3 reasons the Cowboys can build on Jax win and 2 reasons they can’t

The Dallas Cowboys put forth their most dominant offensive performance in recent memory when they destroyed the favored Jacksonville Jaguars 40-7 at AT&T Stadium Sunday afternoon. To call Dallas’ offensive explosion unexpected would be, to put it kindly, an understatement. Although the Cowboys have played vastly better at home this season, few expected the offense to finally breakout against the NFL’s best pass defense. As such, even those bold enough to pick Dallas anticipated a low-scoring affair.

In their prior home games, Dallas opened by moving the ball well and putting 10 quick points on the board. From that moment onward, however, the offense would largely sputter throughout the remainder of those games despite the Cowboys still coming out on top in the end. The road, meanwhile, has been far less kind to Dak Prescott and Company, resulting in an 0-3 record with just one touchdown scored in each contest. So was Sunday’s performance an awakening in Dallas, or was it fool’s gold?

Here are 3 reasons Dallas can build on this performance, and 2 reasons they can’t.

1. Dallas finally seems to understand it needs to let Dak be Dak. 

Dak Prescott is probably the most polarizing figure in Dallas since the middle of Tony Romo‘s career. You know, before the fan base began to romanticize the gunslinging QB and act like 2014 Romo was the same as 2006-2013 Romo. Aside from maybe Head Coach Jason Garrett and Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan, Prescott has shouldered the blame for most of the Cowboys struggles. Today, he was engine making the offense go.

Although Prescott would fall short of 200 passing yards, the bare minimum for which much of the base measures his performances, he absolutely controlled this game. On the day, he completed 17 of 27 passes for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns. Additionally, he set a career high with 82 rush yards on just 11 carries -the highest such total for a Dallas QB since Roger Stabauch ran for 90 yards in 1971. And while that’s a cool stat, the more telling one is the zero turnovers. When Prescott posts a QBR of 95 or better, Dallas is 19-1.

2. The Dallas defense has been solid. Sunday showed it can be elite. 

While the Cowboys defense has been the team’s strongest unit this season, they haven’t managed to force many turnovers. Against the Jaguars, the defense forced multiple turnovers for just the second time this season.

The first came in the third quarter with Dallas leading 24-7. Jacksonville’s defense had forced two straight punts from the Cowboys after failing to stop the home team once in the first half. Blake Bortles proceeded to reward their effort by throwing an ugly interception into triple coverage. Jeff Heath took said interception all the way to the Jacksonville 8, granting Dallas 3 free points to add to their lead.

The next turnover came just moments later when Jaylon Smith forced a fumble after a Keelan Cole catch. Jourdan Lewis dove onto the loose ball, recovering it just before it could dribble out of bounds. There was also a turnover on downs later in the fourth quarter after Dallas had the game well in hand.

While it’s just one game, if Dallas can build on this trend and start to create extra possessions, it’ll go a long way toward helping the offense put points on the board.

Short field = easy points.

3. If Dallas can get Cole Beasley this more involved every week, the sky is the limit for the offense.

In another fortunate turn of events, the offense finally remembered Cole Beasley exists. At Houston, Beasley wasn’t targeted for the first time until the overtime period began. This proved to be a recipe for disaster in a 19-16 loss. But this week Beasley was arguably the player of the game.

Beasley caught 9 of 11 targets for 101 yards and 2 touchdowns. This marked the first time since November of 2016 that a Dallas wide receiver logged at least 100 yards and a touchdown. There’s no other way to say it: Cole Beasley took over this game.

Now, looking at the other side of the coin, here are the reasons the Cowboys won’t turn the corner after this big win.

1. Getting back to .500 is nice but historically Garrett has had trouble building on it. 

During Jason Garrett’s tenure as head coach in Dallas, the Cowboys are 13-2 in games in which a win means a return to .500. While that’s great, Garrett has certainly had himself some practice in those situations. A lot of it, thanks to three consecutive 8-8 seasons. Although the win does move Dallas back to .500, their offense has shown that it can be an albatross around this team’s neck at times, making it possible they struggle to stay over the mark all year. And .500 play does not constitute “turning the corner.”

2. The past two weeks, Jacksonville has been outscored 44-0 in the first half

This is the most significant point against Dallas here. It has nothing to do with their performance, of course. You can only beat the team that’s in front of you. What they do or don’t do is beyond your control. But this doesn’t look like the same Jacksonville team that should’ve beaten New England in the AFC Championship game last year. Despite featuring the number 1 rated pass defense, Dak Prescott and Cole Beasley were able to pick apart a vaunted defense with relative ease. Looking back a week earlier, however, you see this isn’t the first time Jacksonville has been burned as of late.

While much of the damage at Kansas City was self-inflicted for the Jags, namely Bortles tossing 4 picks, they were nevertheless outscored and banged up over the course of the game, resulting in an ugly loss many assumed they would be motivated to put behind them. Instead, the hangover seemed to linger.

There were several moments early on in this game where the momentum easily could’ve swung the other direction. Dak Prescott somehow managed to fumble twice on the opening drive. Fortunately, the ball popped back up to his hand both times, allowing him to preserve the possession and ultimately put Dallas ahead 3-0.

Another key moment came when Jacksonville was trailing 10-0 and appeared to force Dallas’ first punt of the day. Instead, thanks to the watchful eye of Cowboys long snapper JP Ladouceur, the Cowboys were able to catch 12 Jaguars on the field and were awarded an automatic first down. From there, Cole Beasley made his presence felt and Dallas’ lead shot up to 24-0. For all intents and purposes, the game was officially over.