Dallas Cowboys – Road Despair
Everyone knows the Dallas Cowboys have a talented roster, full of potential All-Pro’s, and even a hall of fame or two. One thing nobody has a clue about however, is why the Dallas Cowboys can’t seem to find a way to win football games on the road. One more thing is clear, if the Cowboys want any semblance of a successful Winter campaign, they’ll have to figure out how to put wins up when they’re outside of AT&T Stadium.
What is the consistent ‘key’ for the Dallas Cowboy’s despair as the visitor this season? Admittedly, I am a Cowboys fan, so I dove deep on this one. If you’re not an analysis person, this one may be a little much. So, I watched the Dallas road losses from this season (all of their losses are) and put together a few thoughts on where they fell short… other than the score, obviously.
Week 3 – Arizona Cardinals (16-28)
This week 3 shocker was the first exposure of the Dallas run defense which will appear as a common theme for their shortcomings this year. The Dallas Cowboys defense surrendered 222 rushing yards on 30 carries including two rushing scores, one of which was a 45-yard explosive run by WR Rondale Moore. Teams who can run the ball on Dallas have a massive advantage for two reasons. One, they control the clock. This is one of the most obvious principals in football. Two, a rushing attack eliminates the effectiveness of the Dallas Cowboys pass rush, which is their defensive strength,
The Dallas pass rush only sacked then Cardinals QB Josh Cobbs twice in this game, mainly because the Cardinals kept the ball on the ground for so long. Dobbs only had 178 net passing yards in this game. Overall, the Dallas Cowboys outgunned the Arizona Cardinals 418 to 400 in total yardage. However, a lethal rushing game beat the Cowboys for the first time but not for the last.
Week 5 – San Fransisco 49ers (10-42)
This one was a total outclassing. The Niners dominated in all aspects of this game; however, their rushing attack was at the tip of the spear. The Niners had 42 rushes for 170 yards, dominating time of possession 37:05 to 22:55. Dallas’ offense also gave up 25 first downs to the Niners offense, most of which were on the ground.
In yet another example of the long-reaching effectiveness of the rushing attack, Dallas’ vaunted pass rush was held to just one sack during the matchup, largely rendering the Dallas Cowboys primary plan of attack useless.
The theme continues on…
Week 9 – Philadelphia Eagles (23-28)
This one was actually a tight contest and has since proved to be an avenged road loss. At the time, the Eagles were on a roll and proved to be just a little too much for the Cowboys on the road. The Eagles did out-rush the Cowboys 109 to 73, which isn’t too bad and the time of possession went the Eagles way by 30 seconds.
Both teams were evenly penalized (10 and 10) and Dallas actually dominated the Eagles in overall yardage (406 to 292). What cost the Dallas Cowboys in this game was the timing of the penalties and the timing of turnovers. The Cowboys haven’t had a turnover problem this season, however they are the league’s most penalized team. Penalties kill drives, which eventually kill games, especially close road games.
Week 15 – Buffalo Bills (10-31)
Dominance by the Bills on the ground… plain and simple. The Bills out rushed the Cowboys 266 to 89. Once the Bills figured out their rushing attack would be all they’d need, it was over. Buffalo only had 85 net passing yards! However, that long reach of the rush got Dallas again, not allowing them to dominate the pass rush. It also kept the ball away from the explosive Cowboys offense, losing the time of possession battle 35 to 25.
Five Dallas penalties to Buffalo’s one was also a major pain for the consistency and rhythm of the Dallas attack. You can’t get in a good groove when you don’t have the ball and when you’re constantly going in reverse, especially following explosive plays.
Up Next – @ Miami Dolphins (10-4)
Something has to turn around fast for the road version of the Dallas Cowboys. Up next, they’re on the road against a dynamic and explosive Miami Dolphins offense. An offense that happens to have the NFL’s leading rushing touchdown scorer RB Raheem Mostert. Miami also has the NFL’s number one overall leading offense. The Dolphins average 6.6 yards per play and have scored a league high 441 points this season. Throw on top of all of that, the fastest and most explosive player in the league, WR Tyreek Hill, and it’s clear the Cowboys have their hands full on Christmas Eve.
Defend the rush and knock off the penalties. Or exit early… again.