Cowboys pay the price of risky bet once again in Week 16
Once more, the Dallas Cowboys fell while on the road, this time to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season. As opposed to last week's beatdown in Buffalo, the Cowboys lost it as the clock hit zero, while Dolphins kicker Jayson Sanders counted to five, the number of field goals he […]
Once more, the Dallas Cowboys fell while on the road, this time to the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 of the 2023 NFL season.
As opposed to last week's beatdown in Buffalo, the Cowboys lost it as the clock hit zero, while Dolphins kicker Jayson Sanders counted to five, the number of field goals he had for the day. Inadvertently, he was also counting the number of road losses by Dallas this year
It's tough to measure the effect of home-field advantage on this one. Players and coaches will be asked about it once again and they will all fail to provide a reasonable explanation behind the development. I am willing to bet whatever I have to offer would also fail to provide a decent explanation, although I can't ignore the fact they've played their toughest opponents on the road.
Another thing that is clear, however, is that the 2023 Cowboys will have a tough time to win when Tyron Smith isn't in the lineup. In the offseason, the team made one of its most important bets when they decided they were rolling with No. 77 to protect Dak Prescott's blindside.
The results have been significantly mixed: When he's on the field, Tyron is still his usual self. Even past his prime, he delivers All-Pro caliber play every single time. He can still be left in an island against the very best and block his tail off. Perhaps that alone justifies the front office's gamble.
The other side of the coin is shown when he's not around. Often times against the Miami Dolphins, backup tackle Chuma Edoga costed the Cowboys big. Bradley Chubb, who faced him the majority of the game, had 1.5 sacks and three QB hits.
"On the protection front, I think we had some mishaps," Mike McCarthy told reporters postgame. "I think we missed three of four, frankly, today."
Most notably, Chubb was left unblocked more than once as the Dolphins' pressure looks manipulated the Cowboys' protections. Most times when Edoga has struggled this season, it's been mental mistakes that have gotten him.
Many of the negative plays for the Cowboys offense against the Dolphins were a result of such woes in protection. Had 77 been active, it's easy to assume the win would've gone to Dallas.
It's tough to say the Cowboys made the wrong bet when Tyron has played this well but Sunday's loss was yet another reminder that the future at left tackle is yet to be resolved. The problem is when Smith is hurt, the present Cowboys are also paying for it.
Their success in January could very well be tied to Smith's availability. At this point, it's anyone's guess if he'll be around then.
