Cowboys Starve, Bills Carve: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The Bad

The bend but don’t break defensive philosophy employed by Dallas is failing the team. Too many times, the defense is breaking.

After the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs in the third quarter at the Bills six-yard line, the defense allowed the Bills to march down the field for a thirteen play drive that consumed 7:02 of game clock. Equally bad was the Bills kicked a field goal on the drive to extend their lead to three scores at 26-7 with only eight minutes left in the game.

When Dallas needed their defense to rise up and force a three and out, they were unable. While the Bills converted about 50 percent of their third downs, it seemed like the Cowboys were not able to get any critical third-down stops in the second half.

The Dallas defense ranked fifth overall in yards allowed prior to the start of the Bills game. If ever there were a misleading statistic, this would be it.

It sure seems like a top-five defense would be able to contain the 18th ranked offense. At one point in the second half, Bills quarterback Josh Allen completed eleven straight passes.

While the Dallas offense put the defense in bad positions in the second quarter with an interception and fumble, the Cowboys defense was able to limit the Bills to seven points thanks to a missed field goal. The ‘Boys were not able to force any turnovers and help their offensive teammates.

The Cowboys turned the ball over three times. The Bills did not turn the ball over. Teams with two or more deficit in turnovers rarely win the game.

Dallas has four games left in an underwhelming season. It would sure be nice to see the talent on defense rise up and carry the team.

A few defensive turnovers would be a good place to start. The Cowboys haven’t forced a turnover since Week Nine against the Giants.