Are the Cowboys a second half defense? Maybe, or maybe not, but I would like to know why this defense keeps giving opponents so much help in the first half of games.
Through seven games, Dallas has allowed 95 points before halftime and 85 afterward. Ten points of difference doesn’t seem to be a big deal, until it is.
Having five third-down incompletions, and sacks erased by first-half penalties. That gets me to thinking.
We’ve watched games where the Cowboys played better after halftime against Green Bay and Philadelphia, but if we look at the entire season. You will see the opportunities this defense gives up before they get to the locker room and adjust.
The Cowboys Defensive Splits
Here’s the defense through the Philadelphia game:
In case you were wondering, the Cowboys faced 221 offensive plays in each half. So, with the same number of plays, the defense allowed 34 less yards after halftime.
Before anyone tries to call me out, yes, now the defense has faced a total of 442 plays on defense. But if you break down each game played, the total plays for each half is 221, it’s just a coincidence that they were equal.
All while the sacks and takeaways didn’t increase.
This leaves us with third-down, where opponents went from converting 57.8% of their attempts before halftime to 47.6% after.
I like the 10% drop, but the defense still gives up a first down nearly half the time, and those percentages don’t tell us the whole story of the possessions Dallas helped to extend.
Dallas Gives First Downs Away
Offenses Dallas faced got 16 first downs by penalty in the first half compared to four in the second.
I don’t know if we can call all of these missed opportunities because some flags added yards after the offense already got a first down.
I don’t like six of the third-downs. The Cowboys’ defense got an incompletion or sack wiped out by a penalty that gave the opposing offense a first down. Five happened before the half and one after.
I can give the Tampa Bay game as an example.
On third-and-five, Dallas got a sack for a 12-yard loss, then a defensive holding penalty erased it. Instead of a fourth-and-17, Tampa got a fresh set of downs and scored a touchdown.
Those are the kinds of things that bother me. The flag cost five yards on paper, but it also got rid of a sack and gave Tampa Bay another chance.
What If Dallas Played Like the Second Half All Game?
I wanted to see where Dallas would be if its second-half production could be a whole game.
I used all seven games, I doubled the second-half totals and divided by seven. The third-down percentage and yards per play stay the same.
If these stats were true, this would be a team sitting at 19th in points allowed, but sitting near the bottom of the NFL in just about every other category.
The rushing yards are what I think bother me the most. The number is lower, but just by 6.3 yards, going from 145.7 to 139.4. Which would be 29th. Still not good.
So, playing at their second half level would help a couple of areas, but all in all, the defense would still struggle.
The Last 2 Games Can Give Us a Little Hope
I found that in the Green Bay and Philadelphia games combined, the Cowboys allowed 31 first-half points and 13 second-half points.
In those games, the offenses the Cowboys faced converted 10 of 14 third downs in the first half and six of 16 after. While Green Bays yards dropped from 225 to 93 in the second half.
Do these two games show progress?
I mean, in the Philadelphia game, the Eagles opened the half with a 17-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that took 9:16 off the clock. That doesn’t look good.
I can give Dallas credit for its recent, slight, improvements, but I’m not giving this defense its flowers because what came before was awful.
The only thing I can say is, stop handing out first downs. Make your opponents earn the yards. When this team gets an offense into third-and-long, finish the play without a penalty.
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