What to watch in the road-challenged Dallas Cowboys matchup at the Miami Dolphins
The Dallas Cowboys remain bewildered and perplexed about their disappointing road record.
They are 7-0 at AT&T Stadium and 3-4 on the road.
And the latter includes three double-digit losses to the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills, who put a 31-10 shellacking on the Cowboys (10-4) to end a five-game winning streak. The Cowboys head into Sunday’s game at the Miami Dolphins (10-4) looking for answers.
The Cowboys, who to need to win keep pace with Philadelphia Eagles (10-4) atop the NFC East, spent the week trying to identify the problem and largely came up empty.
Quarterback Dak Prescott said the only solution is to win. But he refuses to make excuses.
“I don’t know if there is anything concrete, honestly,” Prescott said. “Different things you could say, maybe it’s this, maybe it’s that at the end of the day. The type of guy I am, the conversations we have, they are all going to be excuses.”
“We’ve just got to come out with the energy and maintain it throughout the game, regardless of the score, regardless of the down. The belief, the emotional discipline, maturity and competitiveness to not blink and enjoy when it’s you against the world. We’ll see Sunday, but first and foremost it’s about our approach and our focus throughout the week, understanding that we’ve got to turn that up a little bit.”
It was edge rusher Micah Parsons who called the Cowboys play on the road mind boggling.
Like Prescott, he said it’s mental and the Cowboys must take a Lion-like approach to the field against the Dolphins.
“I think figuring it out is like the mindset,” Parsons said. “It’s a mindset, how you approach it. When you’re at home, you’re comfortable. You kind of do what you do. But when you on the road, you are in a new space or a new area, just a new environment. The mindset is like the lion is roaming. Does he take over your land or does he die? Last week. we died. We got to take over some land this weekend.”
What to watch in the Cowboys matchup at the Miami Dolphins:
Can the Cowboys continue to bounce back?
As disappointed as the Cowboys are about their performance against the Bills, they can take solace in the their proven ability to bounce back after losses.
The Cowboys are 11-1 after losses since 2011. And have shown that ability three times already this season.
Most notably was their ability to rebound from a 42-10 loss at San Francisco with a 20-17 road victory against the Los Angeles Charges that began a streak of seven wins in eight games.
The Dolphins, who are in first place in the NFC East, present a much stiffer challenge in the bounce-back game than the Chargers (5-9).
It’s an opportunity for the Cowboys to continue their trend, but also gain some confidence heading into the playoffs with a win against a contending team on the road. The Cowboys only have two wins this season against team’s currently with a winning record.
“Obviously this game has a lot of things riding on it,” receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “We understand that. We know that. For us, being the players and the ones that’s going out and having to do that, we have to basically take a step backward and look and realize the position that we’re in and everything that we wanted at the beginning of the season is still in front of us. This is definitely a playoff type of game.
“We wouldn’t rather [another] position than [this] because we don’t want walk-offs going into the playoffs, and then go to the playoffs and get in and out. I feel like this is a test for us, and it’s all on how we respond.”
Said Prescott: “What a great opportunity now. A great team, a team at the top of their division, one of the best teams in the AFC…to get a chance to go out there and not necessarily redeem ourselves but pick our [stuff] up on the road and put a performance out there like we have at home and really moreso a performance that we know we’re capable of.”
Cowboys defense bracing for speed of Tyreek Hill, Dolphins
One week after getting gashed for 266 yards on the ground by the Bills and speedy running back James Cook, who rushed 25 times for a career-high 179 yards and a touchdown and had two catches for 42 yards and a touchdown, the Cowboys defense is bracing for a track meet against the Dolphins.
Led by receiver Tyreek Hill, the Dolphins present the fastest and most electric weapons in the NFL with receiver Jaylen Waddle to go along with running backs Raheem Mostert and De’Von Achane.
The Cowboys will be challenged to limit explosive plays on the ground, which they couldn’t do a week ago, as well as limit the big plays down field.
Stopping the run is first and foremost and the Cowboys must do a better job setting the edge against a Dolphins team that feasts on outside runs.
“It takes everybody to tackle those guys in space,” cornerback Stephon Gilmore said. “We have to stay physical up front and make great tackles and plays on the back-end. Just play with great technique, trust your teammates and be physical. Being physical is what it comes down to. Win the line of scrimmage. If we take care of that, we take care of the game.”
Then the big challenge his dealing with the pre-snap motions and the eye candy in the backfield that allows Miami to free up Hill in the passing game. He is a true game changer and top contender for NFL MVP as he is closing in on the NFL’s first 2,000-yard receiving season.
Hill will be back in the lineup after missing last week’s game against the Jets with an ankle injury.
“Once he gets the ball in his hands, he’s hard to tackle in space,” Gilmore said. “People didn’t think he was a receiver before he came in the league. They thought he was more of a gadget guy, but he’s proven every year that he’s a great receiver. You gotta be smart and play with good technique and then go from there.”
“He’s one of the best receivers in the league. Obviously, he’s probably the fastest player in the league. It’s definitely going to be a big challenge for us, but I think we’ll be ready.”
Offensive line could suffer at setback if Tyron Smith can’t go
The Cowboys began the week concerned if Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin would be available for the Dolphins.
They ended it wondering if Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith will be able to go.
Martin suffered bruised quad in the 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday. And while he has not practiced, Martin did go through all the walkthroughs and appears to be on track to play, as he promised.
Smith finished the game against the Bills but complained about a back injury afterward. He didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday. Nor did he participate in any of the walkthrough practices.
The Cowboys are hopeful he will be able to practice on Saturday before the team takes off for Miami.
It could come down to a game-time decision.
If Smith, who has already missed three games, can’t go, look for Chuma Edoga to start in his place.
But it would be huge setback for the line.
Smith’s presence and the continuity of the line the past seven games was key to the offensive success over the last two months.
