6 good signs for the Cowboys heading into the playoffs.
The Dallas Cowboys are doing well. They dispatched the Washington Commanders 38–10, demonstrating their decisive approach to business. This, most obviously, gave them the #2 seed in the NFC, guaranteeing them a home game to begin the playoffs and, should they get past the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round, at least one more. Some elements, though, that might hold and help them advance in the postseason are less obvious. Here are some more nuanced takeaways from the season finale that go beyond just statistics.
The head coach got it almost perfect
Mike McCarthy has made his share of blunders this season, but this may have been his best coaching job all year. While we always focus on what happens during games, the job of the head coach covers the entire week. Preparation is perhaps the most important thing in his job description. This was a major task for the Washington game. While the previous week had put Dallas in great position, the narrow, controversial win over the Detroit Lions was not really enough to inspire great confidence in the team’s recovery from the back-to-back losses the preceding weeks. It was important to have the team focused on playing well and setting the tone entering the playoffs.
There was also the fact that the Cowboys could back into the NFC East title even if they lost. That could have happened as the Philadelphia Eagles continued their tailspin, not even coming close to winning their game over the New York Giants. McCarthy deserves a ton of credit for having his team primed and pumped for the last game. That is something he will need to continue.
Then he conducted something of a master class calling the offense. Playing outdoors in dicey weather is something that has often gone poorly for Dallas. It was a windy, cold game, but that hardly hindered the Cowboys. They not only put up a big score, they moved the ball with great efficiency. They had 31 first downs. In a lot of games, they have had to rely on converting third downs, but they only faced ten the entire game, with a 60% success rate. They also had one fourth-down conversion. Nine of their first downs were the initial plays of drives. A little quick math shows that they got the other fifteen first downs on early downs, which is a great showing. Things were going so well, Bryan Anger never had to punt.
While having your offensive guys on fire certainly helps, McCarthy deserves praise for setting them up for success. The only possible critique is that he could have introduced Cooper Rush and the other backups sooner. Presumably, he wanted to make sure Dak Prescott and the other starters were ready for what lay ahead. Prescott was well-protected throughout the game, so it was a judgment call that might have been justified.
Offensive line depth
It is great news that the starters will all be back together for the wild card game against the Packers.
That should not overshadow the impressive job done by T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman against the Commanders. Prescott never came close to being sacked, and Washington did not even register a single hit on him. There were also some very good holes opened up for the running backs. Coming into the season, offensive line depth was a concern. That looks a lot better now. The other offensive line backups also got some valuable reps once the starters went to the sidelines, including Matt Waletzko. Advancing in the playoffs often depends on quality depth, and it is starting to look like that may actually exist for the line.
QB1 was on fire
McCarthy called a masterful game, including the two-minute drill to score just before halftime, but the other half of that was a truly stellar game by Prescott. He completed over 80% of his passes for the fourth time this season, a new NFL record (although it did take the seventeen game season to get there.)
He also carried out the game plan for the windy conditions to perfection. He took almost no deep shots all game. He didn’t need to.
While the offensive line deserves praise for his protection, Prescott also did a superb job protecting himself with quick, accurate throws. This is really a great example of how the various elements all work together. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt to have your quarterback playing the best season of his career.
The running game is showing up at the right time
This has been a sorely needed element of the offense. While things are going to be harder against other playoff teams, we hope this is a sign of things to come. Dallas averaged 4.5 yards per carry, and there were far fewer failed early down rushing attempts in the game. Tony Pollard’s running chart is for once enjoyable.
Only four of his rushing attempts were failed ones. That is far better than we are accustomed to seeing. Pollard’s best series was the one he capped with a one-yard touchdown run. He had a run of nine yards early in the 71-yard drive, and the two plays preceding his score were for nine and twelve yards. Rico Dowdle added 46 yards in the game as well. Just as notable was that Prescott did not run the ball once. Again, the defenses are going to be a lot tougher going forward, but this gives opposing teams something more to account for.
Speaking of defenses…
After a deflection interception and a blocked field goal that was returned deep into Dallas territory, Washington only scored on short fields. The Cowboys defence shut them down entirely outside of those two series, allowing them to convert just two out of 10 third downs. Despite allowing three of the four fourth-down conversions, they held the Commanders to only 180 yards overall. That constituted dominance. They gained four sacks and prevailed three to one in the turnover fight.
While this was another case of flexing on a truly inferior opponent, it is what you expect from a good defense. The only negative was the injury to Stephon Gilmore, but reports are that the MRI on Monday showed no real problems and he is expected to be ready to play against the Green Bay Packers.
The streak ended
Brandon Aubrey didn’t just see his string of made field goals end, he failed twice. Once was a block he couldn’t have prevented, but the other was a clank off the upright. So why is this included in a list of good signs?
He returned in the closing seconds of the game and made a flawless 50-yard try to demonstrate that the obvious miss had not gone to his head. Though Aubrey hasn’t demonstrated any signs of succumbing to the same kind of mental collapse that seemed to befall Brett Maher the previous season, any potential pressure to continue a run has now dissipated. If the team needs him to make a field goal late in a playoff game, it’s a minor, even minuscule thing, but he should be totally focused. In that scenario, there is still no kicker that I would prefer have lining up.
All indications from the season finale are that Dallas is going to be confident and playing well in the playoffs. Against Washington, there were really no negative things to discuss. Add in they will be at home for at least two playoff games (if they win the first, of course) and the signs are very good indeed.
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