Cowboys vs. Bengals: Do Dallas Opponents Know Coach Kellen Moore's Plays?

The Buccaneers defense embarrassed the Cowboys offense on Sunday night. Was the running game too predictable? Did they know Dallas' plays?

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys 2022 season could not have gotten off to a more disastrous start on Sunday night. The offense sputtered, both in the passing game and running game, and starting quarterback Dak Prescott looked out of sorts even before his thumb injury.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense dominated the Cowboys' offense, allowing just three points, 71 total yards on offense, and kept Dallas on its own side of the field for the majority of the game.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott totaled 52 yards, Prescott scrambled for 11, while Tony Pollard - who many Cowboys fans think should take over for Elliott as the starter - managed just eight.

The Bucs' defense also sacked Prescott four times.

It was almost as if the Tampa Bay defensive guys knew the play calls before they happened.

Did they?

In a post-game interview, Bucs linebacker Devin White indicated that was actually the case.

"Last year we learned they really weren't going to commit to the run game ... and the runs they did they would try to run outside and not to the interior,'' White said. "We knew (their run game) going in, so we were able to attack it."

But wait - wasn't the Cowboys running game in Week 1 semi-successful?

Said coordinator Kellen Moore: "I really like the run game. I thought Zeke ran really hard, Tony as well. I thought we came off the ball really, really well. We had I think 11 five-plus-yard runs against that defense, which historically stops the run really well.

"With an extra guy in the box,'' he continued, "you draw a little bit more attention and we understand that aspect. We're going to have to adjust. I feel really good and hopefully we'll have things progressing.''

In the Jason Garrett era, the Cowboys offense was often criticized as being too predictable. Defensive players even boasted of calling out the play from the line of scrimmage before it happened.

Kellen Moore worked under Garrett. Is it possible he inherited that trait from his former head coach? Or is this simply something a winning team often crows about? Have you noticed: No team, in the history of sports, has ever bragged about "knowing their plays'' following a loss?

Elliott leans toward the latter.

"Honestly,'' he said of the Bucs' boast, "I haven’t seen them or heard them so I don’t know if I can completely comment on them. But we’re worried about this locker room. We’re worried about going out there and giving our best and doing what we need to do on Sundays. 

"This is Week 2. We can overreact if we want or we can take a deep breath and let this thing play out.''

Still, the Cowboys should have concerns, as the offense looked just as bad before the injury to Prescott as it did after.

Coach Mike McCarthy and Moore have this week to figure it out, as backup quarterback Cooper Rush will be under center for Dallas as the Cowboys play host to the Cincinnati Bengals - who themselves are looking for answers after a disappointing overtime loss to Pittsburgh- this Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT at AT&T Stadium.

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