Dallas Cowboys are resilient but must play complementary football

The Dallas Cowboys playing complementary football

After every excruciating loss, Coach Big Mac has rallied his troops to perform better in the next game. For instance, take another look at the emergence of CeeDee Lamb as a WR#1. Earlier in the season, there were plenty of doubts circulating about whether Lamb could be that dude for the offense.

You know, the dropped passes and simply not crossing the safety’s face mask on a post route were some red flags raised by the critics on Lamb’s growing pains. But 1,207 yards, 91 receptions, and eight touchdowns later, Lamb has proven everyone wrong because he is that “dawg” of a WR#1 that can take over a game. Lamb’s 10 receptions, 120 yards, and two touchdowns against the Eagles is what top-notch wide receivers do in big games.

Featuring Lamb more in the slot serves as an element of playing complementary football because it allows the offense to play to his strength and put points on the board. When Dallas’ offense scores in bunches, it allows the defense to feast on teams that are down a few scores.

The best way to do this is for the offense to maximize all of its weapons to its best capabilities, starting with targeting Lamb. The 2x Pro Bowler absolutely dominated the Eagles’ secondary with his 10 completions on 11 targets. Let us be mindful the Eagles have the second ranked defense in the NFL and according to the media, the best tandem of corners on the planet (Darius Slay/James Bradberry).

It must be noted that Lamb is used to torching Bradberry when he played for the Giants. Nothing new. And if Dallas’ offense can score with ease against Philly’s defense, they can put up points on any highly ranked defense. That goes for you, too, San Francisco. You’re not exempt!

In order for Dallas to win their last two games and move deep into the playoffs, the offense and defense must be on the same page. Period. Until Dallas’ pass rush returns from its hiatus and get better at stopping the run, the offense must either score in bunches first or do not turn the ball over deep in their own territory to help out its defense. It is that simple.

As witnessed in previous victories over the likes of the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings, Dallas’ offense got a comfortable lead, and the defense took over with its pass rush and by forcing turnovers.

Dallas’ defense is at its best when playing with a lead because it forces opponents to pass more than run. Being able to unleash the “War Daddies” of Micah Parsons, Dorance Armstrong, and DeMarcus Lawrence forces quarterbacks to turn over the ball, giving the ball back to the offense for another opportunity to put points on the board.

Ask Philly about how Dak and company converted those four turnovers into points.

Lastly, Dallas must stay committed to running the ball because their offensive line is better at run blocking than pass protection. I am not suggesting three yards and a cloud of dust because passing on first down is a great idea, too, but running the ball at least opens up play action pass and protects Dak.

In conclusion,

The Dallas Cowboys have beaten the odds with an 11-4 record, won four straight games with backup quarterback Cooper Rush, replaced injured starters with effective contributors, put Lamb in position to blossom as WR#1, have shown they can beat any team in the league, lead the league in takeaways, and have a league best 7-1 record against winning teams.

The aforementioned paragraph represents the resiliency of a team that has not given up because of the circumstances presented before them. The word resilient means “able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.”

The Dallas Cowboys has been able to withstand and overcome difficult conditions all season long to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Now add the complementary piece to go with the resiliency, and anything is possible in 2022!