Blogging The Boys
Many in Cowboys Nation are still stinging from what we watched on Sunday. It was that bad on its own merit, but especially because it raised some serious questions about Dallas going forward. Here are three big questions following the beatdown from the Bears.
Even if it’s only for a few games, Lamb’s absence could end this season before the halfway point. Let’s be real; we probably weren’t beating the Packers even if he played. But the next two games against the Jets and Panthers? That’s the softest point left on the current schedule. Dallas desperately needs those wins to keep this thing salvageable, and missing their best offensive weapon would make that task a whole lot harder.
Thankfully, George Pickens is an experienced number one from his Pittsburgh days. However, his chemistry with Dak Prescott is still a work in progress, and we saw how that often drove the ball towards Jake Ferguson in Chicago. That’s fine if the Cowboys are ever nursing a lead, but the current defensive issues make that unlikely. Dallas has to find ways to generate more big plays to counter what’s happening on the other side of the ball, and that means Prescott and Pickens have to become a more potent combination.
This is all the more important after the news of Tyler Booker’s injury, which will hurt the effectiveness of the run game we’ve enjoyed these first three weeks. The pressure on Prescott, Pickens, and the passing game is mounting at the same time they’ve lost their most important piece. That could make things very ugly this Sunday, and perhaps beyond.
Even if you think Matt Eberflus is the next Mike Nolan, he probably sees the end of the season. As we ride this thing out and hopefully see things improve along the way, what are some of the key things Flus can do to give his guys a fighting chance?
It comes down to one big choice: adjust the scheme to better suit the players, or swap players to better fit the scheme? Do you get Donovan Wilson down closer to the line of scrimmage, or do you start giving Juanyeh Thomas more run? When corners like Caelen Carson and Shavon Revel become available, do you see how they handle zone duties better than Trevon Diggs?
Another issue: where’s Osa Odighizuwa? After getting a handsome raise this offseason, the fifth-year DT has been invisible so far. Even non-biased observers had him breaking out in Eberflus’ defense, but those chirps have been replaced by crickets. Dallas had already hired Eberflus before re-signing Odighizuwa, so they knew the scheme he’d be playing in. They have to find a way to get more out of one of their highest-paid defenders.
The front office has said, more than once, that they’d consider using the Packers’ 2026 and...
