Cowboys Have More Problems Than Missing Romo

Besides missing , the Dallas Cowboys have problems at other positions. too.

Everyone acknowledges that not having quarterback Tony Romo is one of the reasons the Dallas Cowboys have a six game losing streak. That point is as clear as crystal. However, there are other reasons why the Cowboys are losing games.

Defense.

The Cowboys defense is not good, regardless of the new found pass rush. First of all, the Philadelphia Eagles offense beat the Cowboys in all phases of the game.

The Eagles ran all over the Cowboys defense and passed the ball at will. Philly quarterback Sam Bradford played like a first-round pick and wide receiver Jordan Matthews put on a receivers clinic on how to beat inept defensive backs.  Matthews proved that point by scoring the game winning touchdown in overtime.

Matthews caught the ball and simply out ran Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox and the rest of the secondary. Because Wilcox wasn’t in good position from the start, he had a poor angle on Matthews and couldn’t make a tackle. Defensive back Byron Jones shares the blame, too, because he missed an opportunity to tackle Matthews.

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Jones had a good view from the ground as Matthews scored the winning touchdown.

Witnessing the Cowboys secondary fall on the ground, miss a tackle or lose a receiver in coverage is nothing new. Neither is creating turnovers, especially interceptions.

Dallas has three interceptions on the year.

Not forcing turnovers is a bad sign for the Cowboys defense. Also, it proves there are no play makers on defense.

This only hurts an already mediocre offense. With Matt Cassel as the starting quarterback, the offense needs all the help it can get to score points, and then some.

If the defense could get at least one turnover per game, that’s one more possession for the offense and an opportunity for the defense to get some well deserved rest.

However, Pro Football Focus gives a better understanding of why this defense is mediocre. PFF gave Wilcox negative grades in run defense (-5.1) and pass coverage( -0.2). This explains why Wilcox has 11 missed tackles and why he can’t cover.

His lone interception this season was from a tipped ball off the hands of Jones.

With  a negative grade on run defense, it’s hard to believe Wilcox has recorded 24 tackles this season.

Wilcox’s 11 missed tackles is unacceptable. There’s no reason for it. It signals a negative spot on the defense, a weak spot.

The same goes for defensive back Brandon Carr, who doesn’t fair much better. PFF ranks him as the 64th best defensive back in the NFL. Carr is credited with 36 tackles and one defended pass.

Carr has yet to intercept a pass this season or last season. In fact, Carr hasn’t intercepted a pass since the 2013 season.

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Middle linebacker Rolando McClain shares the blame, too. McClain’s play has been below average.

Maybe its because of the off season knee surgery and the four game suspension. Whatever the reason, he’s not playing like the he did in 2014, when it looked as if the Cowboys got a steal.

Plus, McClain appears to be out of shape. His conditioning is definitely in question.

PFF ranks McClain as the 40th best middle linebacker in the NFL. McClain received a negative grade of -7.8 against the run.

That grade makes McClain the Cowboys worse defender against the run. No wonder why McClain has 19 tackles and one sack.

If Wilcox, Carr, and McClain don’t play better, expect this defense to continue to struggle against the run and pass.

Of course, this awful play puts more pressure on the front four to get sacks and create pressure. If the Cowboys front four can’t get more than one sack against a below average quarterback like Bradford, who happens to lead the NFL in interceptions, how do they expect to sack better quarterbacks?

I’m referring to quarterbacks like Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. By the way, Dallas plays these two teams this year.

The offense?

On this side of the ball, wide receiver Terrance Williams has been disappointing this season. He’s been inconsistent, at best.

Williams will catch a touchdown pass and seal a victory against the Eagles. Williams will make a diving touchdown catch to send a game into overtime against the New Orleans Saints.

That’s the good Williams.

The bad Williams drops easy passes, run bad routes or pushes a defensive back in the end zone that negates a touchdown. The sad part is that Williams pushed the defensive back in front of the official.

Williams had an opportunity to either catch the ball or at least knock it down if the defensive back tried to catch it.

Williams was supposed to step up his game in the absence of wide receiver Dez Bryant.

That has not happened for Williams. The same can be said of  Wilcox, Carr, and McClain.

Next: Cowboys: David Irving Must Play Big Role In Future

That’s the reason the Cowboys have more problems than just Romo’s injury.