The Dallas Cowboys positives outweigh the negatives
Despite the 27-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys’ positives outweighed the negatives… at least on offense.
Well, I’m glad that’s over.
Preseason game three is supposed to be “the big dress rehearsal.” This is the last chance for teams, like the Dallas Cowboys, to work out the kinks and take extra first-team repetitions in live game play before the start of the season.
For many NFL teams, this is the beginning of cutting to the final 53-man roster. We will not see many of the first-team players on the field for the final preseason game in Dallas, aside for the offensive line. Frankly, I am just glad to see the Cowboys leave Seattle with no major injuries.
We gasped after seeing quarterback Tony Romo get folded like an accordion on the game’s third play. We buried our heads in our hands when he did not pop back up. Regardless, it was good to watch him walk off under his own power. I applaud his bravado for wanting to go back out on the field after the hit; you cannot say that he is not tough.
Head coach Jason Garrett and the medical staff did the right thing and kept him out the rest of the game. If I have any criticism of Romo it is that he is always the gunslinger, never the sheriff. You have to play smart.
Enter backup quarterback Dak Prescott. Not only did he face one of the toughest defenses in the league, he stared them down. Again, he played very well, going 17 for 23 for 116 yards. The touchdown pass he threw to perennial All-Pro tight end Jason Witten was under thrown, causing the veteran to work some magic.
Prescott missed a couple routes and receivers dropped passes, but nothing to be warned about. These are timing issues and can be fixed with more reps. The rookie from Mississippi State will have this worked out before Opening Day.
Behind that massive Dallas offensive line, Prescott was not the only player that shined. The running game was fantastic.
We have been eager to see rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott get on the field after nursing an off-season hamstring injury. With the sensational play of Prescott, we were allowed to be a bit more patient for Elliott to return. He did not disappoint us, in fact I think he outplayed his hype, despite only playing two series.
Elliott had seven carries for 48 yards, but it went much further than that. His cuts looked crisp and he had no problems hitting holes or hitting the other team. He showed poise in blocking and no fear when running downhill. He took on famed Seattle safety Kam Chancellor, buckling his knees on one play. Elliott is tough, sharp and behind the amazing Dallas offensive line, he will have a fantastic season.
There is still work to be done on the defensive side of the ball.
However, for as great as the offense looked, the defense looked conversely as bad. It was great to see that Dallas had cut their penalty in half from last week, but that where the praise ends. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was able to pass for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense also allowed 148 yards on the ground and a touchdown by backup quarterback Trevone Boykin. Dallas had no interceptions and only two QB hits, one being a sack from 6’6″ defensive end Lawrence Okoye. All in all, with virtually zero pressure on it, the Seattle offense moved down the field at-will; averaging 6.4 yards a play.
There is work to be done, there is no question there. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will have his hands full trying to piece together a working defense, especially with four-game suspensions to three major players.
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Dallas has two division games (vs. New York, then at Washington) and a rivalry game (Week Four, at San Francisco) in the first four weeks of the season. The defensive squad must be ready. Yes, the offense will score a ton of points, but without better defensive play, Dallas could very easily be 1-3 when the suspended players return.