DALLAS — An NFL season is all about ebbs and flows. One week you can be up, the next down. Thanks to another divisional win in Week 15, the Dallas Cowboys are currently up.
The 21-6 victory over the New York Giants made it three weeks in a row of being up and, despite what critics have to say about how the Cowboys are playing, winning is the name of the game and the ledger now reads ‘10’ in the left-hand column.
The standings also show Dallas with a three-game lead in the NFC East with three left to play. The Cowboys could clinch the division title as soon as Sunday and they’ve also wrested the No. 2 seed in the NFC away from their competitors for the moment.
Here’s what else we learned about Dallas after their latest win:
Defense is good, not just opportunistic
A top notch defense isn’t what was expected when the season began, but the Cowboys are winning more via the effort of Dan Quinn’s unit than the much-ballyhooed offense these days. Against the Giants, Dallas allowed just six points, forced 4 takeaways, and turned the Giants over on downs twice. Two of the turnovers led to 9 points and the Cowboys are now tied for the league lead in takeaways with 31.
Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence had two huge plays to force two of the turnovers and, after a lengthy stay on injured reserve, the two-time Pro Bowler has been taking advantage of his fresh legs.
In the two games since he’s returned, Lawrence has a sack, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit that resulted in an interception. It’s been an impressive showing from the veteran out of Boise St.
The Cowboys also got an interception after a Dak Prescott fumble, proving that good defenses can find a way to erase mistakes. The defense was a force to be reckoned with in Week 15.
Greg’s leg could be a problem
There wasn’t much to complain about in the win, but placekicker Greg Zuerlein missing two extra points was one gripe. It’s true that Sunday's contest was played in one of the most difficult places to kick with less than ideal conditions. If it were just this one game, then perhaps you could chalk it up as an outlier.
But this has often been a problem for Zuerlein this season. The former All-Pro has now missed five extra points on the season, making him the worst kicker in the league on point-after tries.
Zuerlein does have a big leg and has made clutch kicks for the Cowboys this season, but missing PATs could have Dallas chasing points in a big game at some point.
Schultz shouldn’t be called on to block
In an effort to get the run game going, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has been using wide receiver screens and quick passes as an extension of the running game in the past few weeks. It hasn’t worked, and a big reason for the failures falls on the tight end – in most cases starter Dalton Schultz – being required to block a moving target in space.
Schultz had a nice day as a receiver with eight catches, 67 yards, and 1 TD while acting as a security blanket over the middle for Prescott, but blocking in space is an area where he doesn’t excel. Ultimately Schultz missed two more blocks against the Giants that could have resulted in positive plays.
The Cowboys need to stop trying to make Schultz into something he’s not and scrap the play calls that rely on him too much as a blocker.
Ezekiel Elliott bails the Cowboys out, a lot
It’s easy to look at Elliott’s numbers and question why he hasn’t been more productive. The knee injury is certainly an answer after the great start to the season, but that doesn’t mean that Elliott isn’t playing at a high level. The Cowboys rely on the veteran running back to do so much of the dirty work that it might not look pretty, but it keeps drives alive and leads to points.
All of those third and shorts that Moore works to put Dallas in, Elliott picks those up. On both of his 3rd & 1 tries against the Giants, Elliott got two first downs with one coming on an impressive push from Elliott to keep the pile moving.
All of those plays where the offensive line is beaten, Elliott drives his legs and gets positive yards. All of those broken plays where Prescott must check it down to the running back, Elliott usually manages to get yards on those too.
It might not seem like Elliott’s been playing well but, on all these occasions, he’s helping the offense get positive yards and sustain drives.
Connor Williams is the best option at left guard
The experiment to insert third-year lineman Connor McGovern into the starting lineup wasn’t a good decision. The Cowboys tried, but it wasn’t successful, so the team made the smart move to switch back to Williams for positive results against the Giants.
Elliott and Tony Pollard combined for 126 yards on the ground and the rushing attack looked much better than it has in weeks.
Williams was also very strong in the passing game, helping to keep Prescott clean by allowing just one pressure on the afternoon. The Cowboys gave an extended look to McGovern at LG, but it appears clear now that Williams is the better option.
What questions do you think the Cowboys answered with their Week 15 win in New York? Share your thoughts with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
