Dallas Cowboys: 3 Takeaways vs. Redskins in Week 8

1. Dez Bryant may be close to exploding, just not the way he needs to

Throughout the season one thing has been clear, wide receiver Dez Bryant has not been as dominant a player as the team hoped for. He started out poorly, and really has yet to take off and have that huge breakout game. Playing against a banged-up cornerback in Josh Norman on Sunday made it seem as if he could potentially have that game.

Instead, he managed just four receptions — although his last was a key third-down late that helped kill the clock for Big D — and had only 39 yards. More concerning though was his demeanor throughout the game while on the sidelines.

Bryant was shown at one point having a heated discussion with Dak Prescott. Later he was seen stating his case to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and finally to head coach Jason Garrett. Bryant was also seen holding up two fingers on the sideline as the offense came off at one point, which signified that he had been targeted just two times in the game.

Next: Cowboys vs. Redskins: Highlights, game tracker and more

While the offense has been clicking, it’s discouraging to see Bryant start to display the attitude of a me-first receiver. While the pros of this are his desire to win is surely the driving force as Dez truly believed he could have beaten a bruised Norman and the lesser-talented Quitnon Dunbar who did line up one-on-one with him several times. However, this game was ugly and had to be fought on the ground for the most part and Bryant has to know that.

The team has to hope this is an isolated incident and that Bryant doesn’t explode, which would cause unnecessary drama on a season that’s already chock-full of that.