It feels like there’s a lot wrong with the Dallas Cowboys, and to be fair there’s certainly more than enough that needs correcting.
The offense is atrocious. They’re operating at a scoring degree that is so low it’d break your back if you tried to limbo underneath it. In an era of the NFL where passing is at a premium, Dak Prescott has failed to eclipse 200 yards in nine of his last 11 games. It’s not exactly fruitful out there.
What if I told you it was fruitful, though? Obviously the Cowboys need to turn things around in the win and loss columns, but their offense is kind of working to a degree even though it doesn’t feel like it. To nobody’s surprise, Ezekiel Elliott is tied for the lead in rushing across the league.
- Matt Breida, 274
- Ezekiel Elliott, 274
- Christian McCaffrey, 271
- Todd Gurley, 255
- Adrian Peterson, 236
Obviously winning a rushing crown doesn’t exactly equate to winning football games, but it can certainly help. We know the Cowboys blueprint is to feed Zeke, and considering he’s fifth-best in the league at yards per carry (5.7) it would make sense to try to ride that wave.
There’s a sense among Cowboys fans that the offensive line hasn’t exactly played up to the standard we’ve grown accustomed to, and that’s probably fair to say. As different as this season feels for the ‘Boys up front they’re still among the league’s best at what they do from a measurable standpoint (in the run game specifically).
Can your team effectively RUN THE BALL?
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) September 25, 2018
These teams O-Lines are blocking up the run game & getting their RBs to the second level untouched the best (and worst) in the #NFL!#KeepPounding #GoNiners #FightForEachOther #DallasCowboys #LARams #BroncosCountry #GiantsPride #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/urorcU2T4a
In spite of all of this the Cowboys have fed Zeke at what is literally a historic low for his professional career. He’s only gotten 48 carries this season which is far and away the lowest for him across a three-game stretch as a member of the Cowboys.
Dallas fell behind in Carolina and at Seattle so they had to abandon the running game earlier than a team with their composition would have liked. We saw against the Seahawks how they tried to get Zeke involved in the passing game, a career-high eight targets (he’s previous career-high was seven targets, coincidentally last season also against Seattle). There’s no question that Zeke is still an elite offensive weapon, it’s just a matter of using that weaponry to the right degree, something the Cowboys haven’t quite been able to do this season.