'Too much of a dip': OC Kellen Moore, Dallas Cowboys diagnose where offense has slumped
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FRISCO, Texas â Kellen Moore had reiterated the same philosophy after three straight games.
âYouâre going to have ups and youâre going to have downs,â the Dallas offensive coordinator said Nov. 25 after the Cowboysâ 36-33 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
âThere's going to be highs,â he added Dec. 6 after the Cowboysâ 27-17 win over the New Orleans Saints didnât capture an offensive performance more accurately reflected by the offenseâs 2-of-13 conversion rate on third down.
Then came Dallasâ latest win at Washington. The defenseâs second straight performance with four takeaways somewhat muted concern about a quarterback who threw two uncharacteristic interceptions and an attack that went 1-of-6 from the red zone despite four Washington defensive linemen missing the game.
But itâs clear that the offensive rhythm propelling the Cowboys early in 2021 no longer consistently arrives.
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So when Moore again Monday aimed to explain away the deficiencies as âhighs and lows,â a reporter pressed back: Surely, Moore didnât expect a low this prolonged, did he?
âI certainly think a little bit too much of a dip probably,â Moore conceded. âBut I think we got a great opportunity ahead of ourselves. ⊠If you're going to go through a little bit of a bump, you want to go through it with these type of guys.â
The Cowboysâ offensive struggles are multifaceted. No element of their attack has maintained the early-season high caliber of play. But what is Dallas saying about the down performances? Hereâs a breakdown:
Quarterback Dak Prescott: Head coach Mike McCarthy was adamant Monday: âI donât think Dak is in a slump.â Also: âYeah, Dak is healthy.â His production, however, has fallen off. Prescott posted a 115.0 quarterback rating while completing 73.1% of passes for 16 touchdowns and four interceptions in six games before he strained his calf entering Dallasâ bye. In six games since: Prescottâs rating has fallen to 82.8, his completion percentage 10 points to 63.2% and his ball security in the stretch has hovered at eight touchdowns to six interceptions.
âItâs frustrating,â Prescott said Sunday at Washington. âWeâve created these expectations and high standards and we have them for ourselves. So I mean just as much as the outside world isnât pleased, weâre not.â
The sixth-year quarterback had drawn praise around the NFL for his mastery of the Dallas offense in September and October. On Sunday, his first interception was thrown higher and deeper than the intended receiver landed. On his second pick, he failed to see Washingtonâs linebacker, Moore said Monday. The Cowboys seek to reestablish Prescottâs groove through a controlled passing game, with short and intermediate passes enabling Prescott to settle in.
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Cowboys receivers: The Cowboys' receivers have each missed time this season. Amari Cooper was out two games with COVID-19, CeeDee Lamb a game and a half after suffering a concussion and Michael Gallup seven weeks recovering from a calf strain. Prescott, his receivers and their coaches all suggest that time away has hurt their chemistry. But Prescott returned from an 11-month absence to open this season with 403 yards, including a 28-yard completion to Cooper on the first play. The group has demonstrated cohesiveness before, even against defenses aiming to contain them. What changed?
âCouple misconnections, miscommunications. Small things,â Lamb said last week before catching seven of 10 targets for 61 yards in addition to two carries for 15 yards at Washington. âWe got to get our rhythm back, I do agree on that. But I mean youâre not going to put up 400 yards passing every game. Iâm sorry thatâs just not going to happen in the NFL. It doesnât happen.
âWeâre going to get back to the drawing board doing what we do and hopefully the results will be a lot better.â
Ezekiel Elliott and the run game: The Cowboys rushed for 164.3 yards per game during their first six contests, the second most in the league. The next seven games they've compiled 93.7 ground yards per game, good for 21st. Their 5.08 yards per carry average fell to 4.1. Elliottâs health has contributed. Elliott injured his right knee Oct. 3 in a win over Carolina. He has continued to offer versatile production rushing, receiving and pass protecting. But his production has fallen from 86.8 yards per game before Dallasâ bye to 41.3 in seven games since. And though Elliott insists MRIs indicate his knee is both improving and not at risk of further damage by playing, McCarthy admitted he felt the need to be cautious with his running back at Washington after another hit to the knee.
Add in running back Tony Pollard partially tearing his plantar fascia in a 58-yard touchdown run at New Orleans, and the Cowboysâ explosive potential plummets. The backs themselves arenât the only ones responsible for the decline in running game. The run lanes are less clear and Prescottâs dual-threat ability less emphasized and thus less drawing attention away from the running backs. Packages featuring extra offensive linemen lead-blocking in addition to Pollard bullying on the perimeter have worked well, though Moore says such plays are secondary elements of the rushing game plan. The Cowboys want to return to an attack with a punishing uphill run game.
âI thought our run game had some clean stuff in there,â Moore said Monday after Dallas ran for 122 yards at Washington. âI know it's 4-, 5-, 6-yard gains, it's not the fancy stuff that makes highlights. (But) I like the step we took in terms of the run game.â
Offensive line: The Cowboysâ offensive line lineup hearkens to the Abbott and Costello spiel: âWhoâs on first?â Dallasâ rotation remains so inconsistent that coaches even intentionally substituted their left guard and right tackle for the third series and only the third series on Thanksgiving. An injury to left tackle Tyron Smith and COVID-19 for All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and right tackle Terence Steele have impacted the lineup. Coaches also faced decisions about how they value veteran experience relative to lineup continuity when right tackle Laâel Collins returned from a five-game suspension to find Steele filling in nicely. Instability has undoubtedly contributed to less fluid run blocking and pass protecting. And at center, Tyler Biadasz and Prescott had multiple snaps on the ground at Washington in an operation that has yet to fully solidify.
âContinuity is preferred,â Moore said. Offensive line is âa little bit of a symphony at times. When they're all aligned and they're all stepping at the same time, I think that gives us something pretty special up there ⊠There are adjustments that need to be made (but) I think our guys are finding their groove and weâre going to head into this thing the right way.â
Next up: The Cowboys' offense is still explosive, their 409.1 yards and 29.2 points per game each second-best in the league. So these areas for improvement speak less to production alone and more to shoring up efficiency and reliability in hopes of playoff success. The Cowboys' defense has drastically improved this season. So the immediate next goal is to rediscover the elusive offensive rhythm, build off the elements of the Cowboys' attack that have worked and ride each to the end zone. Division contests against struggling Giants and Washington teams await next before Dallas hosts the high-octane Cardinals.
âWe started off hot, went through a little bit of a lull,â Prescott said. âItâs growing pains. Itâs just getting some kinks out. I feel like weâve been in a lot of different situations and experienced a lot of different games, whether weâre not getting the ball much or whether weâre playing slow and different things we can learn from. Whether it resulted in a win or a loss.
âI think our best ball is ahead.â
Follow USA TODAY Sportsâ Jori Epstein on Twitter @JoriEpstein.