It’s safe to assume that almost every sports fan, athlete, or coach has heard the phrase, “Winning covers a multitude of sins.”
The quote is credited to former Chicago Bulls point guard, B.J. Armstrong, and the full statement is as follows:
“Winning covers a multitude of sins. If you play bad and you still win, everyone says that’s the sign of a good ballclub. But when you play bad and you lose, all of a sudden you have problems and everyone wants to know why.”
Now, this statement is not being brought up to suggest that the Dallas Cowboys won their first two games of the regular season in spite of bad play.
They played well against the Giants and Jets. Well, but not perfect.
And it’s difficult to approximate how, if, or when those imperfections would have been addressed if not a for stunning loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3.
So even though the Dallas Cowboys didn’t “play bad,” their early season wins did seem to cover their “sins” as a team.
This is especially true considering the double entendre of the word “cover.”
COVERED FLAWS
When Armstrong’s quote is used by sports fans, “sins” are instances of mistakes or flaws, and the word cover is usually interpreted as “to hide.”
To put it another way, the mistakes a team makes are hidden when they win. They aren’t as easy to spot.
But the phrase “covers a multitude of sins” actually comes from a Bible verse which states, “Love covers a multitude of sins.”
In that sense, however, the word “covers” means “to forgive” or “to compensate for.”
Both uses of “covers” could apply to what we’ve seen from the Dallas Cowboys so far this season.
Take red zone issues for example. The Cowboys went 2 for 6 in the red zone against the Jets, but that stat was forgiven because of the win.
Conversation on the topic led to two main points:
- The Jets had one of the best red zone defenses in the league.
- Mike McCarthy had no reason to take risks or put a lot of plays on film because of lead maintained throughout the game.
The issues with run defense, on the other hand, were covered in the sense that they were somewhat hidden. The effectiveness of the Cardinals run game against the Cowboys defense was a very unexpected component of that contest.
MIKE MCCARTHY’S THREE BLINKING LIGHTS
Whether they were previously disguised or forgiven, the imperfections of the Dallas Cowboys became glaring issues after their loss to the Cardinals.
When Head Coach Mike McCarthy listed his issues of concern before the media on Wednesday, he credited Arizona for bringing some things to light.
“Stats clearly don’t tell the story, but they give you things you need to look at,” McCarthy explained. “We’ve got three blinking lights as a football team, right now, particularly because of Arizona: team penalties, red zone offense, and run defense.”
McCarthy went on to explain that these issues are being coached but that the team has to focus on the plan to beat New England. However, there may be some overlap between these blinking lights and what will be needed to defeat the Patriots.
TEAM PENALTIES
During the game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys accrued 13 penalties for 107 yards.
Cowboys Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn said he didn’t mind the penalties that resulted from aggressiveness as much as the pre-snap penalties.
One reason to pay particular attention to the type of penalty is that there was more to their cost than just yardage.
Penalties gifted the opposition with three first downs. One penalty even erased a phenomenal punt return by KeVontae Turpin.
Prior to Week 3, penalties were not nearly as much of an issue. When playing the Giants and Jets, the Cowboys had five penalties for 35 yards and five for 29 yards respectively.
Still, it is definitely something to be nipped in the bud, now. They’ll want to avoid giving away first downs and erasing game changing plays against tougher opponents later in the season.
RED ZONE OFFENSE
Speaking of things that shouldn’t be repeated against tougher opponents, the last thing the Cowboys should want is to use several minutes of play time working their way down the field to only walk away with three points instead of six to eight.
Mike McCarthy pointed out that trips to the red zone are more than double what they were by the end of Week 3 last season. However, their 15 trips to the red zone so far in 2023 have yielded only six touchdowns.
A 40% red zone conversion rate could be a real detriment against teams that have productive offenses themselves.
Additionally, some of the things that worked for the Cardinals defense to keep the Cowboys out of the end zone are duplicable.
Arizona did a good job of crowding into the spaces in which Dak Prescott looked for a target once they saw his head turn. They were also pretty effective at stopping runs up the middle in the red zone.
You don’t have to be the top red zone defense in the league to do either of those things well enough to hold Dallas to a field goal.
The Cowboys will need to find some more effective options for getting the ball across the plane moving forward.
RUN DEFENSE
Prior to Week 3, the Cowboys were allowing about four yards per carry. The Cardinals, however, got away with 7.2 yards per carry.
According to Jayron Kearse, the missed assignments and lock of cohesion that created those opportunities for Arizona will not be issues moving forward.
The Cowboys safety admitted that he let up on at least one play against Arizona. But he says the Patriots should expect a different level of energy and execution this Sunday.
“We play our football, we’re going to stop anything,” said Kearse.
“We hope they turn that tape on and think that’s the same thing they’re getting. They’re not getting anything close to that.”
Only time will tell if it really just comes down to the Cowboys defense playing their game or if the unit has more holes and problems than initially realized.
One thing to keep an eye on will be outside runs as compared to runs inside the tackles.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Cardinals had 21 carries for 207 yards outside the tackles. Runs inside the tackles accounted for only 17 yards from 7 attempts.
I found this interesting when it comes to run defense. ARZ had 21 carries for 207 yards and 2 TDs outside the tackles. Inside the tackles. 7 carries for 17 yards. Run defense is more than having Hankins and Mazi Smith. https://t.co/qsXPL0xKcR
— BryanBroaddus (@BryanBroaddus) September 27, 2023
So, even if the overall rushing yards against the Cowboys do come down, if they still look incapable (or at least less capable) of stopping outside runs, all it takes is one team to exploit that at the right time in order to change the outcome of a game, the standings of a division, or the ending of a season.
The Dallas Cowboys should take all three of these issues seriously as they prepare to face the New England Patriots on Sunday. They can’t afford to ignore any of these blinking lights.