The Dallas Cowboys After a Quarter of the Season

After a quarter of the 2018 NFL Season, we have a pretty good idea of what kind of team the Dallas Cowboys are.

After 4 games, the Dallas Cowboys sit at 2-2 and 0.5 game back of the Washington Redskins for 1st place in the NFC East.  The defense has held its own while the offense has been inconsistent at best. It’s always good to evaluate a team after each month to get an idea of how good or bad the team is.

The Cowboys’ Offense will go as far as Ezekiel Elliott takes them.

It’s a safe statement to say the Cowboys’ offense has not been very good so far this season.  They are 27th in yards per game with 311.8, 30th in points per game with 16.8, and convert on 3rd down only 28% of the time which is 30th in the league.  One bright spot is the Cowboys are 4th in rushing yards per game with 145.2 rush yards per game. (Stats per NFL.com)

Social Media has had a field day thus far with Dak Prescott playing like a combination of Quincy Carter and Brock Osweiler.  A popular stat going around before Sunday’s game against Detroit was Prescott failing to throw for 200 yards in each of his last 5 games.  He broke that streak Sunday when he threw for 255 yards.

Prescott’s inability to push the ball downfield has played a major role in his struggles. Defenses know he will not throw deep so they stack the box and sit on the short routes.

It is unfair to blame the struggles of the entire offense on Prescott but his limitations are holding the unit back.

Ezekiel Elliott is the MVP of the Dallas Cowboys and possibly an NFL MVP candidate.  He leads the league in rushing with 426 yards and averages 106.5 yards per game. The offense runs through Elliott, as he is a threat in both the running game and passing game.  This takes the pressure off Prescott to play a perfect game. He does not need every game to be like the one against the Lions where he had 240 total yards but there’s a reason Dallas is very successful when Elliott rushes 20+ times.

The Cowboys’ top 10 defense leads the way.

The Dallas defense has given the team a chance to win every game thus far.  They’ve only given up an average of 19.2 points per game which is 7th in the NFL.

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Dallas has gotten to the quarterback 14 times which is good for 3rd in the league.  The front seven has also done a good job limiting the run as they give up on average 97.8 rushing yards per game.  By pressuring the quarterback and stopping the run, it makes things easier on the secondary.

The young Cowboys secondary, under the tutelage of Kris Richard have taken a step forward this year and are 6th in the NFL in passing yards per game with 208.5 yards/game. (Stats per NFL.com) 

DeMarcus Lawrence has picked up right he left off last season as he leads the NFL in sacks with 5.5 including 3 against the Detroit Lions.  He was Franchise Tagged by Dallas after his breakout 14.5 sack season in 2017 but failed to reach a long-term agreement.

Byron Jones moving back to cornerback has been extremely beneficial for him and the Cowboys.  He has played at an All-Pro level and Pro Football Focus recognized him as the best cornerback through 3 weeks.

When Leighton Vander Esch was selected with 19th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, it took many by surprise.  Nonetheless, Vander Esch has played exceptional for Dallas as he has 26 combined tackles including six in his first career start against the Lions.

It is difficult to be successful when one side of the ball is below average. The Cowboys have known this to be true as their defense has held them back in recent years. This year appears to the be the opposite.

The is not necessarily a bad thing as several teams have ridden strong defenses deep into the playoffs. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 2015 Denver Broncos, and 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars all followed that concept.  Now, that is not to say the Cowboys have a defense as good as those three teams, but this defense good enough where they do not have to rely on the offense to score 35 points each game.

Dan Bailey who? 

No one knew what the expect when Dallas released Dan Bailey in favor of Brett Maher.   We now know as Maher won over Cowboys Nation with his performance against the Lions.  He went 4-4 on field goals including the game-winner. So far this season, Maher is 8-9 on field goals and 5-5 on extra points.  

The Cowboys Defense will improve even more when Defensive Tackle David Irving returns from his four-game suspension this week.  Dallas faces the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Washington Redskins before their Week 8 bye.

• Published on 10/05/2018 at 16:00 PM
• Last updated at 10/05/2018 at 06:08 AM