Here is the play right before the Prescott fumble on second-and-11 — another attempted run from under center with Elliott. This is 11 personnel and the Cowboys just needs a little something here. Instead, we are back to asking Schultz to deal with Jones. How they came back to this again is a real marvel, because the results are exactly the same. Schultz — or any tight end on the roster — can’t block Jones and that kills another run.
There are plenty of issues with this offense as Prescott missed some real opportunities for sure. But, the Cowboys cannot beat anyone with a running game that cannot get them 50 yards in a home game like this. Arizona is a blitzing team that wants to put massive pressure on your QB with deception and pressure that is combined with an aggressive disposition. But as I put on Twitter on Tuesday, this running game is not just bad, but roughly the worst in the NFL since Week 11 at Kansas City.
This TruMedia chart shows the past seven weeks on first-down runs (which is where most of the runs vs. a balanced defense will happen). Dallas is 28th or worse in many categories. It is literally 32nd in yards per rush — 32nd!
I realize that making Prescott into a piñata is quite a pastime around here — like Tony Romo before him. But, you cannot run the ball better than one single NFL team over two months? I can make a list of plenty of people to blame about that, but the quarterback will be well down the list.
If Kellen Moore is capable of being a top offensive coordinator (let alone a head coach), this cannot stand. Joe Philbin and Mike McCarthy have authored some excellent run offenses in their time in the league. The players up front are paid handsomely.
Again, this isn’t Arizona. This is Arizona, Washington, New York, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Kansas City. Everyone is stopping the ground game and it is making third down more difficult and the passing game does not need things to be more difficult.
This is absolutely an issue that can derail this entire train in the next few weeks. It is very bad.
Here are the individual RB breakdowns on first down during this seven-game sample and that isn’t very encouraging, either, with regards to the commitment to Elliott.
You should not have 21 more carries and eight fewer yards. You should not be 104th in yards per attempt. Changes might be the only answer and I fear that changes might not be in the cards right now.
We know how this is designed. We know that if you lose on first and second down, now your third down is third-and-long. This offense has demonstrated it does not destroy third-and-long often and thus, the mess compounds.
Then, you sprinkle in a game when you are rattled by your opponent’s pressures and here we are.
Our friends at NFL Next Gen did not make the pretty chart for this game, so here is the basic one with more dots. But you can see that other than the back-shoulder fade to Michael Gallup and the pass to Lamb in the fourth quarter, there was almost nothing deep enough. When you consider that the Cardinals played very little “two-high” (36 percent), I would argue the Cowboys did not put enough pressure on the Cardinals deep — which is often a byproduct of not thinking you had time with the blitzes.
Arizona brought 17 pressures and I would add to that there is another total because Arizona defensive coordinator Vance Joseph also brings “disguised pressures” which are not blitzes, but still four-man rushes. The difference there is Prescott doesn’t know which four because seven are lined up across the line and the other three drop. When it is run well, it is a very difficult defense to deal with. But, it is not personnel-driven. Arizona didn’t have many of its guys. So, to run that complex defense with many backups and still make the Cowboys look confused all day is impressive and disappointing.
Let’s end our session with three more snaps that told a story on Sunday, but not about the running game:
Additional film study
1Q – 7:46 – 1st and 10 – DAL 25 – D.Prescott pass incomplete short right to C.Lamb (B.Baker).
Moore has a lot of great ideas. The problem is that many of them are used as drive starters. A drive starter is the first play of any possession and the more you study these guys, the more you see coaches love to begin drives in certain ways. This one is not a horrendous idea, except that Arizona has Budda Baker and he has studied this closely. The idea here is to quick screen to Lamb, but the Cowboys seem to telegraph it because the other two players with him are McGovern and Jeremy Sprinkle (87). Given that neither guy is ever doing anything but blocking in this offense, what is Arizona supposed to believe is your plan? Lamb is the only skill player besides Elliott and now Elliott is out wide left — where he is never used as anything but a decoy. Dallas tries to catch Arizona unprepared, but instead, alarms go off in Baker’s head and he jumps this for a pick-six. Through no fault of anyone’s, he actually jumps it so fast that he overruns the play and Dallas is saved a humiliating result. But make no mistake, this rattled the Cowboys offense badly. It is in the banana stand if you want to see what being in your kitchen looks like.
1Q – 2:44 – 3rd and 9 – ARZ 25 – D.Prescott pass incomplete short right to A.Cooper.
This one was another killer. Dallas had third-and-4 before a false start made it third-and-9. The Cowboys are needing points late in the first quarter. Third-and-9 with your four targets getting to the sticks. Cooper gets wide open and Prescott misses him. Prescott was “off” on Sunday and these are the types of misses that make people question his health and mechanics. You cannot miss this throw in a game like this. We aren’t asking for perfect, but we are asking to hit a guy open on a 10-yard route on big third downs.
2Q – 14:36 – 3rd and 11 – DAL 30 – D.Prescott sacked at DAL 29 for -1 yards (B.Baker).
Next drive, the Cowboys see that Kevin Peterson (27) is covering Cooper quite a bit. This is not a matchup you can miss out on because Peterson has no business one-on-one with one of the best in the game. But here, third-and-11, and Cooper is immediately open for a go route. We can speculate whether this is a 70-yard touchdown or just a huge gain in the banana stand, but this is one of Prescott’s best routes to throw that they have connected on a thousand times. For reasons we can only assume are based on worrying about the blitzes — the Cardinals rush four including the slot corner — and drop four so it isn’t an easy read for a QB, but still. Trust your protection and do not miss out on a chance to allow Cooper to destroy a player in this mismatch. Instead, Baker sacks him and this was when I started to get the impression that the Cowboys were in some trouble.
I would argue the Cowboys did not put enough pressure on the Cardinals deep — which is often a byproduct of not thinking you had time with the blitzes.
Video evidence of what Sturm is saying here. Dak is not trusting his protection. Watch every play. Besides Schultz's despicable blocking, Dak's lack of poise in the pocket is what stands out to me. He mistakenly thinks pressure is coming so he prematurely takes the checkdown over and over again.
Chido’s lock downs of numbers 1s has been documented throughout the season. I know he doesn’t have 11 picks but he doesn’t rent 10 football fields worth of yards given up either
The run game is trash because teams are daring Fraudscott to beat them. Teams are selling out to stop the run and Fraudscott isn't talented enough to make them pay for it.
Chido’s lock downs of numbers 1s has been documented throughout the season. I know he doesn’t have 11 picks but he doesn’t rent 10 football fields worth of yards given up either
The run game is trash because teams are daring Fraudscott to beat them. Teams are selling out to stop the run and Fraudscott isn't talented enough to make them pay for it.
Vance Joseph had his boys playing aggressively, downhill. I don't think Toddler is capable of building a physical run game. He and Joe Philbin and also McCarthy have failed in this department. This offense cannot function without a run game.
Vance Joseph had his boys playing aggressively, downhill. I don't think Toddler is capable of building a physical run game. He and Joe Philbin and also McCarthy have failed in this department. This offense cannot function without a run game.
Low key, I can sense frustration building with the wide receivers. I can sense it in their body language and the way they're talking. Dak cannot throw a post or corner route. Defenses know this so they are leaving receivers open on these routes. This is why Amari said after the game we need get together as an offense and "figure out which plays we're comfortable with".
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