Dallas Cowboys: What Week 5 told us about America’s Team
The Dallas Cowboys achieved their ultimate goal by defeating the New York Giants this past Sunday. While the overall score of 44-20 suggests a strong performance, I am cautious to term yesterday's performance dominant. There are several reasons why I believe that not only can improvements be made, but that the game's mediocre moments from yesterday may be the best thing to come out of it.
Let me get this out of the way right away: it's the NFL, and you'll take any win you can get in this league of parity and unpredictability. Following a triumph, I can never complain too much. Following that, good teams look for ways to improve on a regular basis, which is why I believe the Cowboys are a good football team.
Sunday did show us certain areas where we should be concerned. The Cowboys' offense marched down the field for a two-minute drill score almost halfway through the first half, allowing a completely undermanned Giants team to stay even with them.
Week 5 demonstrated that the Dallas Cowboys are capable, but they still have work to do.
The Cowboys played down to their opponent's level against a squad that was without its starting quarterback, running back, and two receivers as early as the second quarter. Thankfully, the talent gap prevailed, but a half like that will see the Cowboys run out of town against playoff-caliber opponents. For a club with Super Bowl aspirations, that can't happen.
The Giants' only outside threat heading into Sunday was receiver Kadarius Toney. I talked about how he could be a player to watch before this game, and he was. On Sunday, the Cowboys' defense allowed the Giants' backup quarterback, Mike Glennon, to pull in 10 catches for 189 yards, the majority of which came from him.
I'm not sure the Cowboys will continue to run an offense with this much skill on the bench for the remainder of the season. To be the club the Cowboys want to be, they must be able to slow down the opposing side's top targets at the very least. Trevon Diggs, the cornerback, can accomplish a lot, but when teams plan to get their best targets on others, they must respond to the bell.
The Cowboys offense got off to a sluggish start. Dak Prescott's two uncharacteristic first-half fumbles limited the offense's ability to score additional points. Fortunately, the Giants were unable to convert on these turnovers for any scores, but a minus-2 turnover differential early in the game is not a game I want to play against more explosive offenses.
The first half of yesterday's game might have been a hidden godsend for the Cowboys. It appears bizarre and strange, but I believe it is exactly what they required for several reasons. First, despite missing opportunities, this team demolished a weaker opponent by scoring 44 points against them. The Cowboys, like all good teams, found a way to pull away.
Second, I'm not sure I want the Cowboys to be at their best right now. That isn't a viable option. Get the offensive gaffes out of the way, figure out which defensive tactics they like and dislike, and understand what it takes to start strong.
The NFL playoffs have seen the team that is hot at the appropriate time, not necessarily the greatest club, make a run time and time again. This club features a two-headed rushing attack, a passing game, and an opportunistic defense that, if put together at the proper time, could be dangerous.
Take the win, clear up the errors, but, in my judgment, flush this game and toss the movie. Sure, there may be some things to learn from the film, but as a former player, I don't think there's much to learn from it conceptually. Spend the time preparing and discussing what works and what doesn't on both sides of the ball.
The Cowboys played bully ball against a team that couldn't match up across the board, and although bully ball is necessary at times, execution is more often required. There are things to clean up and areas to improve, but the Cowboys may be lucky that those concerns have surfaced now, with 13 weeks remaining. It's a long season, and good teams improve, so the Dallas Cowboys should aim to make this game their new benchmark.
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