Dallas Cowboys seem to have the Jekyll and Hyde of offensive lines

How the coaches have adjusted to this new reality

Though these contradictory elements threaten to give me a brain hemorrhage, I can at least console myself that against Detroit, the Dallas brain trust finally came to grips with reality, and launched Elliott into a brick wall a little less than against the Vikings.

Elliott ran the ball 16 times against the Lions, well below his average. But both Elliott and backup running back Tony Pollard were both used as receivers to good effect. Both made plays Sunday. Both caught for touchdowns.

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Finally, when it was time to ice the game, the Cowboys didn’t run it either. They threw to Blake Jarwin.

I have to say, like many fans, I don’t love this dynamic in the run game. I had come to take Dallas’ running dominance for granted over the years, that even if other things haven’t worked, at least they could run the ball.

But I suppose I can console myself that Dallas has a truly great quarterback and air attack. Between Prescott’s next-level play and Kellen Moore’s outstanding play-calling, the Cowboys have the best offense in the NFL.

According to the NFL, America’s Team leads the league in total offense, with 444.6 yards per game. And Prescott leads the league in passing, at 312.7 yards per game.

He’s also tied for second in quarterback rating with Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, just behind Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN.

At the risk of being redundant, those are better stats than that of either Patrick Mahomes, Pro Bowl quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs or six-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. This is probably why Prescott is starting to get mentions in the discussion for league MVP.

This would all be perfect, if the other parts of the Cowboys’ game were also elite. But I guess you can’t have it all. At least not at the same time.

There is still the hope that the coaches finally confronting reality might result in some wins against better teams. So far, all of the Cowboys’ six wins have come at the hands of losing or .500 teams when they played.

Could this new willingness to rely on the passing game yield better results? Maybe. Remember, the offensive line should help here. At least against the pass.