3 things Cowboys must work on vs. Jaguars to get right for Eagles

Week 14 was a reminder that nothing is easy in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys are a vastly superior team to the Houston Texans, but still needed a late fourth-down stop and a 98-yard drive to escape with a win over their in-state rivals.

Now, they head to Jacksonville to take on the 5-8 Jaguars in a game they should win easily. And while it’s still not a guarantee they will do that, they need to use this weekend to get a few things fixed, since they have a critical rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16.

3 things Cowboys must work on vs. Jaguars to get right for Eagles

3. Limit the Turnovers

One major issue Dak Prescott has had this season is protecting the ball. In eight games, he now has nine interceptions and has had multiple picks in three games. That includes their latest outing against Houston, and his second came in Dallas territory and nearly cost them a chance at a comeback.

The Cowboys were facing a second-and-20 on their own three-yard line and Prescott was picked off by Tremon Smith, putting the defense back on the field on the Dallas four. A huge stop on fourth down gave the offense the ball back, and they were able to steal the win — but against a better team, this one would have gone down as a loss with such an ill-timed interception.

Against the Eagles, turnovers can lead to disaster. That was the case in Week 6, when these two teams met for the first time. In what ended up being the final start for Cooper Rush, the Dallas backup had just one touchdown and three interceptions (his only three on the season).

The defense did well, holding Philly’s high-powered offense to 26 points, but the turnovers were too much, as they lost 26-17.

Against the Jags, they need to work on protecting the ball. Giving the ball away, especially if it leads to points for the Eagles, would be devastating, so starting the focus one week early would be a good idea.

2. Figure Out the Offensive Line

The Cowboys suffered a huge loss in Week 14 when Terence Steele went down with a knee injury. The initial fear was a torn ACL, and sadly, that proved to be what happened to the third-year player.

And, to make it worse, he has a torn MCL as well.

It’s never good to see any player injured, but it’s really a gut punch to watch Steele go down. A former undrafted free agent in 2020, Steele developed his game to the point the front office was willing to move on from La’el Collins.

Dallas took heat for this decision, but eventually, we all saw why the choice was made. Steele has been a top-20 offensive tackle in the NFL this season, according to PFF, and has arguably been the best lineman this season for the Cowboys.

As upsetting as it is for the rising star, the coaching staff has to move forward and decide what to do at right tackle. They originally went with Josh Ball against Houston, but then put Jason Peters in for the final drive. Peters clearly looked more comfortable than Ball, and might be the one to play in place of Steele going forward.

Another option could be to try Tyler Smith at right tackle and let either Peters or Connor McGovern play left guard — which is where Smith is expected to go, since Tyron Smith should be back at left tackle.

The bad news is, no one will be as solid as Steele has been. The good news is, there are options. And they have this upcoming game to figure it all out before the most important game of the regular season.

1. Get Micah Parsons on a Hot Streak

It’s safe to say at this point that Micah Parsons is the best player on the Cowboys’ roster. He’s become an emotional leader on the field, and even off of it. He’s also a leader by example, as he can be seen flying all over the place while making one play after another.

Through the season’s first 13 games, Parsons has 57 tackles, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, one recovery, and a defensive touchdown. As impressive as he’s been, the Eagles did an excellent job keeping him from being able to ruin their game plan last time around.

Their strategy might sound crazy, but it worked in a big way. Philly simply didn’t block Parsons, but instead ran at him using the read option. They would force him to commit to either Jalen Hurts or the running back — usually Miles Sanders — and whichever way he went, the ball went the opposite way.

Parsons still finished with seven tackles, but he didn’t have the huge impact plays we’re used to seeing. For example, he put up two sacks and three quarterback hits in Week 5 against the Rams, then had two sacks and two quarterback hits against the Lions in Week 7 … with goose eggs on both against Philly.

Week 14 should be all about getting him rolling, especially since he hasn’t had a sack in the past two weeks. Getting him on a roll could carry over to Week 15 and help them keep the Philly offense from turning the game into a shootout.

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