The Cowboys told us how important their week 5 match-up against the 49ers was, so fans were understandably concerned when Dallas got soundly defeated by 32 points last Sunday night in Santa Clara.
It’s left many wondering how many of the problems we’ve seen from the Cowboys over the last few weeks are correctable or just plain broken.
We’ll take a look at a few of the issues plaguing the Cowboys right now and determine if it’s broken or bruised.
SAFETY PLAY
Dallas has done a nice job in recent years of building up its safety room, with veterans like Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker, and Donovan Wilson grouping together with young players like Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas.
The veterans in Dallas’ group have been disappointing so far this year. Kearse and Hooker have been inconsistent, and Wilson hasn’t looked right since returning from a calf strain that kept him out for almost all of training camp.
I feel like Wilson’s struggles can at least partially be blamed on the lack of training camp reps. He’s a good six weeks behind the rest of the team’s preparation for the season. Hooker has always played a little hot and cold, and some of his problems may just be highlighted by the absence of Trevon Diggs. Kearse is the most puzzling one, as he appears to be a different player than the one we’ve come to know over the last couple of years.
Wilson will play better as he gets more reps, and I have to believe Kearse is simply in a slump rather than a player in regression. The improved play of those two should help even out some of Hooker’s inconsistencies as well.
RULING: Bruised
PASS RUSH
The Cowboys’ pass rush had a dominant start to the season, but has cooled off significantly over the last three weeks.
Arizona made it difficult for the Cowboys to tee off with the pass rush, getting the ball out quickly, and using read-option runs to keep the defense honest. There were improvements against the Patriots, but Dallas possessed the ball for so long that there weren’t a lot of opportunities. San Francisco was probably the most disappointing performance of the three, because you felt like you could exploit the right side of the 49ers’ line.
Much of the Cowboys’ ability to rush comes from Micah Parsons. That’s not just because of Parsons’ rush ability, but also because of the attention he draws from blockers, freeing up better match-ups for the rest of the defensive line.
Parsons has ran into a tough match-up against Trent Williams and the 49ers, and he’ll likely be asked to play more traditional linebacker with Leighton Vander Esch out. This one is correctable, but it will be a challenge with Parsons’ responsibilities being split.
RULING: Bruised
THE TEXAS COAST OFFENSE
There was endless discussion this offseason about Dallas’ offensive changes, headlined by Mike McCarthy calling plays, and Brian Schottenheimer installing the offense as coordinator.
The changes have been largely ineffective through five weeks. Some of that has been due to weather conditions, injuries, or a number of other factors, but the Cowboys ran out of excuses in Santa Clara against the 49ers this past weekend.
Dak Prescott looks uncomfortable in this regimented, timing-based passing scheme, and the Cowboys have seemingly abandoned a number of their duo/counter run concepts that have been so effective in the past. Even CeeDee Lamb was visibly frustrated with his involvement last Sunday against the 49ers.
When you take all of that, and couple it with the red zone inefficiency, all evidence at the moment points to this offense being broken.
RULING: Broken
