Struggling Dallas Cowboys run offense will face plenty of adversity vs WFT
Plenty has gone wrong for the Dallas Cowboys' offense in the past few weeks. If the Cowboys are to start heating up at the right time of the year, Kellen Moore's unit will likely need to figure out a few things. That includes finding success in the run game. But it wouldn't be fair to […]
Plenty has gone wrong for the Dallas Cowboys' offense in the past few weeks. If the Cowboys are to start heating up at the right time of the year, Kellen Moore's unit will likely need to figure out a few things. That includes finding success in the run game.
But it wouldn't be fair to place the blame exclusively on Moore. Sure, we all want to see more outside runs and less insistence on running it up the gut with a banged-up Ezekiel Elliott. But the truth is, the play-calling hasn't been that different from earlier in the season.
The success hasn't been there as of late, though. The offensive line isn't blocking as well as it was in September and October. There has been a lot of discussion on the Dallas Cowboys' snap counts at running back. Many will argue that Pollard deserves more snaps than he's getting, and I believe they're right. But the team's rushing success would not likely change that much by getting the Playmaker more playing time.
Better game-plan, better blocking, better run game. Easier said than done, right?
But improving the run game versus Washington this Sunday might be a tall task for the Cowboys.
Pollard will be a game-time decision after he suffered a foot injury on his 58-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, Ezekiel Elliott is nursing a knee injury and hasn't looked near 100% in the past few games. The team is preparing for everything, even signing a running back to the practice squad.
It's a league of match-ups and the nameless team has a couple of defensive tackles that will likely have the edge versus Connor McGovern* and Tyler Biadasz on Sunday. Da'Ron Payne is playing some of the best football of his career in recent weeks, and Jonathan Allen remains a force in the NFL.
*Are we 100% sure McGovern gets the start on Sunday?
Washington ranks 30th in defense DVOA, but that's mainly because of its pass defense (30th). Against the run, the Dallas Cowboys will face a Top 10 defense in terms of DVOA.
Mike McCarthy, Dak Prescott, and other key members of the team have expressed confidence throughout the week. In order to bounce back on offense, though, the Cowboys might want to approach things with a pass-heavy approach.
Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
