prescott clean with zero
sacks or quarterback hits allowed, as well as allowing zero tackles for loss all evening. That’s a remarkable turnaround for a unit that has faced plenty of criticism this season. They controlled the line of scrimmage to create running lanes and give Prescott the time to operate without constantly looking over his shoulder.
Jorge – The O-line has rightfully gotten some flak this year for being middling, especially in the run game. They ranked 31st in the league in run-block win-rate before Monday’s game; even though the Eagles were banged up, the Cowboys offensive line still blasted them at the point of attack. Troy Aikman even pointed out that Tyler Smith had no one to block on one of Javonte Williams’ long runs. The O-line had a lot to answer for, Monday night they showed up and executed.
Dyllan – The offensive line absolutely dominated the entire night. The Cowboys essentially ran the ball at will. When the big guys win the trenches, everything else is easier. And that was the case Monday night.
Sean – I’m going to go with Dak Prescott, since Jorge and Dyllan already gave the offensive line their flowers. Off the loss to the Packers, Brian Schottenheimer made headlines talking about how the run/pass split isn’t completely in his control as play caller, due to Prescott having autonomy to audible at the line.
It did feel like against the Eagles, the run-first approach was Schotty simply noticing his team was winning the line of scrimmage and sticking with what was working, but pair any impact Prescott had in getting the Cowboys into these right looks with his dominance as a passer on Monday.
Tom – OK, I’m not afraid to show Javonte Williams some love. The line gets credit for opening holes, but he really maximized his opportunities. Keep that kind of running game going and Dallas’ offense won’t be a punchline anymore. And admit it, it felt soooo good to be on the other side of that “can’t stop the run” equation.
Did the Cowboys defense show improvement against the Eagles?
Mike – There were definitely signs of improvement, but let’s not start celebrating this defense with the way it’s gone this season. They showed more energy and better communication. They finally made some important plays, particularly DeMarvion Overshown’s fourth-quarter interception. Holding the Eagles scoreless in the final quarter was encouraging, but the same problems are still there.
Philadelphia rushed for 121 yards at 4.8 yards per carry and converted five of 12 third downs. The run defense continues to struggle with gap discipline and tackling, while getting off the field on third down remains a major concern. The Eagles game was a step in the right direction, but this defense still have a long way to go before it gets my trust.
Jorge – Still plenty of work to do, but very, very slowly, this defense is showing signs of life. The pressure still isn’t consistent enough, and for stretches, the third-down defense is still terrible, but the second half is where this defense is really starting to put it together. If they could apply that for the entire game, this team would obviously be in a very different situation, but back-to-back games with an INT is worth noting; there is life on that side of the ball.
Dyllan – They allowed 24 points or less for the third straight week. They only let up seven points after the first two Eagles drives. That said, the night was still relatively disappointing in my eyes. This is a horrifically bad Eagles offense that made the Cowboys defense look silly at times. They need to continue to grow, mesh, and get healthy.
Sean – Man, this was such a weird game for defenses on both sides. Fangio versus Parker is like the Spiderman point meme coming to life when it comes to two schemes resembling each other, and both were so bad against the run it feels like they just gave up and stopped trying.
The Cowboys are going to see much tougher opponents down the line that will only stop running the ball if the Dallas defense actually makes stops. While I like some of the things they did in pass defense, mainly Joey Porter Jr. continuing to play well and DeMarvion Overshown’s interception, being stout against the run is still a big concern.
Tom – We all know this would have been a vastly different game against a healthy Jalen Hurts. The defensive effort was perhaps best described as survivable, as in the errors and breakdowns didn’t overcome Dallas. Most of the credit for the win has to go to the offense. The D still needs to improve a ton.
What’s is best way for Dallas to get back-to back wins and defeat the Cardinals this week?
Mike – Change nothing from last week for a start. The offense finally found some offensive balance, with the offensive line dominating up front, Javonte Williams rushing for a career game, and Dak benefiting from a much cleaner pocket. The Cardinals have struggled to stop the run, so Brian Schottenheimer needs to establish Williams early and use that success to create opportunities for CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Dallas has the talent to do it, but the biggest challenge as far as I see it is proving Monday night’s performance wasn’t just a one-off.
Jorge – Keep the run game going! The Cardinals rank 23rd in rush defense and are giving up 4.6 yards per carry this season. If the Cowboys want to maintain what everybody knows is a winning formula, that being offensive balance, they have to keep pounding the rock. If they can do that, they can also help their defense, which is continuing to grow, albeit slowly. Maybe we’ll see a complete game yet.
Dyllan – Controlling the pace of the game will be imperative. This means once again dominating the trenches and staying balanced on offense. If Dallas can get out to an early lead, it’ll be interesting to see if the defense can capitalize again with turnovers and sacks like they did when Philadelphia finally got behind by two possessions.
Sean – Build off the complementary football they played at the Eagles. The Cardinals have held the two opponents they’ve beaten this season under 17 points, a benchmark the Cowboys should easily expect to clear at home with momentum back on this side of the ball. Piling on points shouldn’t feel like a necessity though, if the defense gets pressure and they avoid special teams miscues.
Tom – A repeat of the last game’s offensive pattern is a no-brainer for how best to get the W. But continuing to improve on defense, and in bigger increments, may be more important. We always thought the offense had it in them. The defense still has so much to prove.
RAPID FIRE
Who scores first for Dallas?
Jorge – Brevyn Spann-Ford
Dyllan – Javonte Williams continues to be a safe bet
Sean – Jake Ferguson
Tom – Ryan Flournoy is due
Javonte Williams total rush yards, over/under – 91.5 yards
Jorge – He stays hot. Over
Dyllan – Over. Schottenheimer continues to focus on offensive balance
Sean – Over
Tom – Just under
Dak Prescott passing yards, over/under – 225.5 yards
Jorge – Just under
Dyllan – Over
Sean – Over
Tom – Over, because the Cards overcommit to stopping Williams
Trey McBride receiving yards, over/under – 81.5 yards
Jorge – Over
Dyllan – Under
Sean – Under
Tom – Over
Cowboys defense total sacks, over/under – 1.5
Jorge – Just over
Dyllan – Over. A blitz or two gets home
Sean – Hopefully over
Tom – Over
Cowboys defense third-down percentage allowed, over/under – 48.5%
Jorge – Again, just under
Dyllan – The trend continues, under.
Sean – Under
Tom – Under, I hope
