The Cowboys need Dak.
The Cowboys are averaging 18.6 points a game so far this season. In the past 33 seasons only 6 of them had scored fewer points in their first 5 games of the season. None of them had a winning record. They included Campo seasons like 2001 and 2002. They include quarterback injury seasons.
The highest average points in the first five games is 34 points and that was 2021, last season.
The second highest scoring in the first five games of a season was 32.5 points and that was the season before last.
After five games last season the offense had 13 passing TD's and 5 rushing TD's. This season they have 4 [assign TD's and 3 rushing TD's, less than half.
Coming off two seasons where the Cowboys offenses were the most productive in the team's history, this season the offense is far less productive pointwise. These 2022 Cowboys are scoring less than half of the previous season's.first five games.
Mathematically speaking, Dak adds an average of 10.5 more points to the team's scoring total.
On the other hand, the Cowboys defense allows an average of 14.2 opponent points Only one Cowboys season was better and that was 1994, the third of four consecutive seasons in which the team went to the NFC championship game.
What did Cooper Rush and the offense end up having to do to win this game? We know the Rams only scored 10 points This means that the Cowboys had to score 11 points or more to win this game.......except that the defense spotted the offense the first 6 points with the fumble return and then set them up for an automatic field goal for them with the blocked kick.
So this gave the Cowboys offense the responsibility of scoring 2 points in order to win. As long as the defense continued to play at it's current level all Rush needed to continue was find a way to score another field goal without creating a turnover.
A Dak-led, offense is one of the most prolific scoring groups in NFL history. The expectation for Cooper Rush by the coaches is to not make mistakes that can lose the game. Cooper rush looks great against his expectations. Against Dak's expectations he wouldn't have survived the month.