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What has made the Dallas Cowboys a good football team is their ability to dictate how the game is played. They have to get back to staying ahead.
In the NFL, third-down conversions are an important indicator of how good your team is on both sides of the ball. The Dallas Cowboys just lost a game in which their defense forced three turnovers and put forth a playoff type of effort. In order for the Cowboys to get back on track against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they must get back to staying ahead of the chains on offense. Up until these last two games Dallas was close to 50% on third-down conversions which was in the top echelon of the league. They've now dropped down to about 42% after only converting the last 2 of 24 third downs. However, it's not the third down conversions that they need to worry about as much as it is the first and second downs.
The Dallas Cowboys have made a living on offense by giving themselves short down and distances over the course of this season. When they can limit their third-and-longs, they have been very successful. That's what has been missing over the course of the last two weeks. A third-and-long is classified as a third-and-seven or greater by the league statisticians, though, some would argue it's actually a third-and-six or greater. Against Minnesota, the Cowboys were one of nine on third downs. Of those nine third downs, six were from third-and-six or more. Against New York, one of 15 on third downs, 11 of which were of third-and-six or more. The correlation is that the Cowboys were plain lousy on offense.
They couldn't get those manageable downs and distances that they were used to and that has contributed significantly to their current slump offensively in these past two weeks. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they were able to win that hard-fought game in Minnesota. As far as the Giants game was concerned, New York's defense and special teams units were both up to the task and kept the Cowboys pinned. When Dallas was facing those long distances to convert, New York simply pinned their ears back and blitzed the quarterback. It's simple football in that sense and it worked perfectly for the Giants.
As the Cowboys move forward, it's not going to get easier with Tampa Bay on the horizon. They just so happen to be the hottest defense in the league right now. They have 14 interceptions, 11 fumble recoveries, and the sacks have also started to rise as of late. For Dallas, they must do what they do best and that's run the football and put their trust behind those five guys up front.
The one method to victory that Dallas has always had was their ability to ground and pound the football. Even against good defenses, that's still a recipe for success. When you have a rushing attack like the Cowboys where you can put the ball into the end zone, that recipe can win any matchup. The more you commit to running the football, the more open that playbook becomes for the offense.
As of late, the Cowboys' offensive line has been out of sync and they have made mistakes at critical times. However, even though they have had some issues, they are still widely considered the best line in football. They need to lead the charge again by getting off their blocks to the second level and opening up some rushing lanes. Dallas had rushed for over 100 yards against New York but they got away from that formula and eventually the Giants just ate them up.
There seems to be all this talk about quarterbacks and that, of course, will always dominate the storylines. However, the Cowboys lost their second game of the year by playing exactly the way they lost their first. Their offensive line had miscommunication on blocking schemes and their offensive weapons were missing in action. Nobody on offense helped each other and they couldn't take advantage of the effort the defense was putting forth. The Cowboys cannot afford to play this way because they will lose a lot more than just one game if they do.
Tampa is a team that takes advantage of your mistakes. They have 25 takeaways and that's how they win games. Sure, offensively speaking, they are 18th in points per game, 15th in yards, 15th in passing, and 17th in rushing. They are a middling offense at best but don't you dare give them a reason to be better than you on Sunday. If Dallas throws a wobbly ball and it gets tipped, you better believe it'll be intercepted. If they have receivers slip in their routes, another interception. If guys miss their assignments or the quarterback holds onto the ball, you'll see strip-sacks and fumbles. These Buccaneers take advantage of teams that make mistakes and they'll make you pay the ultimate price.
The Cowboys are 11-2, still with the best record in the NFL, still with control of their own destiny in the playoff picture. This season doesn't have the dominant teams that we've seen in the past. There are a lot of teams in the NFC that aren't threatened by the Dallas Cowboys. There are a lot of teams in the AFC that aren't threatened by the New England Patriots. Parity in the NFL is at an all-time high and that makes any opponent dangerous for a surging Cowboys team.
The hope is that this loss has somehow re-focused the Cowboys and their offense to know that it's not going to get easier and their ultimate goals are still attainable. What they have to do though is bust out of their slump by being themselves offensively and wearing defenses down no matter how good those defenses may be. Staying ahead of those chains, keeping defenses on the field, and punishing them with long drives is what makes this team as strong a candidate as any. We hear about the hunger that this young team has and now they have to show they can fight back when they take a few heavy punches. They've faced tough defenses before this season and have found ways to get it done. How will they respond when the whole NFL landscape believes they have figure them out?
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