Dallas Cowboys season review – Offense, defense, and special teams

Special Teams

How many times can I hear the phrase “Cowboys special teams not special”? No, they weren’t. The kicker was terrible until they finally got rid of Brett Maher.

Through sheer luck, it looks like the Cowboys have finally found the answer with Kai Forbath. He’s been perfect on field-goal attempts in his three games with the Cowboys.

Punter Chris Jones was also poor, averaging 41.6 yards per punt, a career-low for him. Over the last few years, he’s gone from one of the best punters in the league to one of the worst.

The Cowboys were also poor on both sides of kick and punt return units. Tavon Austin only averaged 4.9 yards per punt return, and his longest return was only 15 yards.  Very mediocre.

However, the Cowboys tackling on punt and kick coverage was their biggest failing on special teams. Opposing returners routinely reeled off big runs against Dallas. There’s no excuse for this.

Overall, Dallas was rated 30th in special teams statistics according to Football Outsiders. The head office must solve this problem over the offseason.

Conclusion

What is the common denominator in all the Cowboys’ problems this year? Coaching, obviously. There have been calls for the head of Jason Garrett all season long. And for years before really.

But taking a hard look at the team’s play this year reveals problems in coaching and decision-making all across the coaching staff. The players deserve better and so do the fans.