Time for the Dallas Cowboys offense to carry the load
In a much-anticipated matchup against the first-place division rival Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys offense will have to show up in a big way.
The Philadelphia Eagles are currently averaging 31.4 points per game which ranks second in the league. Their offense has managed to score more than 26 points in all but one game. They have the NFL’s best record currently sitting at 8-1 and quarterback Carson Wentz is leading the league with 23 touchdown passes.
However, there is another side to this coin other than just how many points the Eagles offense is scoring. It is the ineptitude of the Dallas Cowboys defense which has shown on more occasions than I can recall over the past couple seasons that they cannot be counted on to carry this team (i.e. the L.A Rams and Green Bay Packers debacles earlier this year).
And not to mention the Cowboys will be without their Pro Bowl linebacker Sean Lee who could miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. In games Lee has played in this year the Cowboys are 5-1 and they are 0-3 in games he’s missed. Those records are not a coincidence as Lee has proven to be the heartbeat of the Cowboys defense.
So with the Eagles offense putting up numbers that have them ranked towards the top of the league in almost every category and an average Cowboys defense already without its best playmaker, what are we left with? The Cowboys offense will have to carry the burden with not only scoring points, but also playing keep-away with the Eagles offense by controlling time of possession.
It is time for the Cowboys offense to get back to where they were last year if they want any chances of legitimate success this season. According to overthecap.com, nine of the Cowboys top fifteen paid players are on the offensive side of the ball. The total cap number for the offense is over $76 million as compared to almost $51 million for the defense.
That total cap number for the offense will only grow in the future once the likes of quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, and guard Zack Martin come off their rookie contracts.
Next: Ten things Dallas Cowboys Fans can be thankful for
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and company, according to where the money is being spent, have clearly built this team with the idea of the offense steering the ship. If the offense cannot go score for score with teams each week, it could be a long second half of the season which will have Cowboys fans already looking forward to next year’s draft.