The Good and Bad with the Cowboys

It was the ugliest, blood curling, spine tingling, best game ever Sunday evening in Arlington, Texas. Your Dallas Cowboys put a stranglehold on the NFC East with the win and look poised to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. What is more impressive is that this team was on its death bed almost a month ago.  Things change that quick in the NFL.  Before getting ready to face the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday to clinch the division, let’s clean this game up with some good and bad in last night’s game.

Bad:

The biggest bad from this game is the offense’s inability to score touchdowns inside the red zone. Before this game, I had written an article that this was becoming a problem and it has to be fixed and it got worse against the Eagles.  At halftime, the Cowboys were dominating the Eagles in terms of yards and time of possession, yet they could only muster two field goals. Why is the red zone such a tough area for this offense to score in?

In 2016, Dak and Zeke dominated in the red zone and this year they are in the bottom half of the league.  In yesterday’s game, two of the three touchdowns came from long passes. The logical explanation would be that maybe the offensive line’s decline might be a part of it or maybe the play calling is just horrendous Whatever the reason, if the issue isn’t fixed then it will lead to more problems later.

Another big problem for the team is the turnovers.  While the interceptions were bad, these are a rare occurrence by Dak, who rarely throws picks. The biggest concern is the fumbling issue.  Dak keeps fumbling the football at key situations and that will kill the team. His pocket awareness has to get better and he needs to know when to cover the ball when he’s facing pressure. These small mechanical issues can be fixed and can change the outlook for the offense.

The final outcome I saw that would be bad for this team coming out of this game is guard Zack Martin injuring his knee again.  He has been dealing with a sprain knee all year long and it got worse Sunday. It doesn’t seem to indicate a tear, but he might be done for at least the next two weeks. The hope is he can return by the playoffs.

 

The GOODS:

Ok, the good is that Dak Prescott showed you he can be one hell of a passer. In the fourth quarter, Prescott went off for three touchdowns and no picks and finished the game with over 400 yards passing. Now, I don’t want Dak doing that all the time, but it is great to know that he has that ability if he needs to break it out.

The other good news is that the defense is still dominant. Despite the fourth quarter scores by the Eagles, the defense showed why they are one of the best in the NFL and I am more convinced that it is championship –caliber and you can ride this defense very far in the playoffs.

We won the Amari Trade!  Amari Cooper came here for a first-round pick and most said that is typical Jerry overpaying again for a player who looks like he’s regressed.  Now Cooper has helped turned this offense around has truly cemented himself as the Cowboy’s number one wide receiver.

So Cowboys fans celebrate and get excited because the team is back and the playoffs are near.  This is going to be one special ride for this team and this city.