Tag: 2024 Week 3

The Forgotten Play: This unremarkable Mike McCarthy decision cost Cowboys vs Ravens

The comeback was furious but all for naught. If Dallas made a different decision in the third quarter, it might not have been. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys were terrible for about 50 minutes on Sunday afternoon. The final score reads 28-25, but about one-third through the fourth quarter, Dallas regained possession of the ball trailing by 22 points. They went on a furious rally, outscoring the Baltimore Ravens 19-0 in the period, but it was too little, too late.

The Ravens were able to convert two new sets of downs on the final drive after the Cowboys had cut it to three and from there Baltimore bled out the clock to secure the victory. Three touchdown drives and a converted onside kick made things close, but could things have been even more contested?

The Cowboys bypassed an opportunity to put three points on the board when they were being blown out, and they ended up losing by three points.

During the third quarter, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy made a safe decision when momentum wasn’t on his team’s side. In retrospect, a different decision may have put the Cowboys in a much better position late in the game.

Trailing 21-6 at the half, the Cowboys defense took the field after the break but still wasn’t able to corral the Ravens’ rushing attack. Derrick Henry raced for 26 of his 151 ground yards and getting into the end zone for a 28-6 lead.

Dallas took the ball back at their 29 with 11:58 remaining in the third quarter and marched into Baltimore territory before the drive bogged down. A Tyler Guyton hold on 1st-and-10 from the Ravens’ 29 effectively killed the drive. On 3rd-and-18, Prescott took a sack for a loss of 11 yards, pushing them back to the Baltimore 48.

Dallas decided to punt and the Ravens started a new drive at their own 11.

Why didn’t Dallas try for a field goal there? Earlier in the game, superstar kicker Brandon Aubrey nailed a 65-yarder with room to spare, kicking from just one-yard shy of the NFL record. Why wouldn’t McCarthy give Aubrey a chance to set the all-time record and inch a little closer?

Sure, at the time the game felt out of reach and the decision was almost assuredly from the perspective of Dallas needing a big play to get back in the game. Kicking the ball deep to pin the Ravens means a turnover gets possession deeper in enemy territory.

But if Dallas had kicked and made the field goal, everything about their fourth-quarter comeback changes. When Dallas scored their first fourth-quarter TD, the game is 28-15 with the extra point try coming.

ESPN’s fourth-down bot says that in as close a call as can be, punting the right choice; but it was an insignificant difference and one that doesn’t take Aubrey into account.

Aubrey definitely has a better than 25% chance of nailing the 67-yard field goal that is listed above, so with consideration for the Dallas talent, that would certainly have a bigger impact on Win Probability than the cookie-cutter wash shown above.

Dallas should’ve sent Aubrey onto the field, and the end of the game may have turned out differently.

Cowboys run defense creates crater of a deficit, comeback falls short vs Ravens, 28-25

Too little, too late as Cowboys’ furious fourth quarter comeback falls short in loss to Ravens. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Is it officially time to panic? The Dallas Cowboys wanted to prove to the world, but more importantly to themselves that last week was an aberration. It wasn’t. The team was blown out in their home opener, 44-19 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 but they had a chance to reverse course seven days later with the Baltimore Ravens coming to town.

After allowing 190 rushing yards to Alvin Kamara and the Saints, the two-headed monster of QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry made that effort look ambitious by comparison. The Ravens rushed for 274 yards on the game, bludgeoning Mike Zimmer’s embarrassed unit in every way imaginable en route to a 28-25 win.

The game came down to the wire, but this was after the Ravens ran out to a 28-6 lead they carried into the fourth quarter. Dak Prescott and the Dallas offense finally came alive, and aided by an onside kick recovery and some defensive stops, they gave themselves a chance scoring 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately, the defense wasn’t able to shut down the Ravens’ final drive, as a Jackson keeper on 2nd-and-9 gave themselves a fresh set of downs and the chance to run out the clock.

The loss drops Dallas to 1-2 on the season, with a quick turnaround trip to New York to take on the Giants on Thursday night.

Prescott finished with 373 passing yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers without much help from the running game. Once again Dallas had issues moving the ball on the ground and then game situation took the run off the table. They finished with just 51 rushing yards on 16 carries.

Cowboys Injury Updates: Mazi Smith IN vs Ravens for Week 3

A look at the inactives for the Cowboys and Ravens ahead of their Week 3 matchup

The Dallas Cowboys will have their interior defensive starter, for what it’s worth. Sporting one of the worst defensive tackle rotations in the league across the first two weeks, the club is already down some depth, with Jordan Phillips going on IR earlier in the week with a wrist injury. Things stood to get worse as starting 1-tech, Mazi Smith, missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a back injury. There was some improvement on Friday with Smith able to be a limited participant in practice, but he was listed as questionable and called a game-time decision. That decision has been made and Smith is active vs the Baltimore Ravens.

As for the players who won’t suit up, here are the Inactives for both teams:

  • QB Trey Lance (3rd QB)
  • CB Andrew Booth
  • LB Buddy Johnson
  • OT Matt Waletzko
  • TE John Stephens
  • WR Ryan Flournoy
  • DE Tyrus Wheat

Ravens Inactives

  • S Beau Brade
  • CB T.J. Tampa
  • OLB Adisa Isaac
  • C Nick Samac
  • OL Sala Aumavae-Laulu
  • WR Devontez Walker
  • DE Brent Urban

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Spy vs Spy: These 3 Cowboys defenders hope to minimize Lamar Jackson’s impact for Ravens

The Cowboys have three spy options for Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 3. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys are notoriously dreadful against dual-threat quarterbacks. They routinely give up massive gains on scrambles, critical conversions on third downs and undisciplined execution on designed read-options to athletic QBs.

Dallas’ heavy use of man coverage, specifically Cover 1 looks, only compounds the damage since cover cornerbacks are playing with their backs to the QB. These coverages probably won’t change with Mike Zimmer at the helm on defense.

Like Dan Quinn, Zimmer loves man coverage, and given the Ravens propensity to run, coupled with Dallas’ struggles to stop said run, the Cowboys will likely once again lean on Cover 1 in Week 3. That’s because playing with just one deep safety means Dallas gets an extra player in the box which is something the Cowboys could desperately use.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore’s explosive weapon at the position, isn’t just a good rushing QB, he’s by most accounts the best rushing QB in the NFL. The two-time NFL MVP is lightning fast with the ability to start and stop on a dime. He makes the other dual threats in the NFL look like they’re running in mud.

The Ravens utilize Jackson as one would expect – a runner. They frequently call designed runs, read options, zone reads, and even RPOs with a QB run element attached (RPO’s don’t inherently have run options for QBs attached).

Even the Ravens passing game leaves run options open for Jackson. Tuck-and-run is often his second read on plays so the Dallas defense will have to be prepared for a QB run every single down.

Normally this would spell certain doom for the Cowboys. That’s especially true coming off their embarrassing efforts in Week 2 against the Saints. But the Cowboys have a couple aces up their sleeves that could prove difference makers in Sunday’s showdown. They have DeMarvion Overshown and Marist Liufau.

The Cowboys’ two young linebackers are as explosive as it gets from the LB position. Overshown has a level of click-and-close that makes even Micah Parsons look mortal. Liufau is a hyper intelligent player known to play like his hair on fire for all 60 minutes. Both are positioned to serve as QB spys this Sunday. Both could be the difference maker in the Cowboys ability to stop Jackson.

There’s a debate raging over which one will be tasked with the job. Liufau is typically in base packages while Overshown is in for nickel packages. After shining like a star in Week 1, Overshown took the backseat in Week 2. The reason behind that is the Saints heavy use of 12 and 21 personnel warranted more base packages from Dallas last week.

Week 3 could bring a similar reaction from Zimmer since the Ravens have only played 11 personnel (3WR, which prompts nickel defense) 26.2 percent of the time this season. Unless Zimmer changes his packages, Liufau should expect the bulk of the snaps.

Dallas has also hinted at Parsons doing some spy work. Given Zimmer’s use of complicated and/or deceitful blitz packages, he could very well fake a pass rush and then drop Parsons into a spy role at times on Sunday. Based on what we know, Liufau will likely get the most spy opportunities with Overshown plugged in as a close second. Parsons or even a safety could be used in select situations behind them.

Will it be effective?

That’s anyone’s guess but the Cowboys seem to finally have some solid options on their staff who can successfully fill this role, which is much more than they’ve ever appeared to have in the past. Which spy on the Cowboys will be the biggest difference maker?

Everyone is about to find out.

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NFL Week 3 Injury Report: Final updates on Cowboys Jake Ferguson, Trevon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb vs Ravens

The Cowboys finalize preparations for the Baltimore Ravens’ visit, here’s a look at both team’s health status. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys are trending in the right direction when it comes to player availability for Sunday’s crucial early season contest. In danger of dropping to 1-2 on the young season, the Cowboys have a rather extensive injury report this week for having played just two games. Fortunately it looks like many of the players who have appeared on the reports throughout the week are preparing to play, including tight end Jake Ferguson who missed last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Dallas’ passing offense ground to a halt with only CeeDee Lamb giving the team much of anything until garbage time in the 44-19 blowout. Without Ferguson as a seam threat, the team bogged down once again, leading to four Brandon Aubrey field goals. Lamb missed practice earlier in the week, but it looks like both are going to be at Dak Prescott’s disposal against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

In fact of the 14 players listed this week, 11 of them have No Game Designation, meaning they are completely good to go. The other three players are listed as questionable.

  • WR Jalen Brooks (Ankle): Questionable
    Wednesday: N/A | Thursday: Limited | Friday: Limited
  • DT Mazi Smith (Back): Questionable
    Wednesday: DNP | Thursday: DNP | Friday: Limited
  • TE John Stephens (Hamstring): Questionable
    Limited throughout the week
  • WR CeeDee Lamb (Ankle): No Designation
    Wednesday: DNP | Thursday: Limited | Friday: Full
  • TE Jake Ferguson (Knee): No Designation
    Wednesday: Limited | Thursday: Limited | Friday: Full
  • S Malik Hooker (Shoulder): No Designation
    Wednesday: Limited | Thursday: Limited | Friday: Full
  • CB Trevon Diggs (Foot): No Designation
    Wednesday: DNP | Thursday: Limited | Friday: Full
  • DE Marshawn Kneeland (Calf): No Designation
    Practices in Full all week
  • RG Zack Martin (Knee): No Designation
    Wednesday: Limited | Thursday: Full | Friday: Full
  • WR Brandin Cooks, LB Eric Kendricks, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, DE Tyrus Wheat were all held out Wednesday for non-injury reasons

For the Baltimore Ravens, they will be without guard Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, who will be out for personal reasonss. WR Deonte Harty (Calf), OLB David Ojabo (Quad) and CB Nate Wiggins (Neck/Concussion) are all questionable.

https://twitter.com/toddarcher/status/1837228684144529620

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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Running backs don’t matter when they have to run behind this Cowboys OL

The Cowboys have plenty of reasons that their run game has been ineffective so far in the 2024 season, says @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys have the eighth-worst rushing attack in the league, averaging only 85 yards per game. It is easy to see the lack of talent in the running back room and blame that for why the performance is poor. Ezekiel Elliott, averaging only 3.5 yards per rush, is the only NFL running back with at least 10 attempts not to break a single tackle. Rico Dowdle isn’t much better at 3.7 an attempt, and Deuce Vaughn, who is supposed to be the explosive back in the room, is averaging only three yards a rush.

The running back room hasn’t been great, but a deeper dive tells a story that not many rushers would succeed in this offense.

In Week 1, the Cowboys faced 2023’s best defense at home in a healthy Cleveland Browns team. In Week 2, the Saints scored 21 points on their first 12 plays, and Dallas was so far behind on the scoreboard the team couldn’t run the ball. The team didn’t play games conducive to running the ball well in the first two weeks, and now the Baltimore Ravens, with the best run defense through two weeks, are up next.

Saquon Barkley would be limited in these situations; it isn’t a running back issue in these games.

Dallas’ offensive line is hardly helping matters this season, and Travis Frederick isn’t walking through the locker room door. Their first-round offensive tackle, Tyler Guyton, is ranked 62nd in run blocking. There are 64 starting tackles in the NFL, so Guyton is almost the worst starter in the league. Fellow rookie Cooper Beebe is ranked 22nd amongst centers, bottom third of the position. Their two All-Pro offensive guards, Tyler Smith and Zack Martin are shockingly bad at 32nd and 37th, respectively. Terence Steele is the one player doing well on the OL, 9th as a run blocker. Even when the line does its job, the run game is only impactful if all players are making blocks and the receivers on Dallas have missed the mark as well. Brandin Cooks is the 10th-worst run blocker at his position, and Jalen Tolbert is the fifth worst.

The running back position in Dallas isn’t ideal, but the worry about the team’s ineffective rushing attack shouldn’t be focused on upgrading that position yet. Trading draft capital for a running back only for him to be stuck in poor situations with bad blocking isn’t going to change anything, and that isn’t even considerig the play-calling. The Cowboys must show they can set the running back up for success before finding better backs to take advantage of it.

Cowboys Injury Report: Lamb, Diggs return to practice but will they play vs Ravens?

A look at the latest injury news as the Cowboys finalize preparations for the Baltimore Ravens’ visit. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys returned to the practice field Thursday, and they had a much higher participation rate than they did on Wednesday. Preparing for their matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon, the club welcomed back some star power to the fold, even if a sizable portion didn’t fully participate.

On Wednesday, the team hit the field without notable contributors such as WR CeeDee Lamb and CB Trevon Diggs, both missing Wednesday’s work with injuries suffered in their blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. Thursday saw their return, in a limited capacity. In addition, there was a step forward for some veterans who, thanks to a vet day off, got to heal some aches and nicks.

RG Zack Martin was among the group of four and the only one who also was listed with an injury. His NIR had a “knee” addendum, but he returned in full on Thursday.

TE Jake Ferguson, continued to be listed as limited as he tries to work back from his Week 1 MCL sprain. One of his backups, John Stephens, has been limited both days as he looks to make his 2024 season debut and is dealing with a hamstring injury.

The worst injury news is that DT Mazi Smith has been out both days dealing with a back injury. The team’s interior defenders got embarrassed against the Saints and really haven’t played well in either game. Jordan Phillips was moved to IR on Wednesday, amidst controversy that he doesn’t really have an injured wrist. The team signed former contributor Carlos Watkins in a corresponding move.

Here’s a look at the complete injury report from Thursday.