Major Takeaways from another blowout victory for the Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys continued to roll in Week 11, getting so far out in front their starters were once again sitting in the fourth quarter. They beat down the Carolina Panthers in their house, marking a fourth win in five games. The single loss was on the road against the team with the best record in the league, and that came down to the last drive.
The Panthers kept the game relatively close on the scoreboard but made too many mistakes to a superior opponent, and eventually Dallas pulled away. Since their loss in San Francisco, the Cowboys have outscored their opponents 168-92 and have clicked in all areas of the game more than ever in the Mike McCarthy era. The special teams unit has been consistently great all year. The defense had seven sacks and an interception return for a TD. The offense has been great since Week 5 but was safe in this game, making sure they didn’t do anything to put this game in jeopardy.
Dallas has a short week to study the game, recover, and plan for the upcoming matchup. Here are some major takeaways they can look forward to or clean up going forward.
Cowboys issues linger, even if the opponent can't take advantage of them
Carolina was a significant underdog, and the Cowboys were able to play a vanilla game plan, sprinkling in wildcat formations and weird reverses, and were still talented enough to blow them out. The process still matters because if the team makes those same mistakes versus a better opponent, they could lose. Dallas has had issues all year that have continued to plague them, and they also reared their ugly head against the Panthers.
Slow starts are issue No. 1, as this was yet another game that started with a three-and-out then a long drive allowed by the defense. The Panthers got pressure on Dak Prescott immediately, and Dallas punted quickly. Carolina’s offense then went on a 10-play, 41-yard drive that lasted over five minutes and got into field-goal range before the Micah Parsons sack pushed them back. This type of start cost them in all three losses this season.
The second big issue is the run defense. The defense of Dallas hasn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher yet, which is impressive, but Carolina ran the ball exceptionally efficiently. The running backs for the Panthers ran for 107 yards on 21 attempts, over five yards per carry. This allowed them to go on multiple drives over 10 plays, including a 17-play scoring drive. If Carolina can manage that, what will the upper echelon of NFC rushing attacks like the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, or San Francisco 49ers be able to accomplish?
Third, the Dallas run game did finally get multiple big runs from Tony Pollard; two jaunts of over 20 yards that included a touchdown. They ran for 107 as a team, with the backs averaging 4.1 yards a carry thanks to two huge flops for -16 yards. Overall not bad, but the team likely is still looking to generate more from this part of their offense.
The defense of the Cowboys is reliant on the pass rush too often
This game ended in a three-score blowout, but the first half was generally competitive, and the Cowboys needed big stops on defense to set up the team to win easy later on. After an offensive three-and-out the Panthers were able to go ten plays and take the ball inside the Dallas 40. They ran the ball for gains of seven and 13 and converted two third down attempts to Adam Thielen to put themselves in field goal range. Micah Parsons finally blew up a third and six for a sack and forced a punt from Carolina.
On their next drive, the Panthers again moved the ball on the ground, hitting a 15-yard run to get the offense to midfield before a sack from Parsons again ended their drive. Two drives, two chances to get points ended in a punt because of the Dallas pass rush.
The Cowboys had a 10-0 lead when Carolina went on another ten-play drive that included runs of 9, 14, and 13 yards. This time the Panthers got into the red-zone, but a Demarcus Lawrence sack forced them to kick a field goal. At that time, a 10-3 lead could easily have been 13-10 Carolina if they weren’t stuffed by the Dallas pass rush.
Looking ahead the Cowboys have another matchup with the Eagles, plus a game against the Detroit Lions, two of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and could run into either of those two or the 49ers in the playoffs. If the team has to be overly reliant on the pass rush, then it could be an issue against the best teams in the NFC.
DaRon Bland is having an all-pro season. . . at the very least
When DaRon Bland was drafted, most didn’t expect much early from him. A developmental prospect with good size and speed for the position, he was selected in the fifth-round from Fresno State and expected to be an excellent special teams player. Dallas had their All-Pro corner Trevon Diggs, with veterans, Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis cemented as starters. Injuries moved Bland into the starting slot corner over Kelvin Joseph, who was a second-round selection in 2021. It quickly became evident the team made the correct decision.
As a rookie, Bland was able to snag five interceptions, and cemented himself as a starting playmaker in the slot going forward. Dallas wanted Stephon Gilmore to be brought in to be an upgrade across from Diggs, and Bland was the slot corner of the future. Diggs unfortunately tore his ACL and Bland was forced to move outside with Gilmore to become the top guy, and Bland to stabilize the second corner spot. It turned out that Gilmore is still the second-best corner on the team.
So far this season Bland has made a case for being an all-pro with a league leading six interceptions. That is more than the entire defense of the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, and both Super Bowl teams from last season, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Eagles. He returned four of those six interceptions for touchdowns. That ties Eric Allen’s all-time record but is also more scores than top receivers like Davante Adams, Bradon Aiyuk, Amari Cooper, Jaylen Waddle, or Tee Higgins. That is a strong case for a first team all-pro nod, but he might just be the best corner in the NFL and a real defensive player of the year (DPOY) candidate.
Bland leads the NFL in interceptions since he has entered the league, but he doesn’t just make the flashy plays. He is a great all-around cover corner. Bland allows the lowest passer rating when he is targeted in the NFL. His -47.6 EPA when thrown at, is the second-best number since Next Gen Stats started tracking that stat in 2016. First team all-pro is just about a certainty, DPOY, definitely in the conversation, but Bland might be the best cornerback in the entire league.
