Pressure, Prescott or Peers? What ails the Cowboys’ offense the most?

The Cowboys’ passing attack is struggling but is Dak Prescott to blame or the offensive line? | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys stand an even 1-1 entering Week 3 and yet it feels like things are borderline disastrous in Big D. Coming off a 44-19 loss to the underdog Saints, the panic is understandable. The Cowboys were utterly humiliated at home for the second time in as many games there. The defense once again imploded to a Shanahan-schemed offense and the offense spit and sputtered their way into a near meaningless existence.

Much has been written about the Dallas defense and their many deficiencies this season. The Cowboys’ irresponsible handling of the defensive tackle position combined with the players’ front-runner tendencies and total lack of discipline is enough to populate a novel in and of itself. Its complete ineptitude has allowed the offense to skate by in some of the scrutiny this week when really it deserves an equal share.

Some may be surprised to hear that the Cowboys offense has quietly limped itself to a No. 24 ranking in 2024. The absence of a respectable running game certainly plays a part, as does the slow development of the many young Dallas receivers, but the bulk of the blame falls on the offensive line’s inability to handle pressure, and the quarterback himself.

Standing just 0.001 point ahead of the hapless Giants in total EPA/play and last in the entire NFC East in EPA/dropback, the Cowboys’ vaunted passing attack has begun the new season a shell of its former self.

Their struggles with pressure this season is, in many ways, to be expected. The Cowboys rebuilt two-fifths of their offensive line using 2024 draft picks. One of the picks was regarded as a project player and the other was asked to move to a position he’s never played before.

Cooper Beebe, the center, has gotten off to a solid start. He’s handled the transition to the middle well and has plus potential in both phases of the game. The left tackle Tyler Guyton isn’t off to such hot start. Mike McCarthy has done a solid job of protecting Guyton as much as he can, but the rookie can’t get help all the time. Terence Steele’s struggles at right tackle haven’t helped things either, since Steele is still more liability than asset in pass protection. The combination of Guyton and Steele has understandably put Dak Prescott’s head on swivel.

Prescott isn’t just getting standard pressures but he’s facing the most quick-pressures in the NFL as well. With six unblocked pressures occurring in less than 1.5 seconds, the offensive line has been suffering significant pass protection breakdowns.

Prescott isn’t without blame. The NFL’s highest paid player is 21st in completion percentage above expected. For reference he was top 10 in the NFL just a season before. Some of that performance can be linked to the pressure, but even when he’s not under pressure he’s been less than his previous brilliant self.

Prescott’s -0.262 EPA in overall non-pressure situations ranks 31st in the NFL; just a hair above Bryce Young. His play from inside a clean pocket (non-rollouts) isn’t much better, earning a similar ranking at the bottom of the league.

Some of this can be ascribed to PTSD since pass protection breakdowns can have carryover effects. Too many pressures can make even the coolest QBs permanently skittish in the pocket.

No one escapes the blame in Dallas right now. The Cowboys’ offense is struggling in all phases, and everyone seems responsible. Maybe a scheme change can fix things. Maybe a strategy change is needed. Maybe a larger sample size is all that’s needed and things will just bounce back on their own. But for anything to improve the offensive line has to handle their pressure better and Prescott simply has to play better.

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