The Dallas Cowboys' defense allowed a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage on Monday Night Football. Houston Texans receiver Nico Collins took a bubble screen 77 yards to the house, but it was called back due to an illegal man downfield penalty.
It was a huge break for Dallas, but it served as only a brief setback for the Texans. Quarterback C.J. Stroud completed passes to Robert Woods, John Metchie and Dalton Schultz without much resistance before running back Joe Mixon galloped for a 45-yard touchdown.
Mixon went untouched and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman did not let his Cowboys roots dissuade him from taking his former team to ask. Aikman was particularly critical of nose tackle Mazi Smith, who was largely to blame for the hole created by Houston's offensive line.
Cowboys legend Troy Aikman was critical of Mazi Smith on MNF broadcast
JOE MIXON 45 YARDS TO THE HOUSE! 😤 pic.twitter.com/oCIE50hZ51
— ESPN (@espn) November 19, 2024
“You’re gonna see the center Jarrett Patterson making his second start at center," said Aikman. "He gets Mazi Smith on skates. And you got Joe Mixon, he cuts back. Nice crease on the outside. Excellent job up front by the offensive line and the defensive problems for the Dallas Cowboys continue."
That Aikman sees the defiencies in Smith's game tells you all you need to know. If you pause the video at the four-second mark, you can see how far Smith was moved off the ball.
The 2023 first-round pick played well against the Eagles in Week 10, but he's made a habit out of getting pushed into the second level seconds after the ball is snapped. On this occasion, though, Patterson shifted Smith several yards to the left, which opened a gorgeous cutback opportunity. A veteran back like Mixon wasn't going to miss that and he went 45 yards untouched into the end zone.
Smith is far from the only player to blame, but it is impossible for linebackers to fill run gaps with any kind of effectiveness if the nose tackle can't establish leverage at the line of scrimmage. The Michigan product could have halted Mixon's momentum when he cut back, but he couldn't shed his block.
That has been a theme over Smith's first two seasons. It's no secret why nose tackle is circled as a major need for Dallas in the offseason.
As for Aikman, this is not the first or second time in 2024 that he's used his ESPN platform to criticize his former team. At the rate this game is going, this might be the first of multiple shots Aikman takes at the Cowboys.