Plankton
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Some hard truths were laid bare for all to see in Arlington yesterday.
When a team has 10 days to rest and prepare for a team working off of 5 days to rest and prepare, they stand to be the fresher and better prepared team.
When you are missing your brain on defense, and best player against the run, you stand to be gashed repeatedly.
When you have to replace two members of a five player group that relies on teamwork and trust, there are going to be growing pains in terms of coordination and execution.
When you turn the ball over more than your opponents, it makes it infinitely harder to win.
These are not the same old Rams.
And, more importantly, these are not the same old Cowboys.
In yesterday’s 35-30 loss to the upstart Rams, the Dallas Cowboys started fast, finished slow, and looked to be a team in dire need of a break. It’s not that the Cowboy offense didn’t play well – they just didn’t do it for an entire game. The defense and special teams, however, didn’t hold up their ends of the bargain, and contributed heavily to this defeat. Where the fatigue showed was in terms of attention to detail, and doing the little things needed to win. Whether it was Ryan Switzer not understanding a game situation in muffing a punt return with the Rams staggering on the ropes in the second quarter, or Dak Prescott continually missing Dez Bryant on in cuts, or Terrance Williams not securing a catch before he ran on the final Cowboy drive or Maliek Collins stupidly kicking the ball when the Rams were scrambling to down the ball and kill the clock late in the first half, the Cowboys too often failed to be precise enough, focused enough and stable enough to win the game.
And the Rams, a punch line in the NFL for the better part of the last 15 years, took the fight to the Cowboys, and avoided making the big mistakes that allowed them to steal a win.
Credit Wade Phillips for playing more zone defense in the second half, and allowing the Cowboy offense to self-destruct. Credit rookie head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur for keeping the Cowboy defense off-balance all game long, not allowing the Cowboys to dictate play to the young Ram offense. The Rams punted the ball twice all game, and scored on seven of their final nine drives, which one of them was taken from the victory formation. Credit Jared Goff for keeping his cool in the pocket, and consistently finding open receivers to keep drives alive. Credit Greg Zuerlein for going 7 for 7 on field goals, rewarding the Rams when they didn’t fully complete their drives.
Most of all, credit Todd Gurley for being the best player on the field, and staking a claim as the best running back in the NFC in 2017.
Gurley was a matchup nightmare for the Cowboys through the entire game. He combined for 215 yards of total offense, including a scintillating 53 yard touchdown reception through the heart of the Cowboy defense that gave the Rams a lead that they would not relinquish. Gurley showed quickness, burst, explosiveness and energy. After a lost season where Gurley looked a bit shell shocked, the third year runner appears to be showing the potential that many expected to see when he was selected 10th overall in the 2015 Draft.
Despite Ezekiel Elliott combining for 139 yards and scoring two touchdowns of his own, he did not provide his team the same lift that Gurley provided his. Elliott was improved in this contest, but still seems to be lacking the energy and spirit that he displayed in 2016.
A spirit that the entire team was lacking on Sunday, especially in the second half.
The Cowboy offense, rolling in the first half, largely sputtered in the second. While the Cowboys were five for seven on third down conversions in the first half, they went two for seven in the second half. The Ram pass rush didn’t rack up sacks in this game, but they had significant pressure on Prescott throughout the second half. Prescott, after an efficient 11 for 15 first half performance, struggled to a 9 for 21 finish, often missing targets significantly, and being flushed from the pocket repeatedly. The Rams succeeded in speeding his process up, and while the Cowboys did have open receivers throughout the game, they didn’t make the Ram defense pay.
The Cowboy defense, on the other hand, didn’t consistently get Jared Goff into uncomfortable situations, and get him off of his mark. A Ram team that had given up 49 sacks in 2016 has only allowed four thus far through four games. This improved pass protection was on display on Sunday, with only DeMarcus Lawrence providing consistent pressure on the Ram quarterback.
Now, the Cowboys appear to be facing yet another crossroads game against the Packers, who, like the Rams, will be coming off of a mini bye. This should allow them enough time to get their starting tackles, David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga healthy. With the Rams carving up the Dallas secondary yesterday, the Cowboys will have their work cut out for them.
The truth can be difficult to accept for a number of people.
And, the truth is, this Cowboy team is a shadow of their 2016 selves.
Other notes from yesterday’s game:
When a team has 10 days to rest and prepare for a team working off of 5 days to rest and prepare, they stand to be the fresher and better prepared team.
When you are missing your brain on defense, and best player against the run, you stand to be gashed repeatedly.
When you have to replace two members of a five player group that relies on teamwork and trust, there are going to be growing pains in terms of coordination and execution.
When you turn the ball over more than your opponents, it makes it infinitely harder to win.
These are not the same old Rams.
And, more importantly, these are not the same old Cowboys.
In yesterday’s 35-30 loss to the upstart Rams, the Dallas Cowboys started fast, finished slow, and looked to be a team in dire need of a break. It’s not that the Cowboy offense didn’t play well – they just didn’t do it for an entire game. The defense and special teams, however, didn’t hold up their ends of the bargain, and contributed heavily to this defeat. Where the fatigue showed was in terms of attention to detail, and doing the little things needed to win. Whether it was Ryan Switzer not understanding a game situation in muffing a punt return with the Rams staggering on the ropes in the second quarter, or Dak Prescott continually missing Dez Bryant on in cuts, or Terrance Williams not securing a catch before he ran on the final Cowboy drive or Maliek Collins stupidly kicking the ball when the Rams were scrambling to down the ball and kill the clock late in the first half, the Cowboys too often failed to be precise enough, focused enough and stable enough to win the game.
And the Rams, a punch line in the NFL for the better part of the last 15 years, took the fight to the Cowboys, and avoided making the big mistakes that allowed them to steal a win.
Credit Wade Phillips for playing more zone defense in the second half, and allowing the Cowboy offense to self-destruct. Credit rookie head coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur for keeping the Cowboy defense off-balance all game long, not allowing the Cowboys to dictate play to the young Ram offense. The Rams punted the ball twice all game, and scored on seven of their final nine drives, which one of them was taken from the victory formation. Credit Jared Goff for keeping his cool in the pocket, and consistently finding open receivers to keep drives alive. Credit Greg Zuerlein for going 7 for 7 on field goals, rewarding the Rams when they didn’t fully complete their drives.
Most of all, credit Todd Gurley for being the best player on the field, and staking a claim as the best running back in the NFC in 2017.
Gurley was a matchup nightmare for the Cowboys through the entire game. He combined for 215 yards of total offense, including a scintillating 53 yard touchdown reception through the heart of the Cowboy defense that gave the Rams a lead that they would not relinquish. Gurley showed quickness, burst, explosiveness and energy. After a lost season where Gurley looked a bit shell shocked, the third year runner appears to be showing the potential that many expected to see when he was selected 10th overall in the 2015 Draft.
Despite Ezekiel Elliott combining for 139 yards and scoring two touchdowns of his own, he did not provide his team the same lift that Gurley provided his. Elliott was improved in this contest, but still seems to be lacking the energy and spirit that he displayed in 2016.
A spirit that the entire team was lacking on Sunday, especially in the second half.
The Cowboy offense, rolling in the first half, largely sputtered in the second. While the Cowboys were five for seven on third down conversions in the first half, they went two for seven in the second half. The Ram pass rush didn’t rack up sacks in this game, but they had significant pressure on Prescott throughout the second half. Prescott, after an efficient 11 for 15 first half performance, struggled to a 9 for 21 finish, often missing targets significantly, and being flushed from the pocket repeatedly. The Rams succeeded in speeding his process up, and while the Cowboys did have open receivers throughout the game, they didn’t make the Ram defense pay.
The Cowboy defense, on the other hand, didn’t consistently get Jared Goff into uncomfortable situations, and get him off of his mark. A Ram team that had given up 49 sacks in 2016 has only allowed four thus far through four games. This improved pass protection was on display on Sunday, with only DeMarcus Lawrence providing consistent pressure on the Ram quarterback.
Now, the Cowboys appear to be facing yet another crossroads game against the Packers, who, like the Rams, will be coming off of a mini bye. This should allow them enough time to get their starting tackles, David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga healthy. With the Rams carving up the Dallas secondary yesterday, the Cowboys will have their work cut out for them.
The truth can be difficult to accept for a number of people.
And, the truth is, this Cowboy team is a shadow of their 2016 selves.
Other notes from yesterday’s game:
- Read into this what you will, but Jason Garrett coached teams are 4-12 playing on a short week.
- Sean Lee’s absence was significant. The Cowboys seemed confused by a number of the Ram formations on offense, and Lee’s instincts against the run were missed. Too many times, Gurley broke to the second level without a linebacker in sight.
- Playing on that point, Jaylon Smith, as great of a story as he is to be on the field, is a liability on defense. Laterally, he shows the ability to pursue, but he has demonstrated no ability to play moving forward. He has notched a good number of tackles, but the majority of them are four yards or greater down the field. I don’t know whether it’s being tentative or lacking the explosiveness to drive forward, but Smith has hampered the defense against the run.
- I’m surprised that I am saying this, but the Cowboys miss Barry Church a lot as well. Jeff Heath has been horrendous in his tackling, and showed angles reminiscent of J.J. Wilcox at his worst. It may be high time to give Kavon Frazier a shot at the strong safety position as a starter.
- The defensive tackles yesterday were putrid, and were dominated by Rodger Saffold, John Sullivan and Jamon Brown. They provided no push on the pass rush, and were repeatedly gashed in the run game. Gurley encountered little resistance at the first level of the defense. If Stephen Paea’s knee is a continued problem, then this defense is in trouble, because there is no proven depth at the 1T position. Releasing Cedric Thornton was a mistake.
- DeMarcus Lawrence continues to show his growth, as he got a lot of additional attention in the game from Ram blockers, yet continued to be a factor off the edge. With the attention he received yesterday from chips and guards sliding over, it further highlights how poor the defensive tackles played. With David Irving returning from his suspension this week, hopefully he can provide some assistance.
- Taco Charlton showed better get off this week, and was able to move Andrew Whitworth back on his pass rushes. Where he ran into problems was that he couldn’t match strength with Whitworth, and had a difficult time disengaging with a second move. Gains in strength will be necessary for Charlton to make the next step in his career progression.
- Jonathan Cooper had a mixed result day. Cooper played well on running downs, showing power, and pulling effectively when called for. On passing downs, however, it was a completely different result. Cooper showed an alarming inability to slide his feet when attacked on his shoulder, and was unable to adjust to the quickness of Aaron Donald at all. For a player whose strength coming out of North Carolina was his foot quickness, that ankle injury seems to have robbed him of his greatest ability.
- Ryan Switzer is a confident, if not cocky player. It’s this belief in self that has allowed him to succeed in college, and to be drafted in the NFL. However, he needs to understand situations better and not try to make a play every time out. His fumble with the Cowboys up 17-6 hurt them significantly, and while it didn’t completely swing the momentum of the game, it allowed the Rams to recover from potentially being knocked out.
- As good as Dak Prescott has been since coming to Dallas, his inability to consistently put the ball in places where his wide receivers can make plays is troubling. He missed multiple throws to Dez Bryant on in cuts that would have extended drives. Some of them were thrown under duress, but if you are a star quarterback, you need to complete those throws.
- Short week or not, the Rams coaching staff out coached the Cowboys staff. They were able to keep the Cowboys off balance on both sides of the ball, and made the necessary adjustments to dominate the second half. Think that Wade Phillips wanted to win this game?
- Tough week upcoming for the Cowboys. They will need Lee to be healthy for this game, and getting back Irving will provide somewhat of a lift, but it remains to be seen how many snaps that he can provide. Revenge should be a great motivator in this one, but precision, which was in short supply on Sunday, needs to rule the day. Going into a bye with a win will be huge.
@Plankton
