CFZ Blame Always Finds Easy Target

[Verdict]

Facts. When any team rushes for 200 yards in the NFL, the winning percentage is 88%.
The Cardinals rushed for 222 yards and a 7.4 yards per carry average. Most of their runs went outside the tackles. We already know that DLaw received one of the higher grades on the defense, so what does that tell you about Parsons side of the defense?

At crunch time, the defense busted a coverage and gave up a third of the Cardinals total passing yards on one play, followed by a passing TD that put the game mostly out of reach due to the time left.

We were down by 2 TDs on our final drive that started on our own 25. 12 plays later, we are on the Arizona 5 with almost no chance to win without recovering an onside kick. For some reason, we run the ball twice and are further back than we were. On third down, Dak makes a throw that was intercepted, good coverage, but a desperation throw. I would argue he should have thrown it away and tried again on fourth down, but this game was lost way before this. Due to the OL, Mike called a much too conservative game. One would expect that if we were leading, but we were trailing the entire game.

Our offense starting field positions were 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 16, 36, 25. After an 80 yard drive and a chance to cut the lead to 5 points, we went for it on 4th and 3 instead of taking the FG.

I find it shocking that so many are blaming anyone or any unit for this loss other than Dan Quinn and the defense.
The Cardinals scored on all 5 possessions in the first half without any help from a turnover. Rushing for 222 yards made life pretty darn easy for the Cardinals and their QB. The defense forced only one 3 and out, followed by a game changing punt return by Turpin that was called back by a holding 10 yards from the line of scrimmage before Turpin even fielded the punt 52 yards away.
There’s plenty of blame to go around, but most of it should be on the defense.

Very good post.

 

[plasticman]

The Cowboys replaced three former Pro Bowl O-linemen with two undrafted rookie free agents and a guy that has a total of 16 starts in his 5 year career. Does anybody seriously believe that this wasn't an issue?

That's when the defense is supposed to shine. This was their game to win. They should have had the offense's back and they blew it.

What did they think the Cardinals were going to do? Of course they were going to run the ball. They should have put the big boys in there the majority of the time but Hankins gets slightly more than half the snaps and Mazi gets 20%. Ridiculous!

Yes, this is the game where Parsons should have been at linebacker. In fact, they should have played a straight 4-3 against this team. The Cardinals used a two TE set 50% of the time.

 

[Verdict]

This board just looks for reasons to blame the QB independent of any other factors.

Bad as the defense was, you should still score more than 28 against Arizona.

The “usual suspects” will always pin every loss on Dak. On the other hand Dak is, very seldom, anything more than a bus driver who occasionally pads stats against the weaker teams.

Dak’s initial strength was that he was very good at protecting the football, but Kellen Moore in his ear changed all that. Dak has seemed to become a front running stat padder over a winning QB.

I think MM’s play calling is very “telling” in that he just doesn’t trust Dak to not throw INTs. Dak has been lucky so far this year in tht his poor throws haven’t been caught much.

Dak’s int numbers have fallen, but that’s a function, in part, due to play calling. The down side of that is that at some point defenses sit on the short routes and date you to beat them long.

Darned if you do. Darned if you don’t. I do know this: we will have to score more points than we have been scoring on offense to make it to the Super Bowl. MM is going to have to open it up a little while getting Dak to protect the ball. That’s a pretty tall order.

 

[Verdict]

The Cowboys replaced three former Pro Bowl O-linemen with two undrafted rookie free agents and a guy that has a total of 16 starts in his 5 year career. Does anybody seriously believe that this wasn't an issue?

That's when the defense is supposed to shine. This was their game to win. They should have had the offense's back and they blew it.

What did they think the Cardinals were going to do? Of course they were going to run the ball. They should have put the big boys in there the majority of the time but Hankins gets slightly more than half the snaps and Mazi gets 20%. Ridiculous!

Yes, this is the game where Parsons should have been at linebacker. In fact, they should have played a straight 4-3 against this team. The Cardinals used a two TE set 50% of the time.

Parsons ran himself out of a lot of the plays. The recipe for success has been found. DQ is going to have to adjust.

 

[MyFairLady]

Don't worry gang all of our old broke down super star O line guys will flip the switch come playoffs. It will be domination time just like always.

 

[DallasEast]

Blame game?

Coaching. Offense. Defense. Special teams.

The only one of the four above I do not blame for the loss is special teams.

 

[Streifenkarl]

Facts. When any team rushes for 200 yards in the NFL, the winning percentage is 88%.
The Cardinals rushed for 222 yards and a 7.4 yards per carry average. Most of their runs went outside the tackles. We already know that DLaw received one of the higher grades on the defense, so what does that tell you about Parsons side of the defense?

At crunch time, the defense busted a coverage and gave up a third of the Cardinals total passing yards on one play, followed by a passing TD that put the game mostly out of reach due to the time left.

We were down by 2 TDs on our final drive that started on our own 25. 12 plays later, we are on the Arizona 5 with almost no chance to win without recovering an onside kick. For some reason, we run the ball twice and are further back than we were. On third down, Dak makes a throw that was intercepted, good coverage, but a desperation throw. I would argue he should have thrown it away and tried again on fourth down, but this game was lost way before this. Due to the OL, Mike called a much too conservative game. One would expect that if we were leading, but we were trailing the entire game.

Our offense starting field positions were 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 16, 36, 25. After an 80 yard drive and a chance to cut the lead to 5 points, we went for it on 4th and 3 instead of taking the FG.

I find it shocking that so many are blaming anyone or any unit for this loss other than Dan Quinn and the defense.
The Cardinals scored on all 5 possessions in the first half without any help from a turnover. Rushing for 222 yards made life pretty darn easy for the Cardinals and their QB. The defense forced only one 3 and out, followed by a game changing punt return by Turpin that was called back by a holding 10 yards from the line of scrimmage before Turpin even fielded the punt 52 yards away.
There’s plenty of blame to go around, but most of it should be on the defense.

So basically what you're saying is that our defense won those first two games and lost this one but our offense has no part whatsoever in either a loss or a win? Yes, I agree, it all comes down to our defense. They are 2-1 by the way. In that scenario Dak is 0-0.

(That was sarcasm by the way. Even if the defense tanked, which they kinda did... we can't expect our offense to do their part? 30 stat padding points last week but not enough on Sunday? Are we the Jets of the NFC now? Oh yeah, field position, I forgot. My bad.)

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

Facts. When any team rushes for 200 yards in the NFL, the winning percentage is 88%.

How far back does this go? I don't think it's meaningful, or really even correct, for the modern game Much of that is also attributed to playing with a lead - you run because you're winning, not the other way round.

Off the top of my head, LAC week one and Chicago last year against Dallas were both losses. The three best rushing offenses by yardage totals, in 2022 games where they had 200+ yards rushing:

Falcons were 1-3.
Chicago was 2-5.
Baltimore was 2-1.

Rushing yards just doesn't mean anything.

 

[Sydla]

Have to wonder at the so called ratings of Lawrence being so high when so much of the yardage we gave up was outside the tackles.

But leaving that aside it is clear that our problems with Run D have not been solved. and it will continue to haunt us no matter what football morons claim as regards running the football being meaningless.

So that is problem 1

Problem 1A is red zone offense. Those desperately trying to excuse our abysmal stats in that area can go jump in a piranha infested river.

IF we do not substantially improve in both areas we are going to end this season like all the rest for the last 27 years.

There are other DEs besides Lawrence. For example, on one of their big runs, it was Armstrong who got pummeled.

 

[khiladi]

I love how Dak fanboys say the game was already over, but it’s the defenses fault all throughout his career, particularly exemplified in, in 2020 when “he was bringing the team back” but ran out of time and not just stat-padding in garbage time.

And BTW, how many times did Dallas RBs Rush for over 200 yards, but Dak fanboys give the QB the credit for the win, but the opponents “garbage” defense?

The defense has no bearing on the failed opportunities in the red zone.

 

[Praxit]

Facts. When any team rushes for 200 yards in the NFL, the winning percentage is 88%.
The Cardinals rushed for 222 yards and a 7.4 yards per carry average. Most of their runs went outside the tackles. We already know that DLaw received one of the higher grades on the defense, so what does that tell you about Parsons side of the defense?

At crunch time, the defense busted a coverage and gave up a third of the Cardinals total passing yards on one play, followed by a passing TD that put the game mostly out of reach due to the time left.

We were down by 2 TDs on our final drive that started on our own 25. 12 plays later, we are on the Arizona 5 with almost no chance to win without recovering an onside kick. For some reason, we run the ball twice and are further back than we were. On third down, Dak makes a throw that was intercepted, good coverage, but a desperation throw. I would argue he should have thrown it away and tried again on fourth down, but this game was lost way before this. Due to the OL, Mike called a much too conservative game. One would expect that if we were leading, but we were trailing the entire game.

Our offense starting field positions were 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 16, 36, 25. After an 80 yard drive and a chance to cut the lead to 5 points, we went for it on 4th and 3 instead of taking the FG.

I find it shocking that so many are blaming anyone or any unit for this loss other than Dan Quinn and the defense.
The Cardinals scored on all 5 possessions in the first half without any help from a turnover. Rushing for 222 yards made life pretty darn easy for the Cardinals and their QB. The defense forced only one 3 and out, followed by a game changing punt return by Turpin that was called back by a holding 10 yards from the line of scrimmage before Turpin even fielded the punt 52 yards away.
There’s plenty of blame to go around, but most of it should be on the defense.

..yep, yep. DQ underplayed the Cards, period. He thought, like WE thought. Cards was an easy DUB.

On the bright side. It was a wake up call.

 

[kevm3]

The issue that some of us were talking about when we beat the Jets showed up. We didn't know what the 'Texas Coast' offense would look like if asked to air it out and it looked awful. This is a bus driver offense meant for a consistently dominant defense and when the defense doesn't look dominant and we have a sloppy game we won't be able to dink and dunk our way to a win.

 

[khiladi]

The Eagles have won 3 games this year and Hurts, the guy they anointed last year has yet to play a decent game. He has thrown 3 INTs and lost 1 fumble in 3 games. His rating is lower than Dak's at 89, and he has been sacked 8 times compared to Dak's 3, 2 of which were against the Cardinals with the banged up Cowboys OL.

The Eagles won because they run the football and stop the run. They have only 6 sacks compared to Dallas's 12. But the Eagles give up 3.0 yards per carry. Dallas gives up 5.3 yards per carry. The Eagles have given up 145 yards in 3 games while Dallas has given up 394 yards.

The QB is front and center when a team loses because he is responsible for every offensive play. But football still comes down to running and stopping the run. Dallas failed to stop the run and gave up 115 yards on 3 running plays Sunday. They gave up almost 200 yards on 4 plays. You cannot win playing that poorly on defense.

Who anointed Hurts?

1. He’s not in year 8
2. He’s also been to the SB and played well, unlike Dak who sucks and in his 8th try.
3. He’ll probably never win a SB either, unless his roster is perfect
4. If football came down to stopping the run, every defense that does it would win. I can guarantee you that there have been plenty of teams that have WON when they were out rushed by their opponent significantly, but it depends where you place the cut off mark.

You win when you score more points period. It doesn’t matter how it gets done, that’s the objective.

 

[Creeper]

The Eagles run the football because teams are terrified of AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. Don't get it twisted, they are a pass-first team.

They haven't played a team that can run the ball.

The Eagles are a running team. Sure they can pass the ball and will go deep but they run first. In 3 games they are averaging over 37 rush attempts per game. No doubt their receivers open up the running game, and they can throw the ball successfully. But Hurts has not been great so far this year and they have won 3 games by running the football.

 

[kevm3]

So basically what you're saying is that our defense won those first two games and lost this one but our offense has no part whatsoever in either a loss or a win? Yes, I agree, it all comes down to our defense. They are 2-1 by the way. In that scenario Dak is 0-0.

(That was sarcasm by the way. Even if the defense tanked, which they kinda did... we can't expect our offense to do their part? 30 stat padding points last week but not enough on Sunday? Are we the Jets of the NFC now? Oh yeah, field position, I forgot. My bad.)

Based on how the team is built, this loss was primarily on the defense, but the offense is a culprt. You absolutely expect the defense not to get gashed for nearly 200 yards on the ground alone at half. Years past, it was the offense that took the bulk of the blame because all of the resources were invested in offense, but this is supposed to be an elite defense and we had 3 starting O-lineman out.

 

[Big_D]

Facts. When any team rushes for 200 yards in the NFL, the winning percentage is 88%.
The Cardinals rushed for 222 yards and a 7.4 yards per carry average. Most of their runs went outside the tackles. We already know that DLaw received one of the higher grades on the defense, so what does that tell you about Parsons side of the defense?

At crunch time, the defense busted a coverage and gave up a third of the Cardinals total passing yards on one play, followed by a passing TD that put the game mostly out of reach due to the time left.

We were down by 2 TDs on our final drive that started on our own 25. 12 plays later, we are on the Arizona 5 with almost no chance to win without recovering an onside kick. For some reason, we run the ball twice and are further back than we were. On third down, Dak makes a throw that was intercepted, good coverage, but a desperation throw. I would argue he should have thrown it away and tried again on fourth down, but this game was lost way before this. Due to the OL, Mike called a much too conservative game. One would expect that if we were leading, but we were trailing the entire game.

Our offense starting field positions were 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 25, 16, 36, 25. After an 80 yard drive and a chance to cut the lead to 5 points, we went for it on 4th and 3 instead of taking the FG.

I find it shocking that so many are blaming anyone or any unit for this loss other than Dan Quinn and the defense.
The Cardinals scored on all 5 possessions in the first half without any help from a turnover. Rushing for 222 yards made life pretty darn easy for the Cardinals and their QB. The defense forced only one 3 and out, followed by a game changing punt return by Turpin that was called back by a holding 10 yards from the line of scrimmage before Turpin even fielded the punt 52 yards away.
There’s plenty of blame to go around, but most of it should be on the defense.

When you're down 3 starters on the Oline, the D better step up. Instead they were horrible. It was actually sad to watch a defense so pathetic.

 

[CowboyFrog]

The Cowboys replaced three former Pro Bowl O-linemen with two undrafted rookie free agents and a guy that has a total of 16 starts in his 5 year career. Does anybody seriously believe that this wasn't an issue?

That's when the defense is supposed to shine. This was their game to win. They should have had the offense's back and they blew it.

What did they think the Cardinals were going to do? Of course they were going to run the ball. They should have put the big boys in there the majority of the time but Hankins gets slightly more than half the snaps and Mazi gets 20%. Ridiculous!

Yes, this is the game where Parsons should have been at linebacker. In fact, they should have played a straight 4-3 against this team. The Cardinals used a two TE set 50% of the time.

it was a bad Gameplan for sure, why the hell are we playing 10 yards off the ball against Josh Dobbs, it didnt make any sense.. we literally tried to force nothing in the first half from a bounced around the league backup QB... horrible plan.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

The Eagles are a running team.

Nope. Everything is built off of their ability to go vertical.

 

[blueblood70]

it was a bad Gameplan for sure, why the hell are we playing 10 yards off the ball against Josh Dobbs, it didnt make any sense.. we literally tried to force nothing in the first half from a bounced around the league backup QB... horrible plan.

What they did is scout us perfectly knew our ego is too big to make changes and they basically ran the similar offense that the Philadelphia Eagles run against us to almost negate Micah Parsons... That is why this is on Dan Quinn this is on the defense more than anywhere else on the team..

 

[Cmac]

This board just looks for reasons to blame the QB independent of any other factors.

Bad as the defense was, you should still score more than 28 against Arizona.

Dak on this board has been a Fall Guy Nominee, years running.

I nominate LVE as a Fall Guy Nominee.......an "other factor" that gets glossed over routinely and mildly.