Dallas Cowboys: Big takeaways from win vs. Buccaneers in Week 16

4 of 4

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 23: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys hands the ball off to Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

1. The offense is still a work in progress

As mentioned above, the Cowboys are going to go as far as this defense takes them. Yes, they are a great defense, but also, their offense just has too many holes to be able to believe in them. And it’s not just the fact that they quit throwing the ball to Cooper.

On top of that, they have far too many penalties — and Tyron Smith is their biggest culprit of the penalties right now. He had four holding calls last week and six on the year. He added a seventh in this one, which killed a huge run by Elliott. Even worse, it was the second penalty on the drive as he had a false start before that. They also have far too many three-and-outs, like they did to start the third quarter.

The good news is, there’s some hope. Dallas converted on a third-and-12 on their first drive of the game and a third-and-10 not long after Smith’s false start. IN the earlier portions of the season, those plays would have been runs in order to set up the punt.

Next. 3 Cowboys to let walk, cut and re-sign in 2019. dark

At least the offense has made some progress, but they will likely need to get some stuff figured out before the playoffs begin. Otherwise, it could get ugly fast.

Home/Dallas Cowboys