DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 17: Quarterback Dak Precott /
The Dallas Cowboys got thumped in Denver yesterday. After rewatching the game, let’s discuss what went wrong…
We’re going to need the coaches film to see what went wrong up front for Dallas. The O-line looked outplayed and bullied. Especially on the interior. This was unthinkable only a day ago. The game was decided in the trenches and Cowboys were dominated.
The Broncos held the Ezekiel Elliott to under 10 yards rushing. Dallas only fed their top weapon five times through two and a half quarters. Zeke was shut down those five carries but regardless of result, Dallas cannot afford to abandon the run like that.
Instead of relying on the pass exclusively, Dallas should have used Dak Prescott’s feet. Clearly, you don’t want to turn him into a runner every week, but strategically using his skillset in situations like this can tip the balance of a game. Many times the Denver defense had their backs turned offering up yards on a platter. I would have liked to see some more scrambles and called runs for Dak up the middle. The opportunities were there.
The Cowboys LB unit was disappointing to say the least. Sean Lee didn’t play as quickly or as instinctively as normal and failed to complete tackles that we have come to expect. Damien Wilson and Jaylon Smith were unimpressive in every way.
Joining them in the disappointing column is Maliek Collins. Some people liked Collins’ play in week one but I walked away from film review unimpressed. I’ll have to dive into the coaches film later but it appears it’s much of the same with Collins this week. He was bullied all too often and gave up some big runs without offering much in the way of pass-rush. I love Collins but he’s not meeting expectations thus far this season.
was terrible across the board. He couldn’t cover, he couldn’t tackle, and he even got in the way stopped teammates from tackling. He left the game twice for concussion concerns. That left the Cowboys desperately thin in the secondary, but it was truthfully an addition by subtraction type of thing. Even though he looked lost at times, it’s good to get Jourdan Lewis snaps. He’s the only CB on the roster capable of developing into a No. 1 cornerback. It will be interesting to see what the Cowboys do next week at CB but sadly, I don’t expect Carroll to lose his starting role anytime soon.
The entire Cowboys secondary may have been drinking the Kool-Aid from last week. But what stood out on film last week was that the coverage wasn’t as good as the stats indicated. In coverage, Dallas appears to be a step slow in their assignments. They just aren’t playing instinctively as a group, and as a result, they are collectively allowing windows of opportunity everywhere. Eli Manning just wasn’t good enough to exploit it last week. Oddly, Trevor Siemian was.
Jeff Heath may be maddening at times but he makes plays that are invaluable. In the first half alone, Heath caused a fumble on a kick return and broke up a sure-fire TD pass in the endzone. He did it playing the ball – something every DB talks about but very few actually do. Heath would later slip in coverage, giving up an easy TD, which is a great example of the “maddening play” that makes it difficult to truly endorse his play.
Once again, Cole Beasley was getting open but Dak Prescott wasn’t seeing him. Often times, Dak was focused on following a specific player through his route rather than moving through his progressions. This is what separates the good from the great quarterbacks in the league, and oftentimes it’s what separates the winners and the losers on Sundays. Dak has had two poor games in row to start the 2017 season, I pray to see a rebound next week.
4th and 3 from the Broncos 39 and the Cowboys punt. The result was a touchback giving the Cowboys a net gain of 19 yards. This is an area you should go for it 75% of the time. But since Jason Garrett appeared to hesitant to screw up, he avoided success. The Cowboys could have kicked a FG or they could have tried for the first. The risk is 19 yards and the reward is points off a sustained drive.
Things to watch in film review: Always review the coverage, interior line play on both offense and defense, openness of Dallas receivers. A busy week ahead…
