Watching the Dallas Cowboys beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 40-7 was undoubtedly fun for Cowboys Nation. There were not many positive expectations for the Cowboys heading into this game but both the defense and offense put on impressive performances at home in an attempt to remain serious contenders within the NFC East.
We learned a few things about the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday as they beat one of the top defenses in the NFL. Let’s talk about in this week’s edition of Takeaway Tuesday!
Cole Beasley Is Your Interim WR1
The Cowboys have yet to find their #1 wide receiver, but Cole Beasley is making a serious statement looking like the most reliable target in Dallas. Being 5’8 and a slot receiver doesn’t really help Beasley’s case to be the #1 guy, but he’s making plays.
Last Sunday, he was the only wide receiver on the team with more than one catch. The other player with more than one reception was Geoff Swaim, who only got his hands on the ball twice. Beasley finished the day with nine receptions for 101 yards and two touchdown catches. The Cowboys need other WRs to step up but in the meantime, let Beasley put the sauce on opposing defenses. Hopefully he continues to hurt defenses like he did versus the Jaguars’ feared secondary.
The team still needs a guy who can be a consistent threat on the outside, though. Third-round rookie Michael Gallup could develop into that, but he isn’t there yet. We’ll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, it’s all Beasley.
Bright Future for the Defensive Line
Blake Bortles was sacked three times by the so-called “Hot Boyz” last weekend. To be quite honest, the future for this defensive line looks brightest than it ever has. The return of Maliek Collins and David Irving to the field were desperately needed for this defense to take the next step. Collins and Irving were somewhat limited, but their snap counts will surely increase as the season continues.
Randy Gregory also got limited snaps versus the Jaguars, but he was able to make an impact either way. He finished the day with one sack, two hits and one QB hurry. I can’t wait until these guys’ snaps increase. This should be a very scary unit for opposing quarterbacks.
Dak Prescott’s Stats Don’t Reflect His Performance
The Jaguars are the best defense this team has faced and yet it’s been the offense’s best performance. Dak Prescott’s passing stats may not look great, but his play was. Even though he failed to cross the 200 yard mark on the air, he rushed for 82 yards and kept Jacksonville’s defense honest. Dak has faced a lot of criticism this year and will likely continue to do so.
Even still, we’ve seen him ball out on various occasions now. Dak can play. He may not be an elite passer, in fact he’s far from being that, but he can make this offense work if they play to his strengths.
We’ve heard players talk about “turning the corner” in Dallas. Cowboys Nation should hope that is the case. What’s more frustrating than watching an offense being unable to move the chains and score touchdowns, is knowing they could do it with a better execution and play-calling. Thanks to players like Dak, Ezekiel Elliott and Cole Beasley, there’s a silver lining for the Cowboys’ offense.
Inconsistency is the Problem for Cowboys
Simply put, this is not the team we had witnessed in the first five weeks of the season. Even in the two prior wins this year, the Dallas Cowboys had not looked dominant at all. Specifically the offense. They hadn’t faced a defense as tough as the Jaguars’, but they were able to drop 40 on them. Now granted, they did it with the help of the defense, but still. We hadn’t seen this version of the Cowboys.
Even with a 40-7 win over the Jaguars, it is tough to imagine Dallas will keep this up as the season continues. Hopefully, they do and I’m wrong about this. They need to be more consistent if they want to end up surprising the NFC East and walk away with the division title.
Although they got the big win, they still left points on the field and fail to execute for touchdowns in the second half. Even when the defense forced turnovers. In close games, this cost you wins in the NFL. The Cowboys can’t afford to lose many more games, even in a weak division.
