Contrary to what you may have heard, the Cowboys did, in fact, play a football game this week. It wasn’t pretty – in fact, it was football only by the strictest legal definition – but they did take the field
and get promptly shellacked by the winless Chicago Bears.
Afterwards, with CeeDee Lamb’s injury status still up in the air, Jerry Jones remained adamant that this is still a playoff team.
Fans were quick to sound off on Jones, ever the eternal optimist. But is he onto something? Could the Cowboys actually still be a playoff team? Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman have thoughts.
Tom: No, Jerry. Just no. While it is not completely impossible for the team to get into the postseason, the chances are about equal to my going into space.
The offense may be playoff caliber, although that part of the team took a clear step back on Sunday and is showing a disturbing trend of disappearing in the second half. But the defense is in contention for being one of the worst ever for Dallas. Consider this. Russell Wilson has looked bad against his other two opponents, and absolutely went off against the Cowboys. Caleb Williams has looked bad against his other two opponents, and had arguably the best game of his young career on
Sunday. Both did it because of two things: They had almost no pressure from the Dallas pass rush, and the secondary left receivers repeatedly wide open deep and in the end zone. Those issues would definitely have to be fixed for Dallas to make the playoffs, and there is no sign of Matt Eberflus having a clue how to fix them. Jerry is just spreading his normal bull manure.
David: Let me be clear: I was at this game, sitting up in the nosebleeds of Soldier Field, watching all of it unfold live. And when I tell you I was disgusted, I truly mean it. I’ve been there on hand for several of the Cowboys’ lowest moments – I was there for last year’s disaster against the Ravens, and I was in Arizona when Jason Garrett iced Dan Bailey – and this game was right up there.
That said, Jerry isn’t wrong.
The offense wasn’t good against the Bears, but unexpectedly losing CeeDee Lamb was a big part of that. Playing from behind was also a big part of it, as they couldn’t feed the red hot Javonte Williams as much as they surely wanted to. I also don’t buy your concern about the offense “disappearing” in the second half. They did their most damage last week in the second half, and they only “disappeared” in the second half of Week 1 because Lamb suddenly forgot how to catch the ball.
The offense is not the problem. Dak Prescott can absolutely power this team to the playoffs, especially when looking at a fairly lackluster NFC right now. I have no doubt that this team makes the playoffs as a Wild Card team, barring any catastrophic injuries.
But that defense… boy, do we have some problems.
Tom: Wow. Look, when an offense has misfires and goes cold because it is playing from behind and becomes predictable, it is going to have a very difficult time carrying the team. And that looks sadly like exactly what the Cowboys are going to continue to face.
We need to face the reality that Jerry’s comments about this being a playoff team are right up there with his claiming that the Micah Parsons trade helped the team. The latter is absolutely not true this year. There is just no effective pass rush. It’s not just poor. It is not happening. Williams was the most sacked quarterback last season. Dallas didn’t get to him once. They only had one QB hit. One! Parsons was clearly the key to the pass rush, not only getting sacks on his own but helping set up others. That is gone, and what we are seeing are quarterbacks sitting back with time to check their DMs while their receivers are coming open by ten or more yards. Comparisons are already being made between Matt Eberflus and Mike Nolan, and they don’t ring false. I’m curious if Eberflus was a Brian Schottenheimer hire or if Jerry influenced it. Someone looks to have really fumbled that one.
And the only way this season can be salvaged is to get the defense playing better as injuries pile up and opponents tee off on them. I just can’t see it happening.
David: I feel pretty confident that the Eberflus hire was a Jerry suggestion that Schottenheimer signed off on, considering the Eberflus news was first trickling out before a head coach had even been hired.
Of course, Eberflus is a much more proven commodity than Mike Nolan, and I do believe he’ll get things figured out. After all, this defense isn’t completely bereft of talent. The question is if they’ll be able to figure it out in time to still have a shot at the playoffs.
That’s where I think time is on their side. As of writing this, only three teams in the NFC have odds greater than -200 to make the playoffs. Only one of them is in the NFC East. The Cowboys should obviously seek to turn things around ASAP, but it’s not like the competition for one of three Wild Card spots is especially tough right now.
After all, Green Bay just lost to the Browns, of all teams. And after that, the Cowboys draw two favorable matchups in the Jets and Panthers, both of which can be get-right games.
Tom: The hole in the argument that Eberflus can figure it out is that he came up with zilch after getting worked by Wilson. There was no difference in how the pass defense played after a week to work on things. Yes, injuries are a part, but every team has to face those. If they keep looking for a get right game (and the Giants win was not one) things are likely to get too deep into the season for the Cowboys to turn things around.
And don’t forget that the offense is facing issues. The run blocking has been good, but the pass protection is not working well at all. That puts Dak Prescott at risk, and if he gets hurt, then things really are done for the year. Meanwhile CeeDee Lamb will miss some time, which threatens to derail the one thing Dallas could hang their hat on. We certainly saw the air attack stall out after Lamb went out. Now they have to face a Packers team that is probably angry, with a highly motivated Parsons looking to use Prescott as a surrogate punching bag.
I just think things are going to get ugly, and stay that way.
David: The Packers are likely to play angry, but why wouldn’t the Cowboys also play angry? It seems like we only offer up that narrative for other teams, not this one.
Also, there’s a major difference between having to adjust to a Lamb-less offense mid-game and having a full week to plan for it. If Schottenheimer and the rest of this staff can’t figure that out, then there’s bigger issues than Lamb being hurt. Besides, the run game is going to continue to be potent, and they will have some serious advantages on the ground against the Packers.
Right now, the big question is how much of that Bears game is indicative of what this team really is. After Week 1, it felt like the loss to the Eagles was indicative of a team that could be a serious contender. After Week 2, it felt indicative of a team that was sloppy but found a way to win. Neither of those proved to be true in Week 3.
My point is, none of these first three games have been much of a weather vane for Dallas, so it’s hard for me to actually hit the panic button. Obviously, if the team plays more games like they just did, we’re in for a long season. But I don’t see that happening, which is why I still think they can make the playoffs.
Only time will tell, of course.
