The slight adjustment that took the Dallas Cowboys from 6 points to 34 in last week’s win over Texans
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Houston Texans on Sunday, but the film room turned up a few things that weren’t clear watching the game live.
The Dallas Cowboys’ win over the Houston Texans looked one way live. On film, it looked a little different.
That’s why we watch the tape. After reviewing the Cowboys’ Sunday win, a few takeaways stood out, some of which I did not expect. Most of these notes are offensive because that’s where I focused the majority of my film session. Let’s break it down.
The tweak that won the game for the Cowboys
Dallas went into Sunday focused on giving Dak Prescott as much time as possible in the pocket. That makes sense against Will Anderson Jr., one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and his tandem partner Daniel Hunter.
So the Cowboys leaned heavily on max protection looks, particularly in the first half. And yet, it didn’t go as planned.
Prescott was getting some nice pockets to work with. The problem was what happened downfield. Houston played a heavy dose of quarters coverage, and George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb were often running routes against six defensive backs. They were outnumbered in the secondary, and the Cowboys failed to force the Texans to waste defenders.
That is to say, Prescott had time. He just didn’t have anybody open.
As the game progressed, especially on the game-winning drive, Dallas deviated from that plan. Instead of keeping the tight ends in to chip block, the Cowboys sent them out on routes. Dallas’ stressed Houston’s secondary and stopped getting into outnumbered situations. Suddenly, the Texans had a lot more on their plate and even though there was QB pressure, Prescott found his targets.
Credit to the offensive tackles here. Tyler Guyton showed up on that final drive, and so did Terence Steele. In fact, Steele beat Anderson multiple times one-on-one in the clutch, which I bet will surprise plenty of Cowboys fans.
Once Dallas trusted Prescott to navigate the pressure, the offense started getting after the Houston secondary. That’s when Lamb got open over and over again. The Cowboys also did a much better job scheming him open in the second half, calling more plays to get Lamb matched up on linebackers and underneath defenders. It worked.
Cowboys tight ends are a problem in the run game
Something else jumped off the film: the Cowboys’ tight ends really struggled as run blockers.
Interestingly, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said on Monday they ask their tight ends to do a lot of difficult stuff when it comes to blocking, giving the group some grace. But even that felt like an acknowledgement that things aren’t going well.
That goes particularly for starting tight end Jake Ferguson, who continues to get the vast majority of the reps. Right now, Ferguson is a liability in the run game, and Dallas should be worried about it.
I do wonder if Brevyn Spann-Ford Spann-Ford deserves a bigger role. He wasn’t perfect by any means. But when Spann-Ford blocks well, he does so with force, and he has mostly thrived in the run game early in his career. I’d like to see a lot more of him.
Tyler Booker was always looking for work
Tyler Booker had a heck of a football game and was the best Cowboys OL on Sunday.
The Texans want to rush with four as much as they can. They don’t want to blitz you. That left the Cowboys with five blockers against four rushers in the trenches, and when Booker didn’t have anyone to block, he was delivering blows and helping out his teammates.
That intensity is contagious. There’s a viral play of Tyler Smith running downfield after a completion to keep blocking for his teammates, and it captures the attitude of this group. As for Booker, he’s only in his second year and already showing why he’s on the leadership council. He played lights out.
Quick thoughts on the Cowboys defense
Joey Porter Jr. had the kind of game we thought he had. A stat emerged that Porter wasn’t targeted all game, according to Summer Sports, and the film backs it up.
He played sticky coverage, particularly against crossing routes, and stayed on top of Texans receivers no matter who lined up across from him. Those are flashes of the boundary eraser Dallas wants him to be.
Schottenheimer said Monday that Porter will likely play a little more on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Porter said Sunday it was a lot to get ready in time, and learning a scheme that quickly was a massive mental effort. A short week after his Cowboys debut isn’t ideal. But Dallas needs him, and it needs him badly.
Lastly, the Cowboys have to manufacture more pressure. Defensive coordinator Christian Parker dialed up a couple of timely blitzes, and Quinnen Williams had his best game of the season, including his first sack. But when Dallas rushes four, it isn’t getting home often enough.
The Cowboys rank 23rd in pressure rate, per Summer Sports. If you ask me, that feels high compared to what we’ve seen, and it may have more to do with quarterbacks holding the ball longer than anything else.
For now, one thing is clear on film: the pass rush has to get better.
