Dallas Cowboys: Finding hope in two preseason losses
Coming off of two straight preseason losses, what positives can Dallas Cowboys fans take away from these early exhibitions.
No one likes to lose. And when you hear that the Dallas Cowboys have lost their first two preseason games, a close 24-21 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers and a 21-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals over the weekend, fans might have a tendency to roll their eyes.
Yet, the Cowboys played both games without their most valuable player. That being running back Ezekiel Elliott. And although quarterback Dak Prescott has started in both contests, his snaps have been limited. So fans are only getting a glimpse of what this Dallas team will be come the regular season.
In truth, these preseason matchups are purely for player evaluation. For many, it’s a job interview. After months of offseason training, the Cowboys coaching staff gets an opportunity to see their players go up against other NFL teams in these four exhibitions.
But for fans, these games can be very frustrating. Often times, as the level of talent on the field diminishes, so does the play. And for Dallas, their fringe players have really struggled.
In both preseason contests, the Cowboys held the lead going into halftime. Dallas had a 14-7 lead after the second quarter against the Niners. They led 21-10 after the third. Against the Bengals, the Cowboys were up 10-0 heading into the locker room at halftime. That means the majority of Dallas’ first-teamers (without Elliott) were able to have success in both of these games.
And according to Bryan Broaddus, football analyst for DallasCowboys.com, fans should find hope in the fact the team’s starters played well.
"” … the Cowboys’ first units, both on offense and defense, were clearly better than their opponents –which is the most important. The offense continues to move the ball with balance even though Ezekiel Elliott has been out of the lineup. Defensively, they’ve done a nice job of finishing plays by getting bodies to the ball and tackling well.”"
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Again, no one likes to lose. But these early defeats in the preseason are not an accurate representation of what the Dallas Cowboys will be in 2018 when the real games begin. Fans should see these exhibitions in the same way the Cowboys’ coaching staff does, as a way to evaluate players and not necessarily the team as a whole.