The Cowboys are playing well at home, posting a cosmically charged point differential. But when they leave the friendly confines of AT&T Stadium, that mask slips quickly.
A big reason is their defensive struggles. In Week 9, tight end Jason Witten ran a slant route and was hit by two Eagles defenders, causing his helmet to come off.
History
The Dallas Cowboys are the oldest professional football franchise in the state of Texas and one of the most storied in the entire NFL. The Cowboys won their first world championship in 1971 after a dominating NFC Championship Game win over the Miami Dolphins. The team has won five other NFC championships and made 10 appearances in the Super Bowl. The team has an impressive roster of star players that have helped make the Cowboys a dynasty and one of the most popular teams in the history of the NFL.
The Cowboys struggled early in their existence, like many expansion teams do, but the steady coaching of Landry and the addition of key players made them a perennial contender. Quarterback Don Meredith joined the team in 1960, linebacker Chuck Howley and defensive end Bob Lilly in 1961, and running back Don Perkins in 1962.
In 1992, the Cowboys won their third NFC championship and reached their peak in popularity. With a 12-4 regular season record, the Cowboys beat the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game and then crushed the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII to avenge a loss to the Bills in 1981. The Cowboys sent a record 11 players to the Pro Bowl that year including quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith.
After a slow start in 1993, the Cowboys roared in 1994. The team started out 7-0 before losing to the New York Giants and then defeated division rival Washington Redskins in their Thanksgiving Day game. In Week 15, the Cowboys lost a close game to the Green Bay Packers and began talk of a December curse.
Despite the disappointment of the playoff loss, the Cowboys returned to form in 1995. The team started the season by erasing a 21-point deficit in Washington for a 41-35 overtime victory on September 24. The Cowboys won the NFC East by a wide margin and then reached the Super Bowl, where they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 1999 season was another strong one for the Cowboys, who won 13 games and swept their rival Redskins for the first time since 1994. The Cowboys were led by quarterback Tony Romo, who set team records for passing yards and touchdowns. The team also received great support from the ground game, with running backs Julius Jones and Marion Barber combining for 1,747 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Offense
As bad as the Cowboys offense was through much of the first half, it seems to be turning a corner. The team’s last four games have seen the unit improve from an anemic 3.2 yards per carry to a more respectable 4.2 yards per carry. This is a marked improvement for a unit that was ranked as the worst in the league at this point last season.
The Cowboys are also a much more efficient red zone team than they were to start the season. They were the 29th-ranked red zone unit in the NFL and now rank eighth. This has been due in large part to the improved running game that the team has used as a weapon for this phase of the game.
Another big development has been the team’s increased use of motion and shifts. Previously, the Cowboys would avoid using too many of these moves because they often led to pre-snap penalties for motion violations. But now, with the loss of Kellen Moore, Dallas has embraced these wrinkles and is utilizing them more frequently.
These changes are making the offense more difficult to defend and allowing the Cowboys to create better matchups for their top players. The team’s receivers are benefitting from this, including wideouts like Cole Beasley and CeeDee Lamb who have exploded over the last month.
Lastly, the Cowboys’ offensive line is starting to look better as well. Tyler Smith is back this week and Zack Martin is expected to be healthy after missing last week’s game. The unit is giving up zero sacks and has shown some improvement in terms of run blocking as well.
The Cowboys still have some issues on the offensive side of the ball, especially in their run game. The lack of a top-tier receiving threat after losing Michael Gallup is something that needs to be addressed in the offseason. However, the depth on this team is strong enough that a few additions could help things go the right way.
Defense
The Cowboys’ defense has been a major asset this season and could be a great play in fantasy drafts this year. They have a strong front seven that is good against the run and pass, making it difficult for opposing teams to score points. DeMarcus Lawrence is a good pass rusher who can rack up sacks and tackles for loss, while Leighton Vander Esch is an excellent linebacker in coverage. This group is the heart of the Dallas defense, and it’s a top unit in the NFL.
The secondary is also very solid. The Cowboys allow the second-lowest passing yards in the league, and their cornerbacks are very good at limiting big plays. Byron Jones has been a tremendous playmaker, and Kavon Frazier is an underrated shutdown corner. The Cowboys have plenty of depth behind them at safety, including undrafted free agent Jeff Heath and rookie Xavier Woods.
If the Cowboys can find a good No. 4 cornerback in the draft, they should have an even stronger defense. Cornerbacks Patrick Robinson and Jeremiah Attaochu have been excellent in the early going, and they have the potential to be special players for this team.
Another promising player is second-year safety Kavon Frazier, who has been very good in his first year with the team. He hasn’t been as good in the running game as I would have liked, but he is a valuable defender who can fill several roles on this defense.
At defensive end, the Cowboys have a very good group led by Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence. They have been very good at pressuring opposing quarterbacks, and the Cowboys rank third in the NFL in sacks this year.
The Cowboys’ biggest weakness might be at interior defensive tackle, where they haven’t been as good as you would expect given their history and talent. However, they have some young players who can improve their performances, including fifth-round pick Osa Odighizuwa and second-year man Dante Hall. The Cowboys have also added veteran backup Kenny Vaccaro to help shore up the position.
Special teams
Special teams play a huge role in any team’s success, and the Cowboys’ unit was Jekyll and Hyde last season. There were some glaring miscues, like punter Chris Jones throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, and others that were simply due to bad luck, such as a blocked field goal and subsequent fumble by cornerback C.J. Goodwin.
The Cowboys hired one of the top special teams coordinators in John Fassel, and he’s made some changes to improve his squad, but they’re not exactly revolutionizing the way the team handles their third phase.
While the Cowboys’ special teams were better under Fassel than they were under Keith O’Quinn, it doesn’t look like they’re going to suddenly become a top-tier unit. In fact, Dallas has only finished in the top 10 of special teams DVOA in three out of their 12 years under head coach Jason Garrett.
It’s not the best record, but it is certainly not a disaster. The key to any successful special teams unit is the players, and the Cowboys’ current roster features a few studs in special-teams contributors.
Of the players on the Cowboys’ current roster, six have played at least 100 special-teams snaps, including kicker Greg Zuerlein and safety Marquese Bell. Those players are joined by a second-year safety in Tyler Coyle and a linebacker in Devin Harper and Jabril Cox.
All have shown some ability in special-teams coverage, and it’ll be interesting to see who takes the next step this season. For example, Justin Bethel has 88 career special-teams tackles and four forced fumbles, and he’s also blocked three field goals and returned one for an 82-yard touchdown.
The Cowboys have a strong group of specialists to work with this year, but it’s important for them to find ways to get better and stay healthy. They can’t afford to have special-teams mistakes in 2023 if they want to compete for the NFC Championship. The Cowboys’ upcoming schedule makes that a tall order, but it’s not impossible if they can get the most out of their current corps of special-teams players.
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