Plankton
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For much of Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys subscribed to the less is more theory.
As in hapless.
Clueless.
Witless.
Listless.
And, against Aaron Rodgers at AT&T Stadium, winless.
If you were to go back two weeks ago, the narrative was whether the Cowboys were the class of the NFC. At that time, sitting at 3-0, with a productive offense and a defense that kept teams out of the end zone, there was certainly a case to be made for it. The Cowboys had fashioned an early two game lead in the NFC East, with two wins in the division. The only thing out there as a counter was the early schedule, where after three weeks, the Cowboy opponents had combined for one win. Despite the quality of opponent picking up significantly over the next two weeks, the Cowboys had the benefit of facing a Saint team without Drew Brees, and a Packer team missing its best receiving threat in Davante Adams, and struggling on offense at the quarter pole of the season.
Two weeks later, there remains a question as to whether the Cowboys are even the class of the NFC East. Two weeks, two galling defeats, and the Cowboys are now in a flat footed tie with the Eagles in the division, with the also ran Giants only one game back.
The Cowboys had a chance to establish an identity against more credible competition over the last two weeks, and instead of rising to the challenge, they imploded in a cloud of mistakes. For a team that prides itself on being strong at the point of attack, the Cowboys lost the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball the last two weeks, and frankly, lost it badly. In New Orleans, it was an inability to run the football or put significant pressure on Bridgewater. Yesterday against the Packers, it was an inability to set and secure the edges on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys, already missing stalwart left tackle Tyron Smith, had to deal with Cameron Fleming’s inability to slow down Packer linebacker Za’Darius Smith, who was in Dak Prescott’s face for a good portion of the day (Smith had two sacks and four quarterback hits). This only became worse once La’el Collins exited the game with a knee injury. With both starting tackles out of the game, and the replacement left tackle struggling mightily, it didn’t portend well for the offense suddenly kicking into gear.
It also didn’t help when two of the players on offense who are playing for large contract extensions committed significant errors to halt momentum, and make life for the Packers easier.
Prescott’s stat line has places that look impressive, setting a career high with 463 yards passing. He also set a career high with three interceptions, two of which halted potential scoring drives. The first one was not his fault, as Amari Cooper, who also had a career best day in terms of production with 11 catches for 226 yards, let the pass glance off his hands for an interception for a Johnny-on-the-spot Jaire Alexander. The second interception was a product of misreading the defense, with a lurking Chandon Sullivan stepping into the path of the pass and stopping another potential Cowboy scoring drive. The offense, for three quarters of the game, gained a ton of yards between the 20s, but would invariably trip over their own feet and stop themselves more than the Packer defense did.
And, in a game where the offense was not holding up their end of the bargain, the defense did not pick them up. Despite the Packer offensive line missing their starting left guard Lane Taylor, and eventually losing starting center Corey Linsley to a concussion, the Cowboy defensive line was mauled in the running game. Their zeal to put pressure on Rodgers led to them being constantly out of position in the run game, with large craters opened on the left side of the Cowboy defensive line. DeMarcus Lawrence and Maliek Collins, who combined for two tackles, were out of position on numerous occasions, and their inability to secure their gap responsibility led to the linebackers facing more offensive line blocks than usual. In particular, the Cowboys, from the defensive ends, to the outside linebackers, to the cornerbacks did a poor job of setting the edges on defense, allowing Aaron Jones to explode around the ends of the defense. Jones, who had his first ever 100 yard game in their last meeting in 2017, went over the century mark again. The Cowboys also didn’t keep their lanes on the pass rush. Despite getting good pressure on Rodgers throughout the contest, they allowed him to break contain and keep plays alive far too often. The tackling of the defense on the second level was atrocious, with Leighton Vander Esch having perhaps his worst game as a pro in yesterday’s contest.
If it wasn’t enough that the offense and defense had their struggles, the special teams also performed poorly. Chris Jones hit averaged only 33.3 yards per punt yesterday, and his 33 yard shank in the third quarter set the Packers up with excellent field position. This poor kick allowed the Packers to begin a drive at their 42 yard line, where they drove for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 24-0.
The sad thing is, Jones wasn’t the worst of the special teams effort. That falls on Brett Maher. Maher missed two field goal attempts, which in a game that ended with a ten point margin, was huge. His miss from 54 was somewhat excusable. His final miss from 33 yards out was not. Yes, he had converted from 28 on the snap before, only to have it waved off due to a false start from Xavier Su’a-Filo. But, 33 yards is an extra point length kick. Maher has demonstrated a problem in the past with kicks from the right hash, and this one was no different, as he pushed the kick right and extinguished whatever hopes the Cowboys had for victory. If one of your performers has an issue with hash mark proximity in making kicks, even the routine ones, perhaps that kicker’s job security should be called into question. We shall see if this is the case.
Looking at the statistics for the game, aside from two entries, it would appear surprising what the outcome turned out to be. The Cowboys had eight more first downs, and outgained the Packers by over 200 yards. They had more explosive plays. Where this game was lost was on turnovers and the line of scrimmage – one of which turns up in the stats, and one which does not.
So where do the Cowboys go from here? They have a lot to get cleaned up, and fortunately for them, they get the benefit of a road date against the putrid Jets next, prior to a critical matchup with their fellow division leader Eagles. Attention to detail needs to be a primary focus of the coaching staff in preaching to their players. Too often, the Cowboys missed on the little things that make the difference between a successful drive and failure. Even if they beat the Jets, the same questions will still be there prior to the matchup with the Eagles.
Is this team for real? Can they beat the better competition in the league? Are they mentally tough enough to deal with these defeats, and find the solutions to be an upper echelon team?
In this case, the Cowboys will have to do more rather than less.
Other observations from yesterday’s game:
As in hapless.
Clueless.
Witless.
Listless.
And, against Aaron Rodgers at AT&T Stadium, winless.
If you were to go back two weeks ago, the narrative was whether the Cowboys were the class of the NFC. At that time, sitting at 3-0, with a productive offense and a defense that kept teams out of the end zone, there was certainly a case to be made for it. The Cowboys had fashioned an early two game lead in the NFC East, with two wins in the division. The only thing out there as a counter was the early schedule, where after three weeks, the Cowboy opponents had combined for one win. Despite the quality of opponent picking up significantly over the next two weeks, the Cowboys had the benefit of facing a Saint team without Drew Brees, and a Packer team missing its best receiving threat in Davante Adams, and struggling on offense at the quarter pole of the season.
Two weeks later, there remains a question as to whether the Cowboys are even the class of the NFC East. Two weeks, two galling defeats, and the Cowboys are now in a flat footed tie with the Eagles in the division, with the also ran Giants only one game back.
The Cowboys had a chance to establish an identity against more credible competition over the last two weeks, and instead of rising to the challenge, they imploded in a cloud of mistakes. For a team that prides itself on being strong at the point of attack, the Cowboys lost the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball the last two weeks, and frankly, lost it badly. In New Orleans, it was an inability to run the football or put significant pressure on Bridgewater. Yesterday against the Packers, it was an inability to set and secure the edges on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys, already missing stalwart left tackle Tyron Smith, had to deal with Cameron Fleming’s inability to slow down Packer linebacker Za’Darius Smith, who was in Dak Prescott’s face for a good portion of the day (Smith had two sacks and four quarterback hits). This only became worse once La’el Collins exited the game with a knee injury. With both starting tackles out of the game, and the replacement left tackle struggling mightily, it didn’t portend well for the offense suddenly kicking into gear.
It also didn’t help when two of the players on offense who are playing for large contract extensions committed significant errors to halt momentum, and make life for the Packers easier.
Prescott’s stat line has places that look impressive, setting a career high with 463 yards passing. He also set a career high with three interceptions, two of which halted potential scoring drives. The first one was not his fault, as Amari Cooper, who also had a career best day in terms of production with 11 catches for 226 yards, let the pass glance off his hands for an interception for a Johnny-on-the-spot Jaire Alexander. The second interception was a product of misreading the defense, with a lurking Chandon Sullivan stepping into the path of the pass and stopping another potential Cowboy scoring drive. The offense, for three quarters of the game, gained a ton of yards between the 20s, but would invariably trip over their own feet and stop themselves more than the Packer defense did.
And, in a game where the offense was not holding up their end of the bargain, the defense did not pick them up. Despite the Packer offensive line missing their starting left guard Lane Taylor, and eventually losing starting center Corey Linsley to a concussion, the Cowboy defensive line was mauled in the running game. Their zeal to put pressure on Rodgers led to them being constantly out of position in the run game, with large craters opened on the left side of the Cowboy defensive line. DeMarcus Lawrence and Maliek Collins, who combined for two tackles, were out of position on numerous occasions, and their inability to secure their gap responsibility led to the linebackers facing more offensive line blocks than usual. In particular, the Cowboys, from the defensive ends, to the outside linebackers, to the cornerbacks did a poor job of setting the edges on defense, allowing Aaron Jones to explode around the ends of the defense. Jones, who had his first ever 100 yard game in their last meeting in 2017, went over the century mark again. The Cowboys also didn’t keep their lanes on the pass rush. Despite getting good pressure on Rodgers throughout the contest, they allowed him to break contain and keep plays alive far too often. The tackling of the defense on the second level was atrocious, with Leighton Vander Esch having perhaps his worst game as a pro in yesterday’s contest.
If it wasn’t enough that the offense and defense had their struggles, the special teams also performed poorly. Chris Jones hit averaged only 33.3 yards per punt yesterday, and his 33 yard shank in the third quarter set the Packers up with excellent field position. This poor kick allowed the Packers to begin a drive at their 42 yard line, where they drove for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 24-0.
The sad thing is, Jones wasn’t the worst of the special teams effort. That falls on Brett Maher. Maher missed two field goal attempts, which in a game that ended with a ten point margin, was huge. His miss from 54 was somewhat excusable. His final miss from 33 yards out was not. Yes, he had converted from 28 on the snap before, only to have it waved off due to a false start from Xavier Su’a-Filo. But, 33 yards is an extra point length kick. Maher has demonstrated a problem in the past with kicks from the right hash, and this one was no different, as he pushed the kick right and extinguished whatever hopes the Cowboys had for victory. If one of your performers has an issue with hash mark proximity in making kicks, even the routine ones, perhaps that kicker’s job security should be called into question. We shall see if this is the case.
Looking at the statistics for the game, aside from two entries, it would appear surprising what the outcome turned out to be. The Cowboys had eight more first downs, and outgained the Packers by over 200 yards. They had more explosive plays. Where this game was lost was on turnovers and the line of scrimmage – one of which turns up in the stats, and one which does not.
So where do the Cowboys go from here? They have a lot to get cleaned up, and fortunately for them, they get the benefit of a road date against the putrid Jets next, prior to a critical matchup with their fellow division leader Eagles. Attention to detail needs to be a primary focus of the coaching staff in preaching to their players. Too often, the Cowboys missed on the little things that make the difference between a successful drive and failure. Even if they beat the Jets, the same questions will still be there prior to the matchup with the Eagles.
Is this team for real? Can they beat the better competition in the league? Are they mentally tough enough to deal with these defeats, and find the solutions to be an upper echelon team?
In this case, the Cowboys will have to do more rather than less.
Other observations from yesterday’s game:
- In the past week, the league announced that the NFL and the NFL Referees Association had agreed to a six year extension of their employment agreement. After yesterday’s game, one would hope that there are changes built into that agreement for disciplining of officials for poor performance and conduct. Yesterday’s game was one of the worst officiated games that I can recall (this went for both teams), and side judge Scott Edwards, in particular, should be cited for his performance and conduct. The flag for pass interference on Anthony Brown that the Cowboys lost a challenge on was a somewhat understanding call (there was contact, and Brown never turned around for the ball – this will get called every time). The fact that Edwards, in effect, taunted Jason Garrett by telling him “….if you don’t like it, throw the flag.” is poor form on the official’s part. Later on, when Edwards missed the call on Cooper’s spectacular catch and toe tap on the sidelines, and Garrett had to use his last challenge to get the call right, Edwards lost his mind and called the Cowboy coach for unsportsmanlike conduct for spiking the flag and cursing in frustration. To make matters worse, after all of this had transpired, you could see Edwards actively engaging Garrett on the sideline when it was clear that the Cowboy coach had no interest in speaking to him. It was as if Edwards was goading him further. Completely unacceptable performance by the side judge, and he should be docked his pay for the game.
- The unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Garrett was even worse when you consider that Aaron Jones waved goodbye to Byron Jones on a touchdown run, and didn’t get flagged. Arbitrary and capricious are appropriate terms for how the flags were dispensed yesterday.
- The officiating was so bad yesterday that it almost seemed as if they were gaming the results to extend the intrigue. It was frankly tough to watch.
- Welcome back, Michael Gallup. Gallup went over 100 yards receiving yesterday, and scored his first touchdown of the season on a spectacular adjustment and display of strong hands. Gallup adds another dimension to this offense with his ability to get down the field, but his hand strength in catching is very underrated.
- One thing to note yesterday was how many snaps Jason Witten got in the game. Despite Blake Jarwin being the far more explosive option in the passing game, Witten got 80% of the team’s offensive snaps, compared to 31% for Jarwin. I believe that much of this was due to the struggles of the tackles in holding up against the pass rush, and Witten was there to assist the tackles, especially Brandon Knight, in securing the edge.
- The tandem of Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith have been highly touted going into the season. Their play, thus far, hasn’t matched the hype. Both missed a bunch of tackles yesterday, and were juked out by Jones in the run game. If I didn’t know any better, Vander Esch appears to be playing through an injury of some kind, as he looked real sluggish throughout the game.
- If you’re looking for a bright spot in the game, despite being down 31-3, the Cowboys didn’t quit, and fought to make it a game. It doesn’t erase the horrendous play that led to 31-3, but the team still had enough pride to try to fight back and win the game. Prescott stood in there and continued to make plays down the field. Cooper and Gallup were outstanding in winning down the field. Just too many mistakes in the competitive phase of the game, which made the comeback nothing but a shinier turd at the end of the day.
- The health of the offensive line is something to keep an eye on. Smith is already out with his high ankle sprain, and now Collins is laid up with a sprained MCL. Zack Martin has been playing through back problems, and Travis Frederick is not yet back to his prior standard of play. Going against the Jets, the Cowboys should have a bit of a reprieve, but they will need these guys at full strength for the Eagle tilt in two weeks.
