The Dallas Cowboys are treading water more than halfway through the 2019 season. In today’s news and notes there’s a snapshot of the playoff picture, which as of now, has Dallas tenuously holding in a crowded and talented NFC field.
It shouldn’t have to be this hard. Especially in the modern NFL where offense is king. By any metric this version of the Cowboys offensive attack is as dangerous as any in the league. Unfortunately, while the offense is keeping them afloat there’s anchors doing their best to drag them under.
The Cowboys playoff hopes aren’t the only thing on the verge of being cancelled. That and more below.
Week 10 EPA Power Rankings: Cowboys knocked from top-offense perch :: Cowboys Wire
Another team with a young quarterback playing out of his mind has snatched the top spot in terms of offensive EPA. Still, the Cowboys are still held in high regard in this aspect, indicating that they’re better than the 5-4 record they’ve cobbled together so far. But at some point, as Bill Parcells liked to say, “You are what your record says you are.” All the analytics and underlying stats won’t be able to get a team into the playoffs.
–TT
Decoding Kellen Moore: How Cowboys stalled against Vikings despite Prescott’s finest performance :: The Athletic
The weekly must read breakdown from Bob Sturm. This week is a postmortem on the final three plays of the Cowboys’ penultimate drive. There’s no denying those plays are tough to look at but there’s palette cleansers in there too, with a review of what was likely the best performance of Dak Prescott’s career.
–TT
Michael Bennett on adjusting to Cowboys: After Patriots, learning any defense is easy :: USA Today
Bennett gives his thoughts on his time acclimating to the new way of life for him in Dallas as well as what the future holds past this season, which is murky. He also holds one of his defensive line mates in high regards, ranking him near the top with any player he’s ever taken the field with. That and more, including some background on the headline above.
–TT
Keith O’Quinn not endearing himself after ST blunder on frustrating night :: Cowboys Wire
The Dallas special teams unit is not good. The biggest culprit is the man who runs that aspect of the team, Keith O’Quinn. This had been largely swept under the rug for the last year and a half while the team had bigger fish to fry, but the fair catch gaffe from Sunday night is the spotlight to take a closer look into what O’Quinn’s unit is costing the Cowboys.
–TT
NFC Playoff Picture Week 11: Cowboys in danger of being cropped out :: Cowboys Wire
It’s times like these when a team has to be thankful for the division in which they play. No team is as grateful as the Dallas Cowboys who are getting lapped by the contenders in the NFC yet hold on to the No. 4 seed for the playoffs. If the Cowboys continue to find ways to lose games, however, that too will slip away.
–TT
Ellie Goulding threatens to cancel her Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show over Salvation Army concerns :: Dallas Morning News
In a story that’s not at all about what usually happens on a football field, the traditional halftime show may be facing some changes in Dallas. Ellie Goulding, the singer tapped to perform, has found herself in hot water with fans after an Instagram post touting the Salvation Army. Whether or not the show will go on as planned is unknown.
–TT
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