Before the days of dynamite, miners were forced to pick away at the stone bit by bit. It was a grueling and time-consuming effort but if goals were to be met, there was no avoiding it. The birth of explosives changed things considerably. Manual labor was still an inevitable stage of the process, but the boom-boom sticks did most of the work, tackling areas in huge chunks rather than methodically chipping away.
The Dallas Cowboys offense knows this struggle well. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, KaVontae Turpin and Ryan Flournoy give them one of the most talented big play rosters in the NFL, yet through the first two weeks of the 2026 season they’ve opted to keep those explosives on the shelf and eat yardage one swing of the axe at a time.
Based on data from NFLfastR, the Cowboys currently rank last in explosive play rate. Their rushing attack behind Javonte Williams clocks in as No. 30 in the NFL with a 5.1 explosive play rate while their star-studded passing game maintains a shocking 3.0 rate, clocking in at No. 25 leaguewide.
Offensive and defensive explosive play rates: pic.twitter.com/O09d65Ea4d
— Sam Hoppen (@SamHoppen) September 22, 2026
The Cowboys, likely in an effort to control clock and protect their floundering defense, have been doing things the old-fashioned way on offense. Longer ball possession means more rest for the defense. And for a defense that allows opponents a league-worst 4:16 minutes in average drive time, that means a lot.
Given the Cowboys are No 3 in the NFL in both EPA/play and success rate, it’s hard to argue with their approach. It would be one thing if drives stalled out and Dallas left points on the field, but the Cowboys are top two in both third down success rate and red zone touchdown percentage. Their strategy of avoiding big plays isn’t advisable, but it’s clearly working.
The Cowboys are so efficient in their approach, their 3:27 minutes in average drive time on offense ranks No. 4 in the NFL and their 3.87 points/drive come in at No. 1. Dallas’ offense is essentially acting as a counterbalance to their problems on defense. It stands to reason; the Cowboys' explosive play rate probably won’t increase much until their defense takes the necessary strides on their own side of the ball.
It’s not advisable, or probably even sustainable, but it makes sense why the Cowboys offense is shying away from explosive plays so far this season. How long it continues is anyone’s guess but for them to ever embrace a big play attack, they’ll need their defense to start pulling their own weight.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Counterbalance: Why the Cowboys offense is avoiding explosive plays
