Cowboys: Mike McCarthy faces key decision involving Terence Steele
As the Dallas Cowboys prepare for a must-win Week 14 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, there's a match-up that should be at the top of their priorities: Terence Steele against Philly's edge rushers. Back in Week 9, that battle cost the Cowboys a lot of opportunities, including the potential game-winning drive. Steele, who ranks 77th […]
As the Dallas Cowboys prepare for a must-win Week 14 showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles, there's a match-up that should be at the top of their priorities: Terence Steele against Philly's edge rushers.
Back in Week 9, that battle cost the Cowboys a lot of opportunities, including the potential game-winning drive.
Steele, who ranks 77th in PFF pass blocking grade out of 85 eligible tackles, did not have fun in Philadelphia. He allowed 12 pressures and four sacks in that game and it wasn't all against star pass rusher Haason Reddick. Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat also pressured Dak Prescott when lined up against Steele.
What's worse is they did it by beating him to the edge, pulling off inside moves, and even power rushes. Everything seemed to work against Steele that day.
"There are things he has to continue to work through because of the injury," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters the day after his team's loss to the Eagles. "But yes, it wasn’t his best game.”
Leading up to Sunday night, McCarthy faces an intriguing and difficult decision: Does he trust Steele to bounce back from that performance against the same competition by himself or does he invest plenty of resources into helping him out?
In other words, does he set his running backs and tight ends to Steele's side to help him out with chipping or even with max protect looks? It's a tough balancing act as he risks becoming more predictable on offense.
One thing is for certain: Tony Pollard continues to show big strides in his pass protection. He's allowed just three pressures in 70 pass blocking opportunities. If McCarthy wants the running back to be heavily involved in pass pro, he knows he can trust Pollard.
How Steele does on Sunday will play a huge role into whether or not the Cowboys take revenge on the Eagles and more importantly, whether or not the team positions itself atop the NFC East, even if it's just temporary.
