This was supposed to be the week for the Dallas Cowboys to prove their legitimate status as one of the powerhouse teams in the National Football League. With a win, Dallas would have held the top seed in the NFC with a chance of winning it outright. Instead, Dallas faltered again against one of the best teams in football.
The Cardinals may be a team that Dallas runs into during the postseason, but the implications of this loss are deep and profound. Dallas now is staring down the barrel of only one home playoff game against the top-seeded wild-card team in two weeks time. If they win that game, their prize might just be a trip to Lambeau Field in the NFC Divisional round, great.
This weekend can only be summarized as an unmitigated disaster for Dallas. Here are three takeaways from Dallas’ 25-22 defeat to the Cardinals.
Dak is Back…. And No He’s Not
This Cowboys offense, running through Dak Prescott has been wildly inconsistent through this second half of the season. Give credit where credit is due, Arizona’s defense came to play versus Dallas. They won most of the key battles for three quarters, where they only conceded a mere seven points.
According to Pro Football Focus, Prescott’s average time to throw in this game was 2.13 seconds. The Cowboys wanted to get the ball out quickly, and even when they did there was absolutely nothing there that could have resulted in huge plays. Dallas tried to chip away at the Arizona defense, and it didn’t work here. Dallas was totally unable to establish any sort of presence in the ground game either, with both Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard gathering 12 combined carries.
Whether it is a lack of confidence from Prescott or offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is yet to be seen, but Prescott has been unable to deliver success to this team consistently, and that is a massive problem. This offense has got to find its rhythm, and fast, otherwise the Cowboys could be set for an early exit come playoff time. Which leads us to….
Michael Gallup’s Injury
When healthy, there is no denying the kind of impact Gallup has on this team. He is a player that Dak Prescott trusts in key situations, and he does perform. Sunday versus the Cardinals, Gallup was the only receiver on the Cowboys to post above 2.0 yards per route run (2.25), according to Pro Football Focus.
With Gallup now set to miss the rest of the season with a torn left ACL injury, this leaves the door open for someone else to step in. Cedric Wilson should see an immediate uptick in work, but don’t be surprised if Malik Turner also gets a chance to replace Gallup. Turner has been used mainly in garbage time action this year, but when he has been out there, he has looked pretty good.
It will be interesting to see how much time the starters actually do get Saturday night versus the Eagles, with the team a lock now to play on wild-card weekend. Yet Dallas is going to want to win the game, to put pressure on the Buccaneers and the Cardinals to win their respective matchups. Turner and Wilson should see some time in this game versus the Eagles, with eyes now firmly on wild-card weekend.
The Cowboys quest for the one seed is over. This is now about seeding, and who the Cowboys will get to host in Arlington.
The Boom-or-Bust Defense: Good or Bad?
The boom-or-bust defense for Dallas showed up again Sunday, yet it isn’t who people may think is the culprit for this problem. While much has been stated about Trevon Diggs and his style, he actually had a very solid game versus the Cardinals. Diggs was targeted three times, allowing two catches for 54 yards. Both catches were first downs, but for the most part Kyler Murray stayed away from Diggs.
Where the Cardinals were able to really make their money was targeting the other side of the field, Anthony Brown’s side. Brown did not have the same kind of production as Diggs, as Brown allowed four catches on 34 yards with two touchdowns conceded on eight targets. Pro Football Focus has Brown as tied top for most targeted corner in the National Football League, and tied second for most receptions allowed.
Where the defense does return value is with the interceptions, fumbles, with the plays on the ball. Dallas as a unit have 25 interceptions this year, with 12 forced fumbles as well. This defense has carried the team this year, but they can’t do it on their own. And sooner rather than later, teams are going to exploit the boom-or-bust mentality that the unit possesses.
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