Dallas Cowboys to start rookie QB Ben DiNucci in worst first-place showdown ever
Never have the Dallas Cowboys had a week so controversial leading up to a dubious showdown for first place in the NFC East.
Well, never may be a little strong for a Cowboys organization that thrived amid distractions during their run to three Super Bowl titles in the 1990, but that was a long time ago.
And those were largely off-the-field concerns.
Here we are with the 2-5 Cowboys facing the 2-4-1 Philadelphia Eagles a week after seeing quarterback Andy Dalton concussed in a blowout loss to Washington and not one player lifted a finger to defend him.
Owner Jerry Jones got snippy with a radio host in defending coach Mike McCarthy and his dismal team.
And then the Cowboys got rid of three under-performing players in the span of two days, trading defensive end Everson Griffen to the Detroit Lions and simply cutting defensive tackle Dontari Poe and defensive back Daryl Worley.
And now they must face the Eagles with rookie seventh-round pick Ben DiNucci starting in place of Dalton, who was already starting in place of Dak Prescott.
As much as injuries, a lack of execution and poor coaching are to blame for the Cowboys problems, the front office is not without fault.
The departures of Poe, Griffen and Worley put an exclamation point on the evaluation mistakes the team made in free agency.
The seven players signed in the offseason to help the team are now gone. In addition to Poe, Griffen, Worley, safety HaHa Clinton-Dix was cut in camp, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was cut after suffering an injury, cornerback Maurice Canady opted out and cornerback Saivion Smith was cut.
They were all signed to bolster a questionable defense only to see the unit on pace to be one of the worst in team history and challenge for league records in scoring futility.
“You know, we’ve always been conservative when it comes to free agency,” vice president Stephen Jones said. “We’re big believers in you build through the draft, but you also, you know, you want to fill some holes. That was one of the reasons for signing all of those guys, shore up some things so you don’t have to necessarily reach in the draft. We’ll continue to do that.
“You’re not always going to hit on everybody, but we’ll continue to operate and feel like the way we do it is a good way.”
Will the 2020 season continue to flounder?
Here are five Cowboys things to watch for Sunday’s game against the Eagles:
Cowboys counting on slinging Ben DiNucci
The Cowboys have certainly streamlined the offense for rookie seventh-round pick Ben DiNucci, who will make his first career start against the Eagles.
Andy Dalton has been officially ruled out with a concussion. He did not make the trip to Philadelphia with the team.
DiNucci will become the 14th rookie to start a game for the Cowboys. He joins Kevin Sweeney as the only seventh-round rookies to start at quarterback in franchise history. Jason Garrett is the only Cowboys rookie to win his first start in 1993.
However, don’t look for the game plan to strictly run-run-pass in effort to try to protect DiNucci.
There is no protecting him against the aggressive and blitzing Eagles defense, and look for the Cowboys to add some wrinkles to the offense to take advantage of DiNucci’s ability to run. “We are getting ready to play a very aggressive defense,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Anticipate a lot of blood defenders, close to the line of scrimmage. We will do what we need to do accordingly in our game plan in how we are going to attack that. I would definitely say Ben’s movement skills are definitely an asset.”
And also look for the Cowboys to attack downfield by taking advantage of his strong arm.
DiNucci is not shy about letting it rip, and he has impressed his teammates all week in practice with the velocity on his passes.
“Yeah, he looks good,” tight end Dalton Schultz said. “I think I saw a couple interviews this week, people are saying they got a little zip on that ball. Dude, that’s accurate. He literally flings that thing. So, we’ve been watching his scout team the last few weeks and he’s done a really good job, and now I look forward to seeing what he can do on Sunday.”
Worst first-place showdown ever is so 2020
It’s not surprising that the Eagles and Cowboys are playing a game with first-place in the NFC East on the line.
That has been par for the course lately between these two bitter division rivals.
What is shocking is how bad teams have been through the first seven games of the season and yet they are still jockeying for first place.
The Eagles are 2-4-1. The Cowboys are 2-5, coming off back-to-back blowout losses to Arizona and Washington by a combined score of 63-13.
The Cowboys could salvage their season and get right back in the driver’s seat with a win on Sunday.
“I think it’s just kind of 2020 summed up,” Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott said. “Being in this position, I think no one was expecting to be here. You can’t really control up to this point. We have had a lot of injuries. We haven’t played the best in some games. What we do know is that I think if we win this week, are we first in the division? We’re still right where we need to be. We’re still at a place where we can make a run for the playoffs.
“We’ve got to figure out something fast. We’ve got to win this weekend. We can’t have any excuses. It doesn’t matter how many guys we have down. All we can worry about is going out there with the guys we have and playing the best football we can and winning the football game.”
Ezekiel Elliott is on a bad streak
The Dallas Cowboys social-media team posted a Halloween-theme meme on Twitter on Friday in advance of Sunday’s game against the Eagles.
One of the photos included running back Ezekiel Elliott and was titled Nightmare on Zeke Street.
How appropriate or inappropriate, depending on your perspective.
Elliott, the former two-time rushing champion, has now gone seven straight games to start the season without a 100-yard game.
He didn’t fumble against Washington last week, which has been a problem in 2020, but he was part of a turnover with a ball bouncing out of his hands for an interception.
Injuries to the offensive line that have resulted in seven different lineups in seven games, the loss of quarterback Dak Prescott and then the loss of back-up Dalton have played a role in Elliott’s lack of success.
“I would say it’s a combination of everything,” Elliott said. “Just kind of getting down early, and, yeah, we are banged up and some weeks we’ve had weeks where I gave the ball away early in the first half kind of adding to that deficit. So I think it’s just a little bit of everything, but I think getting back to the run is definitely something we’re going to focus on this week.”
With DiNucci starting his first game, the Cowboys need their superstar running back to be a difference maker and make life easier for DiNucci and not continue to contribute to the nightmare.
Zack Martin to return to the offensive line
Injuries have played a role in the struggles of both the Cowboys and Eagles this season.
Both teams will get a few players back for Sunday night.
The Eagles are getting tight end Dallas Godert, receiver Jalen Reagor, tackle Jason Peters linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Rudy Ford back from injuries.
The Cowboys are getting guard Zack Martin and cornerback Chido Awuzie back, and linebacker Sean Lee is expected to make his season debut.
Martin’s return, after missing the Washington game after suffering a concussion in the first half against Arizona, is the most welcomed.
He is perennial all-pro, whose play and leadership will be needed to help slow down a Philadelphia front that is still expected to overrun and outclass an inexperienced Cowboys offensive line that still includes three first-year starters, due to injuries.
Sunday will also mark the eighth straight game for the Cowboys to start a different combination up front, and the line lacks chemistry and continuity to go along with questionable talent.
“Yeah it’s tough, obviously we talk all the time, offensive line, getting that continuity down,” Martin said. “Unfortunately we haven’t had that at times this season. Again, there’s no secret to this thing, it’s about going back out to work, getting the reps with the guys that are going to be in there and trying to build that on the go.”
Randy Gregory getting more snaps on defense
Randy Gregory is the immediate beneficiary of the trade of defensive end Everson Griffen to the Detroit Lions.
What that means for the Cowboys defense and ailing pass rush remains to be seen, but it means more for snaps for Gregory, who was on the field for just six plays against Washington last Sunday in his first game since 2018 due to an NFL suspension for repeated violations of the substance-abuse policy.
Griffen appeared in seven games for Dallas this season, totaling 20 tackles, six quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
The Cowboys need Gregory to help put some pressure on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and get him on the ground.
There will be opportunities as the mobile Wentz likes to hold on to the ball to make plays down the field so there will be chances for sacks and fumbles.
The Cowboys are excited about veteran linebacker Sean Lee playing for the first time this season after being sidelined with a sports hernia.
Lee’s experience and knowledge should help a Cowboys defense that has been plagued by alignment and communication breakdowns as much as poor play.
The Cowboys rank last in the league against the run and points allowed.
