Cowboys vs. 49ers: Same Old Same Old
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42-10. The worst defeat against the 49ers, ever. How can such promise turn into impossibility in the space of three and a half hours?
The Dallas Cowboys headed into Santa Clara with the belief that things would be different this time round. The back office had addressed the lack of weapons on offense; trading a 5th round pick for Brandin Cooks, drafting a dynamic playmaker late in the draft in Deuce Vaughn, releasing what many thought to be a ‘progress stopping’, Ezekiel Elliott, while franchise tagging Tony Pollard, who would hopefully stay healthy for the entirety of the game (which he did).
However, the lack of creativity to get Cooks involved in the first four weeks of the season continued into this game. A speedster by trait, being used on stop routes and short slants, was not what Cowboys fans had in mind when Jerry Jones traded for the former first round pick. Cooks has had 1,000+ yards receiving in six of nine seasons in the NFL, with four different teams. So, Cowboys fans can be forgiven for expecting a few more explosive plays from number 3, but this scheme does not seem to be accommodating his skill set at all. With over a quarter of the season gone, already, 9 receptions for 73 yards, with a long of 16, could be seen as an average, industrious game for a wide receiver. This is Cooks’ stat line for the season.
Deuce Vaughn has been ineffective barring two back-to-back plays in week two and so, as expected, the workload on Tony Pollard has been immense. He has the third most touches in the NFL this season, but this new role of carrying the load, has impacted the amount of explosive plays we have come to expect from the ‘franchise’ running back. Rico Dowdle has looked good in snippets so far, so maybe more balance in touches, between the two, could see improvement in big plays for the Cowboys.
However unproductive this offense was last night; the defence did not uphold their end of the bargain either. It appears Kyle Shanahan has Dan Quinn’s number. Four turnovers from the offense did not help, but this unit is supposed to be the one driving this team to success. Having won the toss and deferred, Micah Parsons and co. let Brock Purdy drive 75 yards in 8 plays to score an opening drive TD. This drive included 20 yards of penalties against the Cowboys defence. The tone was set.
One sack and two QB hits will never be enough to win a regular season game, never mind a playoff bout, which, if this team has any desire of doing, they need to adjust, fast. The whole occasion felt like a preview for what we could be witnessing in January and if there is any positive to come out of this, for the team from Texas, it is that they have three months to get better, a lot better. Maybe that is a reach when looking for positives, especially when the day seemed to get worse as play went on, losing key starters on defence, when the game was already lost. Jayron Kearse, Leighton Vander Esch and Daron Bland all left the game late in the fourth quarter due to injury. Kavonte Turpin is also sidelined for 4-6 weeks, while special teams ace, CJ Goodwin is out for the season.
A lot for Mike McCarthy to consider before facing his old offensive co-ordinator, back in Arlington, on Monday Night Football, in what could be a very decisive game, for this team, this season. From what looked as though it could be a 27-year realisation, now looks like a season in which the Dallas Cowboys yet again, flatter to deceive. How can a team that still has the potential to finish with 12+ wins, not really be considered as a divisional contender, let alone a Superbowl contender?