The real blueprint? As Dak Prescott and the offense goes, so go the Dallas Cowboys
So much talk about blueprints over the last week.
So exactly what is a blueprint?
It’s a design or pattern that can be followed.
What we’ve learned not only over the last week, but over the nine weeks is that the only blueprint that matters for the Dallas Cowboys and their key to success concerns quarterback Dak Prescott and the offense.
As Prescott and offense goes so does the 7-2 NFC East-leading Cowboys, who are one of five teams in the NFL with just two losses on the season.
They set the tone and everything else follows.
It was as evident Sunday’s historic 43-3 mauling of the Atlanta Falcons, which included a record-setting 29-point second quarter, as it was in last week’s 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos, when they trailed 30-0 in the fourth quarter.
What we know for sure is the latter was an outlier and the former was the true blueprint of what the Cowboys season has been and what needs to happen for them to realize their dreams of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1995 season.
The last time Dallas beat its opponent by 40-plus points was when they beat Arizona, 48-7, in 2000. The Cowboys have recorded 40 points in three different games in 2021. That is tied for the third-most 40-point games in a single season in team history.
While team owner Jerry Jones vividly remembers the three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s, he admittedly can’t remember a Cowboys victory being as dominant in all three phases of the game as Sunday’s dismantling of the Falcons.
But what he knows for sure is that Prescott and the Cowboys offense set the tone from the outset
The Cowboys purposely took the ball first.
They scored touchdowns on five of their first eight possessions before the team opted to sit Prescott in the fourth quarter. It was quite the opposite situation from a week earlier when Prescott played in the fourth quarter despite being down 30-0 to Denver. Broncos coach Vic Fangio credited himself for offering up a blueprint on how to slow the Cowboys offense by holding it to 290 yards and 16 points.
The Falcons tried to duplicate the Broncos’ game plan, but Prescott was too good. He completed 24 of 31 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown late.
“Last week just wasn’t us, and everybody in that locker room knows that. It left a bad taste in our mouth,” Prescott said. “If they think that is the recipe for success against us, then good luck to them. We know what we’re capable of, and I think last week was something we needed in a sense of just refocusing, re-centering and realizing this is the NFL and it’s tough. You’ve got to earn it each and every day of practice, and you’ve got to come out on Sundays and earn it again.”
Last week wasn’t the Cowboys week as Prescott was rusty from take a week off with a calf strain and receiver CeeDee Lamb had a badly sprained ankle.
The Cowboys offense was at full throttle against the Falcons as Lamb caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for two scores.
The bounce back was expected from Prescott, who is now 19-9 after a loss in his career with 42 touchdowns and 15.
He has now recorded a career-high six consecutive multi-touchdown games through the air. It is also the second-longest active streak among NFL quarterbacks, trailing Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers’ seven consecutive games.
The defense chipped in with three interceptions and held the Falcons to 1 of 11 on third downs, marking the second time this season that the Cowboys have held an opponent to under 10 percent on third down and fifth time they have done it multiple times in a season.
The special teams added a touchdown on a blocked punt.
But again, it was the offense that set the tone. The defense plays it’s best when the Cowboys have a lead and coach Mike McCarthy made a point to make that happen from the outset when he shunned his usual plan to defer the open the kickoff after winning the toss.
“I would naturally prefer to defer,” McCarthy said. “But this was purely a focus, we wanted to get out there, jump out front and get the lead and let our defense play with the lead was the intent.”
And the Cowboys were ready and eager for the Falcons to duplicate the Broncos game plan, er, so-called blueprint.
“They came out with the intention of challenging our perimeter,” McCarthy said. “And I’m sure part of that was last week’s game and I just think it’s all part of the response that you’re looking for from our football team. I thought Dak played excellent today, in command, and our perimeter group really responded after last week.”
“Seven days ago we didn’t like where we were when I was standing up here. That was the response we needed and our guys did a hell of a job.”
And the Cowboys did what they have been doing all season by setting the tone and being aggressive on offense by going for it on fourth down.
When the Cowboys failed twice early on fourth down in loss to the Broncos it was considered evidence of their overconfidence and arrogance. When they succeeded doing the same thing against the Falcons, it was an example of their confidence and aggressiveness.
“We treat fourth down no different than 3rd-and-2, 3rd-and-6, red zone. Fourth down is a situation,” McCarthy said. “And not only is it a decision to go for it on fourth down, it also puts you in a different head space.”
Said Elliott of that head space: “We’re going to play aggressive, that’s our mentality, that’s how we’re going to play football. We play aggressive. On the field, with the call, everything. If you don’t like it, it’s whatever. That’s how we rolling.”
The Cowboys are back to rolling.
With the blueprint and the performance.
This story was originally published November 15, 2021 at 11:38 AM.
