Fickle Cowboys leave fans in fugue state over team’s true identity in 2021

The tryptophan low from the Thanksgiving wine and turkey has long worn off, but many Dallas Cowboys fans were still walking in a fugue state yesterday, stunned by a run of ragged football that made them wonder what was reality, the sparkling 6-1 opening or the stumbling November run?

Thursday night’s 27-17 victory over the Saints may jolt some back into reality. Many injured Cowboys returned, and so did many of the qualities that propelled the Cowboys atop their division.

The receiver trio of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup worked together for the first time since opening day. Cooper shuffled in and out of the lineup, showing a lack of 60-minute stamina. He was present for an opening scoring drive where all three passed the big-play baton among themselves.

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Their presence coincided with improved accuracy from Dak Prescott, who logically showed more confidence in his primaries, and was bolder with his throws into traffic. One, a fourth-quarter laser to Lamb, whizzed past an unsuspecting Bradley Roby’s earhole into a window that wasn’t, until Prescott’s throw made it.

On defense Demarcus Lawrence reminded anyone who may have forgotten that he’s as big a pass-rush playmaker as Micah Parsons. Lawrence was a menace from his preferred left end spot, living in Saints quarterback Taysom Hill’s face. His reps, like Cooper’s, were limited, but his productivity augurs well for the future.

Lawrence and Parsons led a rush that forced four Saints interceptions, which chilled late Saints drives and ended a game that hung in question for too long.

But Doc, I Still Have These Dark Visions...

The good put Dallas back in the win column, and raised that possibility that the Cowboys next game, against Washington, could see them put the division firmly in their grasp.

But the game did not go far enough to convince the foggy faithful their bad November dream was simply that.

The run game continued to sputter. The cohesion and the speed the line showed through the New England win, when Tyron Smith went down with injury, was again missing. The line could coordinate on outside toss plays, and did so on Tony Pollard”s game turning 58-yard, third-quarter run, but the off-snap drive that made inside runs so effective in September and October once again went missing.

Combine this with a clearly injured Ezekiel Elliott and Dallas struggled to make significant gains on first-down and second-down runs. They were left far too often in third-and-long situations, and a game Saints secondary foiled many of these plays.

The line clearly misses its coach Joe Philbin.

The injuries that shuffled the line played a role in the run game’s decline, but the group lacks cohesion, now that all the projected starters are back in the lineup. The 10-day break may be vital for helping this group regain its spark.

A hallmark of the strong start was the line’s pace and cohesion. Look at the Chargers game, or the Patriots win and see a line that attacked opponents off the snap. Five men would launch, as if leaping from starting blocks. They would drive at speed and in cohesion.

Thursday, and in too many of the recent games, those drives were staggered. The full abandon was missing. The linemen seemed to hop forward, where they once ran. Their lines were uneven, and slanting opponents found space to slice up runs. One of Philbin’s task will be restoring the unity of these charges.

The poor production on early-down runs translated into Kellen Moore’s and his quarterback’s choices. Where Dallas could count on 2nd-and-5s or 2nd-and-2s, it now faced 2nd-and-8s and 2nd-and-10s. Moore could avoid third downs altogether in short situations by hammering his backs into a new set of downs. Even in 3rd-and-short situations, defenses had no assurance Dallas would throw. The Cowboys could run for first downs on draws and frequently did.

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Poor runs made Dallas’ offense and Moore’s calls, by extension, one dimensional.

New Orleans has a solid secondary and they made multiple third-down stops when they knew Dallas had to pass. Saints DC Dennis Allen mixed a higher ratio of blitzes than normal and his rushers forced errant throws. One diminished aspect of the Cowboys attack affected several others, in significant ways.

The coaching staff may also have to bite the bullet and give Elliott rest. Like many starters, he’s loath to sacrifice a down, never mind full series. But his bruised knee has taken his top gear. He’s clearly playing through pain and it may be his turn to take a brief seat, for his own sake and for the teams’.

Closer to the Sale, but Still Short of the Sale

Lawrence’s return gave the defense a major lift but it still needs attention paid to certain areas of play. The run defense may always be a decent-at-best proposition this season. The Cowboys and the Saints both discovered at roughly the same time that Hill lacked throwing accuracy. The quarterback smashed his passing hand into Dorance Armstrong’s face mask and damaged its middle finger during the second quarter.

Sean Payton initially tried using design to assist his quarterback, running from spread formations. In the third quarter, he realized Hill’s legs were his best weapon and went to power formations, running Hill wide against Dallas’ stacked fronts.

The tactic worked, between the 20s at least. Hill gained yards in chunks on a third quarter drive that drew New Orleans to within three points of the sputtering Cowboys. He kept moving the offense on designed runs but Dallas managed to spoil subsequent drives short of points. The defense foiled three consecutive Saints drives with turnovers in the fourth quarter, the last was a 30-yard interception returned for a score by lineman Carlos Watkins.

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The defense seemed it had found the perfect formula for closing a win, but then…

Indifferent tackling on a short Deonte Harris reception let the Saint wind 70 yards through the Cowboys’ secondary for a score, mere seconds after Watkins’ Pick-6.

This sequence summed the night.

Stretches of play recalled Dallas flashy wins. But other too closely resembled the Denver, Kansas City and Oakland losses.

Which is the dream? Which is the reality? We’ll have ten days to ponder that question, until the first Washington matchup will point us towards an answer.

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