The Dallas Cowboys limp into the bye week at 3-3, but they haven’t done it quietly.
If you all haven’t heard by now, Jerry Jones makes a weakly appearance on a Dallas/Fort Worth radio show called 105.3 The Fan every Tuesday morning, and it was not pretty.
Did we really think this team could just slide into the week off with nobody talking about them? For the first time maybe ever, I think Jerry Jones is finally letting this get under his skin.
He knows he failed this offseason, and the 2024 season is about to crash and burn right before his eyes.
With all that said, I took a hard close look if this team could do anything during the bye in an attempt to make them look competitive when they come out on the other side.
Here are a few things that the bye week won’t even fix.
Maybe It’s A Talent Issue?
The Cowboys have a handful of great players on their defense, but they are not good.
Pro Football Focus ranks Dallas 25th out of 32 NFL teams in tackling, and the Cowboys allow 3.3 yards per carry after contact. That’s the eighth most in the league.
The Cowboys rank 24th in total defense and 30th in scoring defense entering the bye week.
I understand they are beat to heck by injuries, but even before that, they looked awful against the Saints and the Ravens.
Baltimore might be the best team in the league, but the Saints have not won a game since they came into Jerry World and dog walked the Cowboys. That is a problem!
Seven Dallas players have missed multiple tackles this season, led by two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs with five, according to Pro Football Reference’s numbers.
Running Back Room
Let’s be honest here, Rico Dowdle has had his moments, like in the Steelers game, but this back field is the worst in football.
Jerry Jones won’t do anything to help it, or them. The offensive line is struggling, but these backs can’t get to the second level without having an earth-shadering hole opened up.
The problem is Zeke is averaging 3.5 yards per carry. He has lost a step. Jerry tried to feed us some garbage that he is trying to save him. For what brother? Retirement?
Dowdle had his best game of the season against the Steelers, and for some unknown reason, Mike McCarthy decided to let Elliott out touch him.
Elliott finished the game with eight carries for only 17 yards (2.1 yards per carry). Meanwhile, Dowdle rushed for 25 yards on just five carries (5.0 yards per carry).
They got down so badly early that they couldn’t run the ball, which is also a problem. I knew the offense would take a step back, but the defense is giving Mike Nolan vibes.
This is a problem, and it is only going to get worse. Honestly, I think the best running back the Cowboys have hasn’t even been active yet.
Dalvin Cook is sitting on the practice squad for no reason. Like just bring him up, and try to get a spark somewhere.
Coaching Problem
The last and biggest problem they are facing that won’t be fixed during the bye week is they are getting out coached, every single game.
McCarthy’s offense looks like a thing of the past. He does not run any type of motion like he did a year ago, the wide receiver can’t get open, so the defense has an easy day back there facing them.
On the other side of the ball, Mike Zimmer came out after the Lions game and said he panicked on some early calls Sunday, like why even say that?
167 points in the last four home games, the third-most points allowed by any team in a four-game span in NFL history. It is embarrassing, man.