If you're looking for a reason the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Green Bay Packers in Week 5, look no further than a guy named Aaron. No, I'm not talking about Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who's had his fair share of big moments against the Cowboys, I'm talking about Running Back Aaron Jones. It was his legs that carried the Packers to victory.
The Dallas Cowboys simply didn't have an answer for Aaron Jones on Sunday. Jones put up nearly 200 total yards on the Cowboys (107 rushing, 75 receiving) and accounted for four touchdowns all by himself. He gashed Dallas' defense on the ground and through the air, which to me was a bit surprising.
I would've thought with WR Davante Adams out for the Packers the Cowboys defense would focus more on shutting down Green Bay's second-best playmaker, Aaron Jones. I thought the game plan would be to play a lot of man coverage against the young and inexperienced Packers' WRs in order to stack the box to shut down the running game and to apply a little extra pressure to Aaron Rogers. That's not how things worked out.
I don't know if the Cowboys didn't think Aaron Jones was much of a threat to take over a game as he did or if they just failed to execute. After all, Jones only managed 21 yards on the ground and 37 yards through the air last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. Maybe Dallas thought they could have the same kind of success this week. The end result, though, tells a different story.
Aaron Jones absolutely gashed the Dallas Cowboys run defense. In what was one of their strengths last season, the Cowboys are really struggling to stop the run thus far in 2019. That's a little extra hurtful considering they tried to upgrade the defensive trenches during the offseason.
The Cowboys signed DT Christian Covington and traded for DE Robert Quinn as hopeful upgrades and depth purposes. They also drafted DT Trysten Hill in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those upgrades weren't enough to contain Aaron Jones Sunday afternoon.
I don't know about you, but I expect more from a team with so much talent throughout the roster. Allowing one single player to take over a game pretty much all by themselves is unacceptable. Adjustments should have been made and Aaron Jones should've been neutralized. This sort of thing happening is absolutely unacceptable.
The Dallas Cowboys and their coaching staff have to review film to determine what needs to be fixed from here on out. Whether it was execution or a poor game plan, the Cowboys absolutely have to get back on track next week against the New York Jets. Their season could hang in the balance.
