Even though the Dallas Cowboys’ season is just six games old, it has already proven somewhat unpredictable. Only seven days after rallying for a thrilling victory away from home, the Cowboys lost to the Detroit Lions in one of the worst games in AT&T Stadium’s 15-year history.
With six starters out, the Cowboys defense was in a precarious position, but their offense was nearly at maximum capacity. Although Dak Prescott had a difficult day, the Lions capitalized on their early advantage by launching blitz after blitz, leaving Dallas’ offensive line completely exposed.
Anyone observing could see that Prescott requires additional assistance. It reminds me a lot of the 2018 season, when the team was in serious trouble before to Amari Cooper’s trade. When asked whether Dallas needs to make a comparable transaction this year in the wake of the loss, Prescott spoke bluntly.
How awful was it, then? Dallas, though, gave up points to the Lions on each of their first nine drives. The defense let up 47 points, and when they did manage to keep Detroit to field goals, they were fortunate. Had the Lions not executed several sly plays during the second half, they might have recorded a 50-burger.
Dak Prescott of the Cowboys is not getting too excited before the trade deadline.
“We were 3-5 before we got rolling [in 2018],” Prescott stated, as reported by Todd Archer of ESPN. But do not expect to be 3-5 with this team. It is the front office’s decision. The young people that are coming on, the guys in the locker room, I have a lot of faith in. Jalen Tolbert is improving, as you can see. Brandin Cooks will return in good health…It is my responsibility to make sure I keep pushing the boys in the changing area. Ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities and how to perform them better.”
That is Prescott’s standard political response. He was not going to call anyone names, and saying flatly that the team has to pull off a blockbuster trade would not be the best way to boost morale in a locker room full of doubters. Prescott is one of the best leaders in the game because, in that circumstance, not many players would choose to walk the extra mile.
Nevertheless, it is clear that Prescott requires additional assistance. In addition to facing an all-out attack from the Lions, his pass-catchers failed to establish any kind of separation. Even getting the ball to CeeDee Lamb was difficult for him.While Lamb finished with seven catches for 89 yards, he was targeted 14 times, including on Prescott’s red zone interception in the first quarter.
It seems like all of Prescott’s passes on Sunday were into small windows, in contrast to Jared Goff’s whole game of throwing to WIDE open receivers. That has been the season’s narrative. It is a serious indictment on McCarthy’s play-calling abilities. Last week, McCarthy used motion and pre-snap movement in his play-calling; however, against the Lions, it was completely absent.
Assuming McCarthy remains true to his roots, the Cowboys require playmakers capable of creating separation for Prescott. Jalen Tolbert has made a lot of progress, but because there is not enough separation, the majority of his catches are of the contested-catch sort. Regarding Cooks, one could make a compelling case that KaVontae Turpin ought to be playing ahead of him.Although Prescott is fully confident in Dallas’ existing roster, the offense could need to be salvaged in 2018 with a deal akin to that of Amari Cooper. Although this front management has demonstrated for a long time that winning is not their top priority, Cooper is actually available.
