The Dallas Cowboys face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at noon central.
Last season, it was a battle of the stars with the likes of Aaron Donald, Micah Parsons, Cooper Kupp, Jalen Ramsey, CeeDee Lamb, and Ezekiel Elliott.
A lot has changed in only a year. Dak is healthy, and Zeke and Jalen are in the AFC East.
Head Coach Sean McVay's record against Dallas is barely above .500 at 3-2. Unfortunately, for America's Team, one of those wins came as part of a playoff run while Los Angeles secured Super Bowl LVI.
The blood oath paid off, but they had to pay up in the form of losing players because of the salary cap or lack thereof.
During the Rams rebuild, they drafted a player who looks identical to someone with a star on his helmet.
Can you guess who I am referring to?
No, well, Mike McCarthy needs to take notes and pay attention to how the Rams utilize their 3rd year player.
The cowboys don't need to look far to find a comparison for kavontae turpin
As we prepare to listen to Greg Olsen and Kevin Burkhardt provide their expertise of the game, you will notice that a lot of attention will go to Rams receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nucua.
The rookie (Nucua) is having a phenomenal inaugural season whereas Kupp is getting his legs back under him from his time on the shelf.
While that praise wouldn't be misdirected, don't underbid the impact that Tutu Atwell can do when he enters the game.
For me, he's practically a carbon copy of KaVontae Turpin on the field.
I understand that some will disagree with that and contend one is a more skilled receiver than the other. You can even argue that Tutu plays by necessity for Los Angeles.
I believe it's more to it than that.
The physical profile is almost identical. They are tweeners standing at 5'9″ and are separated by approximately 10 pounds in size, depending on what day you weigh them.
Turpin clocked a 4.29 in the 40-yard dash, while Atwell managed to time a measly 4.32.
These guys are burners in every sense of the word.
They were both raw players that relied on mainly on their speed to contribute on the team. Atwell has graduated from that role while Turpin is still stuck in neutral to a degree.
Is it the offensive system or is it the offensive play caller or could it be the player?
That's the million-dollar question.
What are the Rams doing with Atwell to make him so effective?
At this rate, we will almost never know if it's the player.
The most significant difference is the Rams will play Tutu regularly, whereas the former USFL MVP's playing time is inconsistent.
Thus far this season, Atwell has logged a total of 270 passing snaps (122 in slot and 148 out wide) according to Pro Football Focus.
KaVontae, on the other hand, has played in 28 passing snaps.
Weeks 2 and 4 is where Turpin saw most of his action and it was mainly in the slot. And to be fair, he was nixed up in the San Francisco game which limited him in week 6.
Nevertheless, the McVay and the Rams use bunch formations and picks to ensure bigger corners can get their hands on their speedster.
They use motion to give their guy an unfair advantage against defenders.
Check out the Seahawks and 49ers game for proof.
When Dallas has implemented any of that with Turpin, here is what the outcome has been.
KaVontae Turpin shows off the wheels and gets in the end zone 💨 @KaVontaeTurpin
📺: #DALvsSF on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/gzzkvIRUdj pic.twitter.com/1bwEuaj5pN— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2023
The problem is McCarthy just has not been consistent with using Turpin.
Last season, fans were able to give the team a pass since Turpin was a rookie with a learning curve. That made total sense.
This season, there's no more passes to give out. Dallas clearly needs a player that can gain separation. Dallas brought Brandin Cooks to be that guy, but that should not preclude them from playing Cooks and Turpin together.
Yes, it'll cut into Michael Gallup's snaps. I grant you that.
However, Tutu Atwell cut into Allen Robinson's snaps in 2022, and it seemed to work out just fine.
Mike McCarthy, you can teach the lesson on Sunday or be the student and take notes. Either way, it's time to learn how to effectively use KaVontae Turpin.
