The Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply handed the Dallas Cowboys their worst lack of the season. Listed below are three issues we discovered in regards to the Cowboys through the sport.
The Cowboys are untrustworthy
Coming into this week, almost the complete globe picked the Dallas Cowboys to win in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a convincing trend. As a substitute, the winless Buccaneers got here into the Cowboys dwelling and dominated them.
The sport took off quick for Dallas with a landing on the opening drive. After which we sat dazed and confused because the Cowboys offense would solely put up one other three factors till 5:26 left within the fourth quarter. The offense that was self-coined because the “Best Offense There Is” appeared woefully ready to take care of the Tampa Bay blitz.
On this e we famous that the one viable path for the Buccaneers protection was to blitz Dak Prescott as a excessive fee. However that tactic can be a double-edged sword since Dak has been one of many league’s greatest in coping with the blitz. The gamble paid off for Tampa Bay because the quarterback was below duress from free blitzers all through the complete evening. It affected him and the offense all evening. Timings had been thrown off, passes had been tipped, and at instances, Prescott struggled placing the ball the place it wanted to be.
On the opposite aspect of the ball, we all know the protection is unhealthy. However they’d been taking micro steps in direction of enchancment every week. This week the protection held on for some time, however fully folded within the third quarter. Mistake after mistake added up, starting from missed tackles to dropped interceptions. This unit simply didn’t do a lot proper within the second half.
The end isn’t there
Late within the sport, Dallas had a golden alternative to tie it up and have a second life in additional time.
DaRon Bland broke on a brief move on the sticks in prime Bland trend, however allowed the ball to bounce proper by way of his arms and onto the bottom. That was a straightforward pick-six which might have put the rating at 24-22. We’ve seen the veteran nook make that play with ease earlier in his profession. However on an evening the place seemingly little went the Cowboys means, this was only one other thing so as to add to the checklist.
Even after that drop, Dallas had the ball in Tampa Bay territory with one other probability at a game-tying landing. After a drive the place the offense went 99 yards to attain, they had been as soon as once more driving with ease. Dak appeared like his regular self, George Pickens was making performs – even KaVontae Turpin and Jonathan Mingo received concerned.
However on a fateful second-and-one throw, Jake Ferguson popped a Dak Prescott dart into the air and into the arms of a defender, basically sealing the win for the Buccaneers. “After all” was the phrase uttered round Cowboys nation after the dropped move.
No matter what occurred through the first 52 minutes of the sport, Dallas put collectively a game-changing aim line stand, a 99-yard landing drive, and had two clear probabilities at tying it up. Sadly, this workforce couldn’t make the performs once they mattered probably the most.
Tyler Smith didn’t resolve the run sport
When Dallas opened the sport with a nine-play, 70-yard drive, the run sport appeared fully renewed. Javonte Williams had an enormous achieve of 21 yards and finally would punch it within the endzone from the one. However by way of the rest of the evening, the Cowboys run sport nearly disappeared. Dallas would finally abandon the run altogether, as they completed with 50 yards on 13 carries.
At instances, we noticed push from the left aspect of the offensive line, however it was extraordinarily inconsistent. There have been too many detrimental run performs that put the Cowboys behind the sticks. Simply because it impacted Prescott and the move sport, the Buccaneers blitz simply didn’t enable a lot motion on the bottom both.
Count on Dallas’ dashing assault to enhance because the offensive line grows and gels with Smith’s return. However for tonight, it was not near the place this offense wants it to be.
