Clearly, the 2020 Dallas Cowboys are not the team we thought they'd be in 2020. Through six weeks, they own a 2-4 record and are missing tons of starters on both sides of the ball. Even still, they sit atop the NFC East, which is – in terms of wins – the worst division in football.

After a humiliating 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys face one of the weakest teams in the league. They'll travel to Washington looking for their third win of the season. The thing is, it's not an easy win.

In fact, after opening as slight road favorites in the betting world, the line has moved to a pick 'em as of Wednesday. That means there's no favorite to win this game. If you would've told me that the Cowboys wouldn't be favorites on Week 7 against Washington at the start of the season, I would've laughed out loud.

But that's where things stand for the 2020 Dallas Cowboys. Right now, they're in a bad spot. But if they don't change how they're approaching life without Prescott next Sunday, things could get real ugly, real fast.

So what do the Cowboys need to change to turn their season around and try to remain competitive in 2020?

Stop the conservative game plans

After losing Dak Prescott, many analysts pointed toward Ezekiel Elliott and the running game. They argued that the Cowboys should try to win games by winning the time of possession battle. I disagreed with that prior to the Cardinals game, and I still do.

The Cowboys walked out to the field on Monday Night Football with a very conservative game plan, and it cost them the game for a variety of reasons.

While we'd like it to be the case, the Cowboys running game isn't the same as it was in 2016. In fact, Dallas is 18th in rushing offense efficiency, according to Football Outsiders' DVOA. Ezekiel Elliott hasn't been the same, and his offensive line definitely isn't the same either.

Right out of the gate, it was clear that the Cowboys didn't plan for Andy Dalton slinging the ball downfield. I understand the offense can't be the exact same one that was tailored for Dak Prescott's skills but using Dalton as Checkdown Charlie isn't the right decision.

All the deep passes Dalton threw on Monday came when the Cowboys were trailing by three scores against the Cardinals.

"Dalton did not throw a deep pass against Arizona until the Cowboys were down 21-0 in the second quarter. He finished with a half-dozen deep-ball attempts, completing none of them with one interception." – FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS

The game plan we witnessed versus the Cardinals is what you would expect from most NFL teams that are down one starting quarterback. But when you signed a former nine-year career starter as a backup, you should expect something different. Something better.

All of last week we discussed Dalton's experience and how he could keep the Cowboys in the mix. But if Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy expect to win ballgames by feeding Zeke with a banged-up offensive line, they have another thing coming. Although Dalton didn't play well last game, they have to trust him to do a little bit more and let him be more aggressive in the passing game.

This is even more true when you're dealing with a defense as bad as the Cowboys'. Keep in mind, time of possession isn't really what wins you games, but moving the chains is.

Even with a fast pace of play, the team will see "better" time of possession numbers as long as they convert more series than their opponent and avoid turnovers. But if they win more, it will be because they're doing those things, not because of TOP.

— Bureau of Human-Bovine Cultural Affairs (@CowboysStats) October 11, 2020

The Dallas Cowboys are fortunate enough to lead the NFC East. But they need to do things differently if they expect different results than what happened against the Cardinals. Their first chance to do it comes next Sunday versus the Washington Football Team.

Featured Image Via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports