Dallas Cowboys: 3 People to blame for recent failures
With the amount of talent on the Dallas Cowboys roster in 2019, there’s no way they should look as bad as they have — but who exactly is to blame?
The Dallas Cowboys easily have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, featuring one of the more dominant offensive lines of the decade and a running back in Ezekiel Elliott who is simply sensational.
Yet, after their recent defeat to the rival Philadelphia Eagles, it’s appalling the Cowboys are no 7-8 and are now no longer a perceived threat in the NFC, even if they can still back into winning the division.
In addition to a ridiculous overall record, they are 1-6 against teams that are above .500 in the standings (teams who have an equal or greater amount of wins as they do losses). Leading into their Week 16 matchup against the Eagles, they decimated the red-hot Los Angeles Rams, 44-21.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Rather than give Dallas confidence and momentum heading into their important game against the Eagles, they were pathetic as their receivers dropped six passes as the Cowboys went on to lose, 17-9, without scoring a single touchdown in one of their biggest matchups of the 2019 season.
As this season is coming to an end, it’s the time of year where players and staff members in the NFL begin to point fingers and take the fall for their lack of success. Below are the three people who are the most to blame for the failure of the Cowboys in 2019.
Dak Prescott
The fourth-year quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys has faced his fair share of criticism in 2019 as he is in a contract year and is yet to receive an extension from the franchise.
Statistically, Prescott is having one of his best seasons since entering the league in 2016. His completion percentage is the second-lowest of his career at 64.8 percent, throwing 365 completions on 563 pass attempts for 4,599 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
What those numbers don’t show, however, are the ugly incompletions that he’s throwing to wide-open receivers downfield. Prescott is constantly missing his receivers by throwing it ahead of them or behind them.
For a player who was once expected to become the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL, many are beginning to question if Dak Prescott should even be the Cowboys’ franchise quarterback for the future.
Jason Garrett
Over the past few seasons, there may not be a head coach in the NFL that is ridiculed more than Jason Garrett. His passive game-planning and infamous innate ability to somehow lose every single game that matters are some of the reasons as to why Garrett is on the verge of being voted off the island.
Garrett is given more tools on offense and defense than any coach could ever dream of. And yet, the Cowboys are constantly losing important games that undermine their legitimacy in the conversation for best teams in the NFL.
As Dallas is anticipated to miss the playoffs following their loss to the Eagle is Week 16, it’s highly questionable that Garrett will come back in the spring for another season as the head coach. The missed opportunity of not taking advantage of a weakened division in 2019 will likely be the final nail in the coffin in Garrett’s tenure with Dallas.
Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones is the least likely variable in this argument. However, it should be analyzed regardless. The long-time owner and face of the Dallas Cowboys is running a diabolical regime behind closed doors. Jones is by no means purposely lose games. He is a businessman and wants to win by every means necessary in order to increase revenue and achieve a high status for his franchise.
On the contrary, Jones has refused to release Garrett as he is able to manipulate him and command the team via pulling strings, similar to a puppet. This ignorance and refusal to put aside his controlling behavior is one of the sole reasons as to why Dallas is a losing city as of late.
Rather than allow a coach with valued credentials and a winning gameplan that will translate to on-field success for the franchise, Jones would rather have a coach that he has total influence over and is able to control the team at every level.
Next. 2020 NFL Free Agency: Early predictions for top 25 players. dark
The 2020 offseason will be a make-or-break moment for the Dallas Cowboys. Prescott requires a contract extension, Garrett has failed to succeed with this roster and Jones is an ineffective owner creating dysfunction. One or more of these three figures will be gone by August 2020, should Dallas want to be a winning team once again.
If a change is not made, Dallas will continue to settle for mediocrity and will achieve no more than an NFC East division title.