Will the real Dallas Cowboys please stand up? After yet another loss, this time a 44-24 drubbing on the road to the Broncos, it’s becoming exceedingly more difficult to pin down this team. There’s a few
reasons for that, but the biggest factor that sticks out is the home/away splits.
When playing in Dallas, the Cowboys are 2-0-1 and their offense has scored at least 40 points each time. On the road, though, they’re 1-4 and the offense is averaging just 24 points a game. The lone win came over the Jets, who just won their first game of the season this weekend.
The good news is the next game is at home, and playing host to a Cardinals team that’s lost five straight. But the Cowboys will need to figure out how to perform on the road if they want to reach the playoffs, a goal that may or may not even be feasible right now. Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman have plenty of thoughts on the inconsistencies of this season thus far.
Tom: It’s hard to figure out why they seem to play so much better at home. It’s not like AT&T Stadium is a notoriously hostile environment. Given how lost they look on both sides of the ball on the road, it may be as much mental as anything else. I’ve no idea how they could address that.
Chances of making the playoffs are shrinking rapidly, and effectively may be gone. Once again there are glaring needs all over the roster. It feels defeatist to already be thinking of organic tanking with half the season ahead. It doesn’t seem unreasonable, however.
We’re just along for the ride. It doesn’t feel like there is any reason to look for hope this year, does it?
David: Actually, I feel like there’s plenty of reason for hope.
First things first, the Broncos game. That’s probably the best defense they’ll face all year, and it’s top three at worst. Playing poorly against such an elite defense while on the road in a notoriously difficult place to play isn’t going to change my mind about how good this offense is. As for the defense, there’s also the factor of playing in Denver, but being without so many bodies in the secondary also had a huge impact. I think the defense will look more like it did a week ago going forward, especially once DeMarvion Overshown and Shavon Revel get on the field.
Looking ahead, the schedule aligns nicely. Next week is at home against a Cardinals team on the verge of imploding. They’ve lost five straight and fined their own head coach after he struck his own player on the sideline. Then it’s off to the bye before a road trip in Sin City against a Raiders team that’s been much worse than anyone expected.
That gives the Cowboys a legitimate shot to be 5-4-1 by the time they host the Eagles, a team whom they nearly beat in Philly to start the season. And we’ve already talked about how much better this team is in Dallas. If all goes according to plan, they could be sitting at 6-4-1 with a 2-1 record in the division by Thanksgiving. That’s hardly a reason to panic.
Oh, and did I mention how wide open the NFC is after this past weekend?
Tom: I respect your positive outlook. But you are outlining a true best case scenario, and I have a lot of doubt that will work out.
While I do think the offense can help win some games down the road, the defense looks fated to hold this team back. They are facing a two-sided problem.
First is the much discussed Eberflus defense. He did come up with some new twists in the win over the Commanders that worked, but he had no answers against the Broncos. Those should be easier to come by next game, but who will he have to put them in effect?
The secondary in particular is badly depleted by injury, and it is possible we won’t see Trevon Diggs back on the field for a while. There is a real chance he won’t be back at all this season. Something is going on with him that may be more than just his health. Safety is just a wreck right now. They are likely going to have to call up both the safeties from the practice squad just to have enough bodies. Getting Zion Childress back on the squad was just in the nick of time.
There are bodies up front, but an insufficiency of talent. The defense is vulnerable to the run and gets little pressure on the quarterback. That is, as they say, a bad combination.
David: This may surprise you, but I’m also not (that) concerned about the defense. I believe last week’s performance is closer to what we’ll see moving forward, for a few reasons.
First, let’s touch on the secondary. Trevon Diggs being out for the foreseeable future doesn’t bother me, as he’s been an issue in coverage more often than not this year. Kaiir Elam has been legitimately good when playing more press coverage, and DaRon Bland is just better all around in the slot.
The problem this past week is that Dallas was severely lacking at the safety position, which caused Eberflus to ease up on all the press he was using against Washington. Getting Juanyeh Thomas and Donovan Wilson back will help with that, as will Shavon Revel, whose skillset naturally lends itself to more press coverage anyway.
As for the run defense, Eberflus’ penetration techniques that his defensive line employs makes this defense inherently susceptible to cutback runs and trap schemes. Fundamentally, Eberflus has (in the past) cleaned that up with rangy and instinctive linebackers. Right now, he doesn’t have anyone like that, but DeMarvion Overshown certainly fits that bill.
That’s a lot of pressure to put on two guys coming back from pretty serious injuries, but I believe meaningful help is on the way.
