Dallas Cowboys winning formula focused on stars instead of plays

Did the Dallas Cowboys discover a winning formula against the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend? We’ll find out in their matchup against Washington.

I’m not sure many believed the Dallas Cowboys truly had a chance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week Six. Not only were the Cowboys coming off a disappointing overtime loss to the Houston Texas in primetime, but their struggling passing game has failed to really take flight all season.

Yet, the Cowboys somehow found their offensive legs against the Jaguars top-rated defense, exploding for 40 points. And the Dallas defense was able to limit Jacksonville’s equally struggling offense to just seven points in an unlikely blowout at AT&T Stadium.

The difference seems to be two-fold. One, quarterback Dak Prescott ran the ball more. The third-year passer had a career-high of 11 carries for 82 rushing yards and a score. Two, wide receiver Cole Beasley was left virtually wide open resulting in a season’s best stat line of nine catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns.

So after six weeks, did Dallas’ coaching staff suddenly discover the formula for making their offense productive? Here’s what a former NFL defensive coordinator told NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks after reviewing the Cowboys’ Week Six victory over the favored Jaguars.

"“The Cowboys made a concerted effort to give the ball to No. 21 , No. 11 and No. 4 in the Jaguars game. The strategy makes perfect sense when you focus on players instead of plays. Get the ball to your stars as many times as possible and, eventually, they will make enough plays to produce points.”"

When the Cowboys opted to release longtime number one wide receiver Dez Bryant and also lost out on a free agency bid to sign Sammy Watkins this offseason, the team decided to adopt a receiver-by-committee approach. They believed this would make the offense more “Dak-Friendly”, allowing Prescott to throw to open targets over-focusing on one or two-star players.

Yet, according to the above quote, making a concerted effort to find those star players is what has unlocked the potential of this stagnate offense. The problem now, of course, being once defenses start focusing on players like Beasley, do you have enough talent around them to produce similar numbers?

It’s been a lack of talent in the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver corps and at tight end that has really limited this Dallas offense. Obviously, Prescott and his offensive line also share in a portion of that ineffectiveness.

But someone will need to step up when No. 21, No. 11 and No, 4 aren’t having a perfect game. That may be the real key to sustained success on the offensive side of the ball moving forward. The Cowboys matchup against the Washington Redskins in Week Seven should provide more clarity in this regard.