A more comfortable Andy Dalton hopes to be better in second game as Dallas Cowboys QB
Andy Dalton and the Dallas Cowboys said all the right things leading up to last Monday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, his first start in place of injured quarterback Dak Prescott.
“Andy has been Andy,” the players said of the 10-year veteran.
Because he’s “started a lot of games in this league,” the former TCU star who started nine years with the Cincinnati Bengals before signing with the Cowboys didn’t blink when called upon to lead the team.
But then the 38-10 blowout loss to the Cardinals occurred last Monday night. It was game that included a disappointing performance from Dalton as he completed 34 of 54 pass attempts for just 266 yards, with a touchdown and two second-half interceptions. (Running back Ezekiel Elliott also turned the ball over twice with two first-half fumbles.)
According to the NFL, Monday’s game was the first time in the Super Bowl era that a team won a game by 25 or more points despite its leading passer (Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray) having 25 or fewer completions than the opposing team’s leading passer. Murray was nine of 24 passing for 188 yards in the game.
But that was last week. Dalton and the Cowboys (2-4) are singing a different tune heading into Sunday’s road game against the Washington Football Team (1-5).
“I feel like things are a lot more comfortable now than they were last week,” said Dalton, who is still a new starter on a team using a new system with a new coach. “That’s just how this thing works. I think one thing we’ve realized is obviously, the game didn’t go as we wanted it to.”
Dalton also must find a way to get the big play back into the Cowboys’ arsenal. He averaged a paltry 4.9 yards per attempt, compared to Prescott’s 8.4 yards per attempt in the previous five games.
Dalton has to be able to make plays down the field to the team’s trio of talented receivers in Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. The group has spent more time after practice getting in extra work this week.
“Obviously there was a difference because Andy is a different player from Dak,” Cooper said. “And it took some time to adjust to the way Andy plays the game. But that’s what we practice for.
“I think the biggest thing is communication,” he continued. “You have to make sure as a receiver you’re seeing things the same way the quarterback is seeing them in terms of how the quarterback likes to throw certain routes, what he’s looking at and things of that nature.”
Another reason Dalton and the Cowboys struggled to get the ball down the field against the Cardinals was a lack of time in the pocket. Coach Mike McCarthy said Arizona blitzed more than any opponent this season forcing Dalton to get rid of the ball quick. And with the Cowboys banged up on the offensive line, Dalton likely won’t have a lot of time to throw against Washington either.
Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin is questionable for the game with a concussion. Cam Erving is expected to make his first start of the season at left tackle in place of the injured Brandon Knight, who was replacing Pro Bowl talent Tyron Smith, who is out for the season with a neck injury.
Things aren’t much better at right tackle where undrafted rookie Terrence Steele has struggled in place of La’el Collins, who is out for the season with a hip injury.
It’s a recipe for disaster against a nasty Washington defensive line that includes three first-round selections, including 2020’s second overall pick Chase Young. As a team, Washington is sixth in the NFL with 16 sacks. The defense ranks fourth in the league and first against the run, negating any real hopes of the Cowboys using Elliott to take some pressure off Dalton.
“They’re good. They got a lot of talent,” Dalton said. “You see the number of first-rounders that they have up front. It shows up on tape. So for us, we’ve got to be prepared. Guys have got to step up and we’ve got to trust them that they’re going to make the plays that they need to make.”
This story was originally published October 22, 2020 at 5:09 PM.
