State of the Cowboys: Bye week improvements we need to see

The Dallas Cowboys stand at 4-2 on the season as they head into a much needed bye week.

Usually teams would rather have their bye week come a little later in the season as opposed to Week 7 in October.

There are 11 games left in the regular season, and many things can happen between now and then where a bye week in Week 12 or 13 would be a welcome occurrence.

However, the Cowboys welcome the bye week now because there are a few areas of their game that needs immediate attention for the best possible outcome moving forward.

In their four wins, the Cowboys have outscored the New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Chargers by a total score of 138-30.

The two losses, however, have seen Dallas get outscored by a total of 70-26 by the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

Their latest game at Los Angeles, a win by the score of 20-17, is the only game thus far that has been decided by less than 12 points.

The four wins by an average margin of victory of 27 points have Cowboys fans flying high with pride.

On the other side of the coin, losses at Arizona and San Francisco have made fans feel like the season is over.

Especially after the deflating 42-10 defeat at the hands of the hated 49ers.

The glaring issues in those losses are what we will be focusing on today, and how improvement in those areas is paramount to ensure a successful season.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) talks with Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, right, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Passing Game

Per game average: 210.2
NFL Rank: 19th

You don’t have to see stats to know the Cowboys’ passing offense has been subpar.

Watching Dallas struggle to pass the ball in games has been tough to watch for a fanbase that is used to leading the league in nearly all offensive categories since 2021.

Dak Prescott appears to be hesitating, and it has led to being sacked 14 times in six games this year.

The introduction of the Texas Coast offense, a variation of the West Coast offense, has proven to have a large learning curve.

Gone are the days of the vertical passing game it seems, as Mike McCarthy’s new scheme is based on quick screens, slants, drag routes, and other mesh concepts that stretch the field horizontally.

Prescott’s completion percentage is way up, sitting at 69.5%, which marks the highest rate of his career so far.

However, his yards per game average sits at 222.2, the lowest mark since his second year in the league.

One could attribute the low yardage numbers to three blowout wins where the defense allowed a total of 13 points, rendering the pass unnecessary.

A deeper dive into the two blowout losses and the one close win, however, shows that the passing game is not what it needs to be.

Dak is still averaging just 224 yards per game in those three contests.

In a passing league, the passing game needs to be more explosive to keep up with the Eagles, Dolphins, and Bills on the schedule.

Dallas Cowboys and former North Dakota State running back Hunter Luepke (40) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Oct 1, 2023 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports

Red Zone Efficiency

Red Zone TD %: 39.1
NFL Rank: 26th

Another area where Cowboys fans are used to better efficiency is the red zone.

From 20 to 20, Dallas is one of the best offenses in the league when it comes to moving the football.

Once they get inside the 20 yard line, the offense is much less effective.

Dallas has converted only 39.1% of their red zone trips into touchdowns, down from a league leading 71.4% in 2022.

It’s difficult to determine exactly what the issue is, and why the offense has been so ineffective in the red area.

With a gauntlet of a schedule after the bye week, red zone touchdowns instead of field goals will be the difference between wins and losses.

Penalties

Despite the successes of recent seasons, one aspect of the game that Dallas has not played well in is penalties.

So far in 2023, the Cowboys have been flagged an astonishing 58 times, just two flags shy of the league lead held by the New York Giants.

What’s more concerning is that 20 of those penalties are of the pre-snap variety, second in the league behind the Carolina Panthers.

False starts on offense and offsides on defense have been the biggest culprits contributing to those 20 penalties.

As a matter of fact, Dallas has been the most frequently penalized team when it comes to defensive offsides.

The Cowboys have three players in the top 20 of highest individual penalties on the season.

Jayron Kearse, Tyler Smith, and Terence Steele have all been flagged four times each, with all four of Steele’s penalties being false starts.

The great teams that make it far in the playoffs don’t shoot themselves in the foot with penalties.

If Mike McCarthy doesn’t get his team discipline under control, we may not see this Dallas team go very far.