Dallas Cowboys grades through their first eight games are as dismal as their record
It’s easy to point to the loss of quarterback Dak Prescott and cite that as the primary season for the Cowboys struggles this season.
The Cowboys are 2-3 in games started by Prescott and 0-3 since.
Prescott was leading the NFL with 371 yards passing per game and the Cowboys were averaging 488 yards and 32.6 points per game before his injury. However, they are averaging 7.3 points and 250.3 yards per game without Prescott over the last three contests.
The Cowboys have scored just one touchdown in 32 possessions without Prescott and have gone back to back games without a touchdown. Or, to frame it another way, the Cowboys scored more points in Prescott’s final quarter with the team (24) than they have without him in three full games (22).
The team also showed an embarrassing lack of fight in the first two games without him.
The loss of Prescott has certainly made a difference and even though they were struggling with him, especially in terms of turnovers, injuries, penalties and defensive breakdowns.
There is reason to believe they would have fared much better in the last three games if he was on the field.
But the team wasn’t playing at an optimum level with him and there are no excuses.
GRADING THE FIRST HALF
Run Offense: F
Ezekiel Elliott is the Cowboys running game and has now opened the season with a career-high streak of eight games without 100 yards rushing. He’s never had a season with fewer than five 100-yard games and that occurred in 2017, when he was suspended for six games. A plethora of offensive line injuries are partly to blame. But so is Elliott, who has played a role in the Cowboys falling behind and abandoning the run with four lost fumbles in the first six games.
Pass Offense: D
The passing game took a huge hit since the loss of Dak Prescott, who set an NFL record with three straight games of more than 450 yards passing earlier in the season. In fact, Prescott was on pace to shatter the NFL record for passing yards in a season. But the dropoff has been steep after Prescott’s injury. The Cowboys have averaged 112.6 passing yards per game with Andy Dalton and Ben DiNucci at quarterback. The offensive line injuries remain an issue. The team has given 24 sacks, including 14 Dalton and DiNucci in the last three games.
Run Defense: F
The run defense has simply been atrocious, ranking last in the league giving up 170 yards per game due to injuries, poor play and scheme issues. Tackles Gerald McCoy and Trysten Hill were lost for the season due injuries. Supposedly run-stuffing nose Dontari Poe was cut for being out of shape. And tackle/end Tyrone Crawford has gone four straight games without recording a tackle. The Cowboys have allowed a league-high 38 runs of 10 yards or more this season and nine runs of 20 yards or more.
Pass Defense: D
From a numbers standpoint, the Cowboys are eighth in the league in passing yards but that is skewed by their abominable run defense and teams not having to throw a lot because they were so far ahead. The Cowboys rank 27th in passing touchdowns allowed and 18 in sacks, a stat that is skewed because of two games with four sacks each. Aldon Smith leads the team with five sacks, though three came in one game. DeMarcus Lawrence, who makes $20.5 million a year, has just three sacks. The Cowboys have only three interceptions with two coming in the last game.
Special Teams: D
When the Cowboys hired John Fassel, it was assumed their special teams problems of a year ago were over. He was considered the best special teams coach in the league. But outside of one amazing onside kick recovery that led to the Cowboys beating the Falcons in Week 2, his units have been a huge disappointment. Kicker Greg Zuerlein has had three misses and a blocked extra point. Punter Chis Jones has performed below average and is now hurt. CeeDee Lamb has brought a spark to punt returns and Tony Pollard has had one nice kick return. But penalties and a shocking number of instances with just 10 men on the field have added to the failures.
Coaching: D
Injuries and COVID-19 has the Cowboys looking nothing like the team coach Mike McCarthy expected to have in 2020. But those have been issues for all 32 NFL teams. McCarthy was hired because he was expected to be a difference maker due to his experience and a Super Bowl title on his resume, and was regarded by many as the team’s best offseason addition. However, he has not been able to stop the bleeding, which has partly been caused by defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and a new scheme that has caused breakdowns and confusion and subsequent finger-pointing.
