Dallas Cowboys Offense Problem: Is Dak Prescott Too 'Greedy'?
FRISCO - To Dak Prescott's credit, when he is diagnosing what might be wrong with the Dallas Cowboys offense - which he is doing even after Thursday's NFL Week 13 27-17 win at the Saints - his evaluation always starts with self-evaluation.
"It's frustrating on my part," Prescott said of some of his misfires and miscalculations in the win. "I think just being greedy in some of the reads, trying to put the dagger in them, I guess you could say, rather than just continuing to play through the play and play through the drive."
"Greedy''? Context is required.
What Prescott is saying, in a sense, is that as the Cowboys were playing a third game in 12 days while trying to overcome a COVID outbreak, and had an outmanned Saints team on the ropes ...
And he kept trying to throw a knockout punch that never quite landed.
"I mean, a win is a win. It means a lot," Dak said, with more accuracy than he sometimes demonstrated on his 26-of-40 (for 238 yards) ni. "The adversity we've had, we've faced coming off the last two weeks and then coming in this week and being hit with the COVID, losing the head coach this week. So many people stepped up."
Nobody is ignoring the flaws of this team, or, more specifically, of the flaws of this team in this game. The rushing attack has disappeared, with Tony Pollard's 58-yard TD burst creating a statistical illusion. Conversions were a problem, as Dallas was an absurdly poor 2-of-13 on third down. The Cowboys punted seven times and had five three-and-out possessions.
Fortunately, Dallas' defense handled its business, starring on national TV with four interceptions and a defensive touchdown.
"That's complementary football," Prescott said, using one of his (and absent COVID coach Mike McCarthy's) favorite cliches. "When we're not doing well, they're going out there and continuing to get us the ball back. They played their asses off."
Prescott is convinced that Dallas' offense will eventually do the same. The third possession of the game provided a glimpse of how the weaponry and balance can work when the Cowboys drove crisply on an 80-yard possession, on six plays, with a 41-yard catch by Amari Cooper, a 33-yard catch-and-run by CeeDee Lamb, and finally a Michael Gallup posterization catch for TD.
The Cowboys, having again taken control of the NFC East, now have 10 days before playing again, at Washington, meaning an opportunity to take more control in the future ... and an opportunity to put struggles in the past.
"It's good to be past this,'' Prescott said. "Obviously, (last month, when Dallas lost three of four) didn't go the way we hoped and planned it out. But, sitting at 8-4, top of the division with a chance to get rested and recovered this week, we'll put ourselves in a good spot as we hit these next five. And we'll hit them the right way."
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