Cowboys Offense Shines Without Key Players in OT Tie

Rising to the Challenge

No team wants to go into a game with these key injuries, but the Cowboys’ effort was bright with what they had. George Pickens was the star of the show with 134 yards and two touchdowns, which helped with the gap left by CeeDee Lamb.

Javontae Williams showed up in the ground game with 85 yards and a rushing touchdown, which tied his career high in touchdowns with four on the year. It’s exciting to see these new guys step up to the challenge, especially against a team like Green Bay, which boasts a top ten defense in rushing and passing yards allowed.

Most exciting for Cowboys fans, though, was Dak Prescott, who was able to fix the problems that troubled the offense against the Bears just a week earlier. While posting the exact same completion percentage as last week (77.5), Prescott accounted for three passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown to keep the Cowboys competitive.

Prescott leads the league in completions, attempts, and yards, which shows his ability to lead this team against top-tier opponents. He’s now the Cowboys franchise leader in completions, too.

The Highest Scoring Tie in the NFL?

Realistically, a tie was never the way either team wanted the game to end, but against a top-five team like the Packers, the Cowboys are optimistic going forward. “We wanted that win.” Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer said after the game.

“You don’t play the game for ties. I don’t care about the stats, the ups and downs, the ebbs and flows,” said Prescott after the game.

It was a sentiment echoed by both sides, who chose to focus on the fact that a tie was neither good nor bad, just simply a tie. It was the Cowboys’ first tie since 1969, and the highest-scoring tie in the NFL since 1964.

What About the Defense?

What more can be said that hasn’t been said already? While the defense looked better, there were still some obvious issues. The offense is on top of things, boasting the highest yards per game in the league. The defense currently allows the most in the league, with a staggering 1,682 yards over four games, allowing about 420 yards per game.

DaRon Bland returned from injury after a foot injury kept him out for two games, but he gave up a touchdown to Romeo Doubs. Trevon Diggs started the game in a rotational role with Bland, which, even then, didn’t allow any improvement in an already struggling secondary.

Speaking of Doubs, the Cowboys clearly had trouble with him, as he put up three touchdowns on only six receptions.

Moving Forward

With the way the offense played, the Cowboys should have no problem as they travel to play the Jets and the Panthers in the coming weeks. The Jets have struggled on offense, ranking 30th in pass yards per game, and 18th in points per game. They’re 0-4 after a Monday night scrap against the Dolphins.

The only thing apparent with this Jets team is their run game, which thrives behind a top ten rushing attack in the league (ninth). Considering the Cowboys lack of interior defense (29th in rushing touchdowns allowed), this could be a ground game for the Jets, who feature Justin Fields, who’s coming off a concussion, and Breece Hall, who account for all of the teams rushing touchdowns.

Hopefully this Cowboys team can improve on the defensive side of the ball. If they had played as well as an average NFL defense, it’s safe to say they win versus the Packers. The good thing about being last, is that the only place you can go is up. For a Matt Eberflus defense, the Cowboys should not be as poor as they have been.

Granted they’ve faced two of the top teams in the NFC in the Eagles and Packers, but relying on the offense to bail them out cannot continue if they want to make it to the playoffs.