Dallas can’t be faulted for its ability to keep audiences entertained. Their recent 47-9 hammering from the Lions may have come across more like viewing The Substance rather than Love Is Blind, but the image of the Cowboys getting defeated on their own grounds still makes for compelling television.
The Cowboys, who last celebrated Super Bowl victory nearly three decades ago, have had their share of lows. However, this Sunday’s defeat felt like hitting rock bottom. It could be considered as the team’s most disastrous loss since 2010 and at home since the days of Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith were over. Is this the ideal moment to point out that the match coincided with the 82nd birthday of the team’s owner and general manager, Jerry Jones?
Jones usually has to wait until the dawn of a new year to witness his team’s annual collapse. This time around, he experienced the frightening spectacle before Halloween.
Not so long ago, Dallas Cowboys were perceived to be serial contenders. With a roster replete with young talents and game changers in both the offence and defence. They hit the jackpot in the draft which included the likes of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons. They seemed ready to lay to rest some of their playoff ghosts. However, the loss to the Lions leaves them appearing like a team fortunate to even contemplate a postseason. Their year’s performance is 3-3, with narrow victories against the Giants and Steelers. A couple adjustments – a fumbled play here, a botched return there, and they’d be sitting at 1-5.
The defeat on Sunday was more about the way it occurred rather than the loss itself. The Cowboys were left disoriented by Detroit, on both defensive and offensive terms. Without Parsons, who was out with an injury, the Cowboys were unable to hassle Jared Goff. Their defense against running, which had proven weak throughout the season, stood no chance against the leading offensive line in NFL. Much like their Week 3 loss to the Ravens, the Cowboys were overpowered, failing to halt the run or safeguard Prescott. Any chance of drawing a victorious comeback concluded as the third quarter set off with Goff passing to Jameson Williams for a 32-yard score. Following this, Detroit occupied the rest of the game toying with their opponents and fruitlessly designing a touchdown for their offensive line. It was tantamount to being bullied.
Loss is one thing, but the repetition of public shame at home, especially in a season that began with the Cowboys anticipated as champions, is significantly more grim.
In reality, this defeat had been brewing for five months. The chaos was rooted in the offseason decisions. The Cowboys withdrew from free agency, relying on internal improvements and the draft. The resulting team has a lopsided roster, deficient in talent, and is overly reliant on a few star players to navigate through matches. The NFL has never functioned that way. Although star players can lead a team to playoff success, teams with a deep roster steadily gain victories in October and November. Depth is cultivated in three ways: successful evaluations in the free agency and the draft or possessing a coaching staff that can enhance the existing players in the roster.
For the Cowboys, the bet was on the latter, and evidence of the strategy’s failure emerged in just six weeks.
Following the disaster of the previous season’s playoffs, it was clear that the Cowboys’ strategy had stalled. The offseason provided an opportunity to kickstart a revival, either by invigorating the roster or changing the coaching staff. However, Jones opted for neither. The Cowboys retained their valued assets and persisted with head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.
Jones’s strategy, as much as it could be identified, involved creating an all-star team of grumbling old-timers to direct his squad. When Dan Quinn made his exit for Washington’s main coaching gig during the offseason, Jones pulled Mike Zimmer out of retirement to manage the defence. Retaining Zimmer mirrored the decisions to hold onto McCarthy and Schottenheimer. The idea was to go for a no-frills strategy with the belief that these veterans would instil toughness and discipline in their players. The sparkling talents on the field would bring some glamour, propelling the Cowboys to yet another postseason.
Contrary to expectations though, the Cowboys are giving the impression of a dwindling species in the football realm. In the offense, there isn’t any smooth sailing, which deprives Prescott of opportunities for easy completions. Defensive-wise, the Cowboys are playing a weak game, a grave offense for a Zimmer-led squad. Moreover, both teams persist in showing an alarming lack of discipline. The myriad issues include open lanes for opposing running backs, shattered coverage plans, overlapping receivers, and pre-game penalties.
The responsibility for these shortcomings lies squarely with Jones. Though he carries the title of general manager, he is not by any means immersed in scouting for new talent or handpicking recruits. However, he does have the final say on critical decisions. It was Jones who opted to reinstate McCarthy and Schottenheimer to handle the offense and approved the appointment of Zimmer. He chose to sit out the free agency period and generously extended contracts for Prescott and Lamb, all the while setting aside funds for a future deal with Parsons.
The current state of affairs points to the fact that Jones’s construction is on shaky grounds, as it was glaringly evident on a particular Sunday.
Now turning to the player of the week, the spotlight is on Jordan Love, the Green Bay Packers quarterback. The Packers proved their mettle in a convincing 34-14 victory over a seemingly inferior Arizona. Not only did Green Bay’s defence pull off a commendable performance by causing and recovering three fumbles, their offense, under Love’s strong hand, is looking promising as well. Love threw four touchdowns, covering 258 yards against the Cardinals. Displaying a good range, precision, and decisiveness, he reached out to different parts of the field, managing to connect with nine different players.
Throughout the current season, Arizona’s defence has been quite active and peculiar in their strategy of unsettling the rival’s quarterbacks, in order to compensate for a gap in talent. However, against Love, their strategies fell flat. In his second spell as a leading player, Love is demonstrating an enhanced level of confidence. He is now adroit in the areas of the game he used to find tricky such as managing pressure and targeting the centre of the field. Coupling this with his inherent ability to make plays, Love has become a formidable quarterback who can navigate any challenge.
The highlight of this week’s statistics was the astounding 594 yards covered by the Buccaneers. Their 51-27 triumph over the Saints, crowned with a record-breaking total offence, is the best any team has clocked this season, surpassing the Falcons’ 550-yard endeavour against the Bucs the previous week.
This remarkable performance draws on the team’s reinvigorated running game. After a disappointing start in the first months of the season, Tampa’s ground game has bounced back in the last fortnight. Their prowess was on full display against New Orleans, clocking a staggering 277 total rushing yards. The entire team played their parts: Sean Tucker ran for 136 yards in 14 carries, Bucky Irving sprinted for 81 yards from 14 carries, receiver Sterling Shepard added 31 yards from his four carries, and Baker Mayfield managed 29 yards in three scrambles. With an average of 7.9 yards per carry, the team notched up four runs of over 20 yards and two of over 30 yards. Given their recent upturn in form, the Bucs can compete with the best in the volatile NFC.
In the meanwhile, it’s a gloomy atmosphere in Cleveland, except for the shining light that is Myles Garrett. The proficient defensive player was the significant contributor to Cleveland’s only touchdown in their 20-16 defeat to the Eagles, blocking a field goal that was scooped up by Rodney McLeod Jr for a score.
The practice of blocking field-goals by dragging the snapper down to create a gap for another player to leap across the line of scrimmage has become an increasingly popular tactic in the NFL. Originally demonstrated by the Giants in a game against the Seahawks, it has quickly been noted as a strategy that’s nearly impossible to dodge. Especially when the crafty manoeuvre is executed by players like Garrett, the outcome is usually successful. However, there are concerns within the league that this strategy may soon be regulated.
Around the NFL, other games have also had their noteworthy moments. The Texans enjoyed a commanding 41-21 victory against the Patriots. For the Patriots, this was softened by the impressive debut of Drake Maye, who proved more successful than Jacoby Brissett, throwing three touchdowns in his first start compared to Brissett’s season total of two. Despite being a rookie behind the weakest offensive line in the league and battling a league-leading defensive team, Maye managed to weave in a couple of interceptions and finished a noteworthy 30-yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte right before halftime. While the Patriots may face many losses this season, Maye’s first start provided a glimmer of hope for the team’s future.
However, injuries continued to mar the league’s victories, with the Lions’ triumph being overshadowed by a heavy blow to their star player Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson suffered a broken tibia, an injury that resonated significantly with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who had his season cut short by a similar injury in 2020. Prescott was seen consoling Hutchinson as he was carried off the field, and later explained that he understood the comprehensible confusion, hurt and shock Hutchinson was enduring. He mentioned he plans to further reach out to Hutchinson during his recovery period.
♦ This season, the Chicago Bears have adopted an unconventional strategy with their new quarterback, Caleb Williams. The rookie was given complete liberty of the offense, playing in one of the broadest schemes in the league. The method backfired in the initial two weeks, but since then it seems he’s shaken off the early season nervousness. By bringing the run game into focus and relying on Williams’ rhythm in ball throwing, the offense game has significantly improved. In a previous Sunday game, spectators got a taste of Williams’ true talent that emerged during his time at USC, as he created magic outside the pocket. The Bears defeated a disheartened Jacksonville Jaguars by 35-16. Williams demonstrated his skills further by outmanoeuvring the Jacksonville defense with his precise ball control; achieved by throwing four touchdowns and 226 yards, and running an additional 56 yards. With his efficiency in the recent games, he’s proven he can play professionally. Sunday’s match against the disorganised Jags defense showed a glimpse of Williams’ potential: a quarterback who can thrive in and out of structure.
♦ The Jaguars will stay in London for another week, playing against the Patriots. Traditionally, a coach with negative criticism gets dismissed post an overseas loss. It raises the question of what Jacksonville intends to do with Doug Pederson after losing to the Bears. The defeat personified a display deserving a sacking, reflecting a coaching staff bereft of ideas. Consecutive weeks in London could add complexity to this decision making. Do they send Pederson back to Florida or retain him for another week to get a win over the Patriots? The decision could cause an uncomfortable time during team breakfasts.
♦ In other news, Michael Pittman Jr of the Colts, despite being expected to be taken off the field due to a back injury, expressed his wish to play in Sunday’s game. Ultimately, he became the game-changer in a challenging 20-17 victory over the Titans. He caught just three balls but contributed substantially in crucial situations. A prime demonstration of his determination was snatching a catch amid heavy traffic despite his lingering back injury.