3 Changes The Cowboys Must Make
Another season ends in disappointment for the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite finishing the regular season at 12-5, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers at home during Super Wild Card Weekend.
Their 17 points during that game is a far cry from their regular-season average of over 31 per game.
The Cowboys tried to mount a comeback, but it was too late.
The defeat extends their NFC Championship Game drought to 26 years.
With a season of high hopes coming down to a grinding halt, the five-time Super Bowl champions must make several changes to prevent a repeat of this meltdown.
While they will remain the standard of the NFC East for years, these changes will help them put up a better fight against the NFL’s elite teams.
3. The Defensive Line Needs Help
The Cowboys finished the regular season with 41 sacks, tied for 10th-most in the league.
Micah Parsons had the most sacks with 13, but he’s more of a linebacker than a defensive lineman.
The rookie filled in nicely for DeMarcus Lawrence, who played only seven games due to injury.
Randy Gregory is second on the list with six sacks, while Dorance Armstrong had five.
The Cowboys had zero sacks in the Wild Card game against San Francisco.
They failed to pressure Jimmy Garoppolo, who completed passes to six different receivers.
The Dallas defensive line also failed to stop the 49ers run game which collected 168 yards between Deebo Samuel and Elijah Mitchell.
It’s hard to expect a team to win if they can’t stop their opponent from scoring.
That said, the Cowboys must make their defensive line a priority, be it through free agency or the draft.
2. Upgrade The Offensive Line
The Cowboys have elite players on the offensive line.
This season, Zack Martin is a First-Team All-Pro, while offensive tackle Tyron Smith is a Pro Bowl selection.
However, the line committed several penalties throughout their game against the 49ers.
Of the 14 penalties that the Cowboys had, eight were courtesy of the offense, and six were against the offensive line.
Smith and Luke Gifford had an offensive holding call each while La’el Collins had a holding and a false start infraction.
Connor Williams also had a holding, and a false start called against him.
Those penalties resulted in 39 yards, and four of them occurred on third down to deprive the Cowboys of scoring opportunities.
The Cowboys’ offensive line has been solid all season, but they must remain disciplined, especially during the games that matter.
1. Elevate One Of Their Coordinators To Head Coach
What exactly does Mike McCarthy do for the Cowboys?
Yes, he gets the final say on plays, but the play calling falls to their coordinators.
Kellen Moore helped Dallas become of the NFL’s best offenses, while Dan Quinn helped the defense improve.
Therefore, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones must get rid of McCarthy and elevate Moore or Quinn as head coach.
McCarthy’s clock management blunders will cause further problems, and it’s right to address the concern sooner than later.
The Cowboys might take off even more without him.
