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.
Do you have better faith in Brandon Aubrey after punching all seven kicks for points against the Commanders, which included a 60-yard field goal?
Mike – Honestly, the faith in Brandon Aubrey was already high, but games like that only make it stronger. Going perfect on all seven scoring kicks, including a 60-yarder, is not normal, that’s a weapon. Aubrey gives Dallas something most teams do not have, the ability
to turn stalled drives near midfield into points and change how the coaching staff thinks about field position. The bigger issue is not whether Cowboys fans should trust Aubrey, it is whether the offense becomes too comfortable settling for him.
Jorge – I think he calmed some of the nerves, for sure. He needed, and the fans needed, to see that 60-yarder go through, and he nailed it. As long as he doesn’t have a Brett Maher-like meltdown, he should still be considered among the best kickers in the NFL and a huge asset for this team.
Tom – All he can do to calm our doubts is to nail his kicks, and he did. I feel pretty good about him going forward.
Sean – He’s butter. What else is there to say? The kicks sure looked good to me.
Dyllan – I was only about 3.6% worried after last week. Now I’m back to a solid 0.0% in the worried about Aubrey department. Butter is simply the best there is.
What grade do you give Jaishawn Barham for his first game wearing the green-dot, and where does he need improvement?
Mike – I’d give Barham a B+ for his first game wearing the green dot. For a young linebacker taking on that much responsibility, he looked ready for the moment. The forced fumble was the headline, but the bigger takeaway was that the defense did not look utterly overwhelmed with him communicating calls and helping get players aligned. The improvement still needs to come but it was a quality start.
Jorge – If we’re going with a letter grade, I’d have to say he was a B. Some of the communication issues were cleaned up, but the defense still had issues and gave up some plays, particularly in containment of Jayden Daniels, who ran wild at times. Still, Dallas is asking a ton out of the rookie, and the defense’s slight improvement is a good sign. Barham was a big part of that improvement, and one would think he’s only going to get better.
Tom – B sounds about right. That was a huge load to put on the rookie’s shoulders, and he bore it well. And he caused one of the biggest plays of the game, and the best highlight for the defense so far this year.
Sean – I’ll go with a B as well. We want to have higher expectations for this defense, and then they go and start an unproven rookie day two pick smack dab in the middle of the defense, and it makes those expectations difficult. Like Jorge said it wasn’t perfect, but the Dallas defense put tangible things to build off on on tape with some of their alignments, coverages, hustle to the ball, and of course a takeaway which was caused directly by Barham lowering the “Bar-hammer”.
Dyllan – I’ll give Barhammer a B+ this week. The defense looked much tighter in communication with the rookie LB wearing the green dot. He also made some great plays throughout, including the forced fumble to put the offense in great field position. He somehow morphs through blocks and is always around the ball. This kid is going to be special.
This week sees the Cowboys travelling to Brazil to face the Baltimore Ravens. Their last international game was in London back in 2014 with a 31-14 victory, but how confident are you feeling for this international clash?
Mike – Cautiously confident is how I put it, and I’ve seen first hand how the Cowboys handle international pressure watching them in London way back when. The Cowboys have momentum after the Washington win, and an international stage should not scare a franchise that has handled this kind of spotlight before. The concern is the opponent. Baltimore brings the type of physical, awkward matchup that can expose any lack of discipline, especially with the travel, different routine, and field-condition questions in Brazil.
Jorge – I am worried. It’s a 10-plus-hour flight, over 4,000 miles across three time zones, to a country in spring while we’re in fall, which could affect the natural circadian rhythm, and that’s a big deal. As someone who has traveled from Japan to the U.S. several times, that is not a trip to take lightly. On top of that, the Ravens are coming off a tough loss against the Saints and are going to be locked in for the bounce-back win, and oh, by the way, they own us historically in the head-to-head matchup six wins to one. My worry scale would be at a 9 out of 10 in this case.
Tom – I’m not too worried about that rhythm, because the day will be almost exactly the same length. What does worry me is that Dallas has been so vulnerable to running quarterbacks. Now here comes Lamar Jackson. If they can’t find a way to slow him down on the ground, this one will be rough. Oh, and the pass defense hasn’t exactly sparkled so far. The early spread had the Cowboys as a three point underdog, and I think that is a bit kind to them. I have some hope if the offense can continue to ball out, but that may be a tall order against Baltimore.
Sean – The pregame thoughts on this game feel too chalk, as if something completely unexpected is going to happen. The Ravens seem to have this type of early season head-scratching loss where they implode every single year, and the Cowboys have a win that still leaves an uneasy feeling. Logic would say keep going down the chalk line and the Ravens own the Cowboys yet again. My worry about that being a possibility in Brazil is still at a firm 7/10, but things are rarely, rarely this easy to predict in pro football, so let’s just see what Rio de Janeiro has in store.
Dyllan – I’m extremely worried. Dallas has struggled against two mobile QBs through the first two weeks. Now they have the opportunity to face the best mobile quarterback in the NFL. On top of that, the ageless wonder Derrick Henry adds an intensity that not many other backs possess. Mix in the traveling and the beat up field; this is going to be a sloppy, brutal game for both sides.
RAPID FIRE
Who scores first for Dallas?
Jorge – CeeDee Lamb stays hot.
Tom – I’m going to stick with Javonte Williams.
Sean – Hunter Luepke. You gotta get weird for an international game.
Dyllan – George Pickens gets the first TD of the game and his first TD of the season.
Jake Ferguson receptions- 4.5, over or under?
Jorge – Under; Ferg is still too erratic for me to buy consecutive weeks of big impact like 5 receptions.
Tom – Under. I’d guess George Pickens is going to get a lot of balls.
Sean – I’ll go over.
Dyllan – Under. Dallas just has so many weapons.
Javonte Williams rushing yards- 59.5, over or under?
Jorge – Under; Ravens currently own the 6th-best run defense in the NFL, and the Cowboys are struggling to get the ground game going.
Tom – Under. Same reasons.
Sean – Under this time.
Dyllan – Under. Dallas has struggled to run the ball. I don’t see that changing now.
Lamar Jackson rushing yards- 59.5, over or under?
Jorge – Over; Jayden Daniels just ran for 69 yards in one half. Lamar is going to feast.
Tom – Unfortunately, over. The defense is helpless against running QBs.
Sean – Under because he still wants to throw the ball first.
Dyllan – Over. Dallas has struggled vs mobile QBs and now they face the king of mobile QBs.
Sacks recorded by Dallas- 1.5, over or under?
Jorge – Under; Although the Cowboys’ pressure looked good at times, they didn’t register a single sack against Daniels or Mariota, and they have been poor tacklers in the first two games.
Tom – Under, sadly.
Sean – Yeah, under.
Dyllan – Under. Although I think the chopped field may play a role in helping them in this department.
Brandon Aubrey field goals made-2.5, over or under?
Jorge – Over; These international games become a struggle, and I imagine the Cowboys’ offense will cool off a bit, and Aubrey will be called upon frequently.
Tom – Over. I see the offense stalling against the Ravens D.
Sean – Over too.
Dyllan – Not sure if the field conditions allow for super long kicks, but we’ll go with the over here.
