“The Mess In Texas”

Whether you love them or hate them, the Dallas Cowboys are a team that will always be talked about on the sports news or social media. When they win, it’s “how bout those Cowboys!” When they struggle, they’re discussed. When the season started, they got off to a fast start winning their first three games. However, the knock on the Cowboys is how they struggle against the elite competition in the league. Against teams below .500, the Cowboys are a perfect 6-0. When they face teams with a winning record, they are 0-6. As of late, I’ve noticed some issues with them. So, what’s wrong with the Cowboys?

Their offense is truly hit or miss for a unit that’s supposed to be ranked number one in the league. I remember at one point this year, I was impressed with how Dak Prescott looked. They were opening the playbook for him which allowed him to take games over with his arm. When you watch a lot of offenses in the NFL, each of them has an identity whether they lean toward the passing game or they like to run the football. I’m unaware what their identity is. The Cowboys formula for success is when they’re running the football. Ezekiel Elliott needs to touch the football in between 20-25 times for the Cowboys offense to be successful. What I can never understand is they’ll hand him the ball or get him involved within the offense in some capacity, then they just stop including him within the offensive game plan. That doesn’t make sense. He’s your best player. Why not feed him the football? He may not say much on the sidelines, but his body language tells me all I need to know. The head coach also hasn’t helped either. I question Jason Garrett’s decision making often. A perfect example of this that comes to mind is their game against the Patriots. They were in the redzone with a chance to score. It’s late in the game and Jason decides to go for a field goal instead of the touchdown. You won’t beat New England kicking field goals. He’s too conservative of a coach for my liking.

When their defense is clicking, the Cowboys have one of the five best units in the NFL. They have a solid defensive line that can disrupt up front. The linebackers cover well, and the secondary does its part in the backend. They also tend to get pushed off the line of scrimmage four and five yards per play. When they’re defeated, it shows which also means they give up. The Buffalo Bills ran circles around the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Despite the loss, they’re still in first place in the NFC East with the tiebreaker over the Eagles with one to play for the division potentially. These final games of the season should be interesting. No matter what happens, I see some major changes coming for them.