Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense clearly missed Tyron Smith on Sunday. With their veteran left tackle sidelined by a back injury suffered the week prior, the Dallas offensive line allowed Prescott to be sacked four times by the Dolphins defense in a 22-20 loss.
But sacks never tell the whole story, and they didn’t in Miami either, as Prescott was under near-constant pressure, taking another 12 official hits over the course of the game.
Prescott nevertheless managed over 250 passing yards and two touchdown throws and had Dallas in a position to win the game if not for a 29-yard Jason Sanders field goal as time expired.
“I thought Dak played a heck of a game the other night,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday. “He had pressure all night long. That had everything to do with not having Tyron, having to makeshift that offensive line, to some degree. Everybody has to do it, but I thought Dak handled it outstanding.”
Chuma Edoga filled in for Smith. The dropoff was… um… noticeable.
It looks like LT thought he was playing LG and had a LT outside him to assist. These are two incredibly rough processing moments to turn Chubb loose in the 4th Quarter on Dak's blindside. pic.twitter.com/lo7QjOQ7R9
— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) December 25, 2023
Prescott may be facing similarly intense heat this Saturday when the Lions come to town. Remember that thing about sacks not telling the whole story?
Detroit’s defense has registered just 34 team sacks this season, but they rank first in the NFL in QB hurries, third in QB pressures and fourth in QB knockdowns. And they’re doing it with a a blitz rate that’s firmly middle-of-the-pack.
All that means it sure would be nice to have their eight-time Pro Bowler back in the starting lineup. Jones sounded optimistic about the progress of Smith’s back rehab.
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“Hopefully, Tyron will come on around,” he explained. “We injected him last week, and that usually works. Hopefully, we can have him; he’s a huge difference-maker.”
And after back-to-back losses that have Cowboys fans suddenly very nervous about the team’s prospects in the postseason, a difference is desperately needed.
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