The Dallas Cowboys needs reinforcements and fast. On Thanksgiving, they suffered a heartbreaking 36-33 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in overtime giving them three losses in their last four games. Offensively, is been a struggle in the passing game over the last two weeks to get consistent production with multiple backup wide receivers getting more snaps. On the defensive side, the only player that gets pressure off the edge rushing the passer with any regularity lately is rookie Linebacker, Micah Parsons.
December is right around the corner and it’s time for the push to the playoffs. The Cowboys are 7-4 despite their recent slump and hold a two-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. This is the time when teams need to be playing their best football, and the Cowboys are set to get several key starters back as they look to get back on track.
Dak Prescott will be the happiest man in North Texas when the Cowboys take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 13. Wide receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb will be back in the starting lineup giving the Cowboys’ passing game a much-needed boost. Cooper has missed the last two games after landing on the Reserve/COVID list. Despite this, Cooper is still second on the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and his outstanding route running plus his ability to draw double teams is something the Cowboys passing attack has missed.
Lamb is showing people in 2021 that he’s one of the most special talents at the wide receiver position. He’s been the most productive receiver on the Cowboys leading in targets (77), receptions (50), yards (740), and touchdowns (6). His work in the middle of the field from the slot can’t be undervalued. The more effective he is the more Cooper and Michael Gallup can get favorable one-on-one opportunities on the outside, making the Cowboys’ aerial assault a nightmare to deal with.
DeMarcus Lawrence hasn’t played since breaking a bone in his foot before the Cowboys Week 2 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Recently he was activated off of injured reserve which opened his 21-day practice window. The Cowboys will have to activate him by the 21st day or he will head back to IR. However, barring any setbacks, he’s on track to return in Week 13 against the Saints.
Lawrence’s ability to set the edge in the run game and rush the passer has been greatly missed. Having him back on the field instantly makes the Cowboys’ defense better.
Randy Gregory has had an incredible season so far. He’s racked up five sacks (second on the team, 12 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery despite only playing in seven games. He missed Week 2 due to COVID and has been out the last three with a calf injury. Gregory will be eligible to return to practice on Monday.
There’s a possibility he could make his return with Lawrence against the Saints but the Cowboys will be cautious and won’t hesitate to give him another week if need be. His speed off the line of scrimmage and around the edge will be welcomed with open arms by Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn.
The fact the Cowboys are 7-4 with so many guys missing time this season is incredible. Their focus now is getting healthy and locking up the NFC East and a playoff spot as soon as possible.
I get this, I’m excited too. However, you gotta pray we don’t get more injuries during that “run”. Great teams find a way to get through it. Yes we had more than our share, but nevertheless, if you can’t beat LV at home? Going to be a very tight finish
Sure we can use our starters Coming back BUT we should have enough talent on this team to beat these 500 teams ! You can’t give another team 166 yards in Penalties and expect to win ball games! Every team that needs a first down or a big play always goes to Anthony Brown’s side if we keep him in the starting line up we have to give him safety help in crucial situation!! Also did anybody notice that when we started to up the tempo on offense we begin to move the ball at will? I’m just glad we are still in the drivers seat in our division and with people coming back soon hope we finish strong!
We didn’t give them 166 yards in penalties. The refs took most of those yards on BS pass interference calls. The only reason the raiders were able to move the ball is because of the refs moving it for them.
To the 2 commenters above taking about the penalties…. You guys do realize that more than half of those penalties shouldn’t have been called right?? I’d say 3 out of the 4 PI calls on Anthony Brown were BS and the personal foul on Micah Parsons was BS one or more of the holding calls was BS, those refs were calling BS on us all day!! It’s impossible to beat a team when you have to play that team and the refs too!! Half of the raiders points came from BS calls from the refs!! So we should’ve won that game!! It was the refs that cost us the game, it wasn’t the raiders that beat us!! Like I said, you can’t win a game when you have to play against the refs too…. It just won’t happen!! Let’s just hope getting our injured players back will help us score so many points that it won’t matter how many BS penalties the refs call on us we can still win the games, cause if we can’t run up the score on the other teams we won’t have a chance to win any games as long as the refs are playing against us too!!
My fellow Cowboys fans, I’m sorry but regarding the Pass Interference penalties against Anthony Brown – he has burned Dallas twice. Against Tampa – remember him chasing Antonio Brown ALL OVER the field? Remember the 2 crucial PI calls in that game? And then the Raiders game, 4 Pass Interference calls – that were SPOT ON. Brown is horrible in coverage. He is more a liability than an asset. And he has to go. The refs don’t call any of those PI calls if Anthony Brown ISN’T ON THE FIELD.
This season started out like a typical Cowboys winning season……at least for the 1st Half. Now they’re back to playing like the Cowboys I’ve been seeing since the late ‘90s. Look great during the first part of the season and then fold once everyone’s excited. For some reason they just can’t handle success.
The reason Anthony Brown drew 4 PI calls is because he refuses to play the ball when it’s in the air. He was so busy trying to run through the WR on the OT penalty that the ball literally hit him in the back of the helmet. Maybe if he actually peeked over his shoulder once in the game, he could make a play on the ball. On the other side, Diggs is all or nothing. If he’s not picking off a pass, he’s a liability in coverage and he’s been getting toasted quite a bit lately. As for the defense in general… They would be awful without Parsons. He is the only player on that unit who has a nose for the ball and can tackle with consistency. This squad plays fundamentally bad football all the way around and it’s starting to look like they are going to be another one and done playoff team.
All good comments everyone. Stay healthy on both sides of the ball of course. But learn how the referees are calling the game and play accordingly. Hope they are consistent for both sides. Just as in strike zones in baseball. Get hot at this time in the season. Hope we are all saying at the end., How bout them Cowboys!. Best of all to all of you.
I’m glad somebody is talking about the secondary they are bad. Without the pass rush we’re toast. Dak needs to calm down. Maybe he isn’t physically up to par yet. He misses a lot of easy throws and holds the ball to long..get rid of it Dak. Penalties are out of control also from the lineman. Going down that rabbit hole again..I hope not.
That group of refs should be censured.
Dak needs to start fast,hopefully having our de’s back makes the secondary better. At least the eagles lost. We’re still in it
Let’s get excited for our starting defense back along with our star receivers. Let’s stop playing ghost of Christmas pass and blaming and pointing fingers like my 5 yr old son. Coaches just get it right now. No excuses or else
Getting two all pro players on defense and two on offense back on the field will help us turn the corner. No doubt about it.