Although the Dallas Cowboys (8-4) won the game against New Orleans Saints on Thursday night, it was not pretty. For most of the game, the Cowboys offense was out of sync. This is the same as it has been for the past month.
After halftime, Dak Prescott threw only 61 yards. The Cowboys went 2-13 on third-down conversions. They punted seven times and had five three-and-outs. Dak seemed to be hesitant about rushing for yards, even though it appeared that he could.
After he had passed up what would have been an easy first-down run, Dak was unable to complete tight coverage on the first play.
Prescott had three chances to defeat the Saints in quarter four. He failed each time. Prescott was intercepted on one of the drives. The defense finally sealed the deal with Defensive Tackle Carlos Watkins’ pick-six.
The Cowboys’ season average total offense yards per game was 416.3 YPG. Dallas is now at 400 yards for the third consecutive game. In two previous games, they failed to surpass 300 yards.
The topic of why the offense is having trouble lately has been hot.
Are offensive line woes to blame?
Dallas was too thin to be a wide receiver in two of its games.
Could it be the COVID-19 situation.
Kellen Moore’s play calling is it to blame?
Although there is probably some blame in each, it’s clear that the quarterback who was just given a huge contract must take more responsibility. After his calf injury, Dak hasn’t looked the same since week 9. The offense is now a shell of what it was before.
Dak is slower when reading the field. On Thursday, he made some pre-determined readings against the Saints. He is reluctant to use his legs for playmaking. He seems to be missing simple passes. We are used seeing him with his eyes closed. This is combined with an inconsistent run game and the Cowboys are achieving terrible results.
Cowboys are currently 21 for 68 (28.8%) on third down and 3/8 (37.5%) since week nine. The Cowboys’ third-down numbers are an indication that they do not have sustaining drives.
Prescott is 19th in EPA+CPOE since week 9, a marked improvement on the 7th position in this category during weeks 1-6. Dak is 24th in success percentage percentage, at 42.4%, since week 9. With a success rate at 55.7% in weeks one through six, he was ranked second.
An offense that isn’t performing well can be difficult to sustain. It’s no surprise that the Cowboys offense has struggled, with Tyron Smith out much of November, CeeDee Lamb absent, and Zeke unable to perform at his best.
With ten days of rest, the Cowboys will look to be healthy and get back on track with NFC East contests in the future.