The Dallas Cowboys have faced a significant challenge in the form of the Shanahan-style motion offense, leading to their elimination from the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. Mike Zimmer was brought in to address this issue, but the team’s first attempt in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints did not yield the desired results.
They suffered a 44-19 defeat, with the defense allowing touchdowns on the first six offensive drives of the Saints. Dallas must find a way to overcome this trend.
In 2021, the 49ers eliminated Dallas, 23-17, with the Cowboys allowing 169 yards rushing, 4.4 yards per attempt. San Francisco dominated on the ground, throwing for only 172 total yards but controlling the game with a great rushing attack and elite defense. In 2022, the Dallas defense played well enough to win, losing 19-12, but the 49ers could run the ball when necessary. With the score 9-9, San Francisco went on two straight long scoring drives of 10 and 13 plays to go up by seven points and never looked back.
The real issues started in the 2023 season when Dallas began to have difficulty competing with offenses that ran Shanahan-style offenses.
The 49ers blew the Cowboys out 42-10, with Dallas allowing 170 rushing yards and letting Purdy throw for over 250 yards and four touchdowns. They lost a close game to a depleted Miami Dolphins team later in the season, the defense giving up the game-losing final drive as time expired.
The Green Bay Packers eliminated Dallas last season 48-32 in a wild-card game that wasn’t as close as the score suggests. Jordan Love threw for 13 yards per completion and a 157.2 QB rating, while Aaron Jones ran for 118 yards and three scores.
The NFC alone has the 49ers, the Saints, the Packers, and the Los Angeles Rams all running a motion-style offense that Dallas must adjust to in order to compete. The Cowboys face the 49ers in Week 8 and the Texans, who have Shanahan understudy Bobby Slowik as their offensive coordinator in Week 11 before any eventual elimination games in the playoffs.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast