Did Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore Get "Too Pretty"?
Playing as 10-point road underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles, expectations were low for the Dallas Cowboys. After all, rookie Ben DiNucci was making his first career start behind a shaky offensive line. Facing an Eagles team that was getting better and better, not many expected an actual competitive game. Yet for more than three quarters, […]
Playing as 10-point road underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles, expectations were low for the Dallas Cowboys. After all, rookie Ben DiNucci was making his first career start behind a shaky offensive line. Facing an Eagles team that was getting better and better, not many expected an actual competitive game. Yet for more than three quarters, it was.
Oddly enough, the Cowboys' defense stepped up on Sunday Night with four takeaways. Led by Trevon Diggs' two-interception game, the defense held the Eagles to 15 points. Meanwhile, the Eagles' defense scored on a scoop-n-score and another two points on an intentional safety by the Cowboys' special teams.
But despite a strong defensive performance, the Cowboys offense simply couldn't get it going. Ben DiNucci kept making inaccurate throws, but perhaps more importantly, the game seemed to move too fast for him. And as a seventh-round rookie, that sounds just about right. That's to say, I don't think we should be criticizing DiNucci that much.
I'd rather focus on Dallas Cowboys' Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore's plan to face the Philadelphia Eagles. I might be in the minority here, but I didn't mind the creativity even if it seemed over the top at times.
The Cowboys ran a reversible which netted CeeDee Lamb 19 yards as DiNucci blocked downfield. Later we witnessed Ezekiel Elliott running out of the wildcat. This didn't stop throughout the game, with Cedrick Wilson* getting in the mix as well.
*By the way, Wilson was close to finishing the game with two sacks. By that I mean, the official stats read two sacks for Wilson, but the NFL changed them to tackles for loss.
While many criticized Kellen Moore for getting "too pretty," I actually enjoyed the creativity. I understand it's hard to win in the NFL that way, but DiNucci completed 21 passes in 40 attempts for 180 yards. He was sacked four times, fumbling twice. Was one idea clearly better than the other? I don't think so.
The Dallas Cowboys' coaching staff seemingly didn't trust DiNucci to win the football game, and with all due respect, that probably was the right call. Keep in mind, DiNucci wasn't supposed to play in 2020. He's a seventh-round draft pick out of James Madison! Can you hate the coaches for not trusting him? I can't.
And while "feeding Zeke" sounds like a surefire plan, it isn't. Ezekiel Elliott averaged 3.3 yards per carry as the Cowboys entered the game like the league's 22nd rushing offense per DVOA. This isn't the same rushing attack as it was in 2016, even though the running back is the same guy.
Granted, Kellen Moore has left a lot to be desired after Dak Prescott's injury. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how the Cowboys needed to change their game plans if they intended to win ballgames.
The lack of adjustments without Dak has been pretty concerning, and that's on Moore. Conservative play-calling didn't allow Andy Dalton to do much over the past few weeks and it'll be interesting to see how it looks like once Dalton returns to the field. After Dak's injury, Moore stopped being aggressive, including calling fewer pass plays in second and long, for example. That will have to change.
But contrary to many fans and analysts, I'm willing to give Moore the benefit of the doubt thanks to what we saw when Dak Prescott was healthy. But he has to show us more before the 2020 season ends, regardless of who's in at QB.
Featured Image Via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
