Dallas Cowboys’ Defense Decimated by Rico Dowdle in 30-27 Loss at Carolina

Cover photo: Carolina Panthers’ running back Rico Dowdle runs against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, October 12. The Panthers defeated the Cowboys 30-27. Dowdle tallied 239 total yards against his former team, including 183 yards rushing. Photo credit: Scott Kinser, Imagn Images.

Earlier this week, current Carolina Panther running back and former Dallas Cowboy Rico Dowdle said that the Cowboy defense needed to “buckle up” in order to be ready for Dowdle and the Panther running game on Sunday afternoon at Bank of America Stadium. In Week 5 on October 5 against the Miami Dolphins, Dowdle ran for 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. In hindsight, his offering served as a warning. 

As it turns out, the Cowboy defense did not buckle up. 

Rather, a Cowboy defense that is the worst in the NFL through six weeks (411.7 yards per game allowed) did not take any safety precautions in dealing with Dowdle, who followed up his 206 against the Dolphins with 30 carries for 183 yards and five receptions for 56 yards and a receiving touchdown in the Panthers’ 30-27 victory on Sunday against an overmatched Dallas D, a unit that currently possesses the fourth-worst run defense in the NFL, at 142.2 yards surrendered per contest. 

Dowdle consistently had open running lanes for big yardage plays. The Cowboy linebackers do not do a good job of diagnosing plays and pursuing, and because of that, Dowdle on Sunday frequently got to the second level before first contact. The running back totaled 239 yards from scrimmage, and scored his touchdown on a 36-yard play on the Panthers’ opening second half drive with 13:19 on the third quarter clock. 

Bryce Young completed 17-of-25 passes for 199 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, and had the luxury of being sacked only once, by the Cowboys’ Marist Liufau. Two of Panther receiver Tet McMillan’s three catches were touchdown receptions, as the rookie totaled 29 yards receiving. On one of his scores, he was left open on a miscue by Cowboy safety Donovan Wilson, who had gone for a McMillan fake inside, which allowed the rookie to drift to the end zone by his lonesome to make the easy catch. 

After Week 6, the Cowboy offense dropped to second in yards per game at 387.5. Prescott, whose 270.3 yards per game are second in the NFL, went 25-of-34 for 261 yards and three touchdowns. George Pickens continues to glisten through the gloom of the Cowboys’ season. Since CeeDee Lamb went down with his ankle injury in Week 3, Pickens has been spectacular. 

On Sunday, he caught nine Prescott passes for 168 yards and a touchdown, and on the season has 32 catches for 525 yards and six touchdowns, the latter figure which is second in the NFL. Pickens in Lamb’s absence so far this season caught two passes for 57 yards against the New York Jets, but grabbed eight for 134 against the Packers (two touchdowns) to go along with his performance against the Panthers. He is a big target at 6 feet, 3 inches, draws defensive pass interference calls, and has stupendous hands with great ability to run after the catch. His sideline hurdle in the first quarter over Panther safety Nick Scott was the highlight of the game for the Cowboys and one of the highlights of the day league-wide and surely of the season. 

While Prescott and Pickens continued to click, the running game struggled against the Panthers. Javonte Williams, who had averaged over four years per carry in each game since Week 1 at the Philadelphia Eagles (8.4 in Week 5 against the Jets), was held to just 29 yards on 13 carries for a measly average of 2.2 yards per tote. The Panther front led by Pro Bowl end Derrick Brown did not allow the Cowboys to control the line of scrimmage, and the Cowboy offensive front turned in a performance that was a total reversal from Week 5, even though they had left side starters Tyler Guyton and Tyler Smith return to the lineup. The line that had looked so good in Week 5 got Pro Bowl guard Tyler Smith back for Sunday but looked noticeably worse than they did against the Jets. The Panther defense held Williams down, and their front was also able to pressure Prescott - though they did not register a sack, they were able to make him move from the pocket and make uncomfortable throws. Brown and A’Shawn Robinson put together solid performances inside. 

Running lanes for Williams were shut down as Guyton and right guard T.J. Bass had a difficult time. Guyton is an athletic player but right now lacks the strength and technique to succeed regularly. On one play in particular, he did not get his hands in place to make an initial pass blocking punch, allowing his opposing lineman to rush him quite easily. On another play where he was pulling to the left side, he misidentified who to block and ended up getting a body on no one as the Panthers made a play behind the line of scrimmage. As the old saying goes, games are won and lost in the trenches. It is an old school cliche but even in today’s passing league it maintains its validity. The Cowboy front was simply outplayed in the running game, which in turn made the offense rather one dimensional. Thank goodness for the talent of Pickens and Prescott. 

This was a winnable game for the Cowboys, a game that cost them because they have a couple winnable (or so we thought) games coming up on the schedule before it gets tough. In Week 7, they have a home date with the Washington Commanders, who face the Bears in one of Oct. 13’s two Monday Night games. Commander quarterback Jaden Daniels will probably have his way there. Then the Cowboys visit the Denver Broncos and their stingy defense (2nd in the NFL in yards surrendered per game, 254.2; 6th in run defense at 89.0 yards allowed). Those two games right now are looking suspect. The Cowboys then host the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football, November 3. Winnable. After their Week 10 bye week, the team plays at the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football. Before the Panther loss, you would have surmised that there are two to three gettable games in there. Now, it is not so clear. 

After the Vegas game, there is a gauntlet of a three-game stretch - home against the Eagles, home against the Kansas City Chiefs (Thanksgiving) and at the Detroit Lions on Dec. 4. You could have said that there are four winnable games in that seven-game stretch, especially with how explosive your offense is. 

But this team is 2-3-1. It is devoid of defensive talent -  short a defensive tackle, linebacker(s), and cornerback - and it does not look like, barring any moves (why waste draft capital if you are not going anywhere), that there is any daylight on the horizon. 

This franchise always has a certain expectation each year, to compete and be good. The standard was set with Tom Landry and his team’s two Super Bowl wins (four appearances) in the 70s, and continued with Jimmy Johnson’s team that won back-to-back in ‘92 and ‘93 and Barry Switzer’s squad that won in ‘95. It is tradition and a foundation of success that started from the beginning. 

This season’s team though, even with arguably the NFL’s best offense, a Pro Bowl cornerback and two Pro Bowl level receivers that are arguably the most potent 1-2 receiver punch across the league, appears to not be one of those teams. A defense that cannot stop anyone. No resistance, and six weeks in, when it is overdue to be fixing things and seeing results, nothing has been fixed. You subsequently get the results you get.

The loss to the Panthers was a strong indication of that. Bluntly, this team right now just isn’t any good. Get rid of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, a guy who was once a pedigreed and successful defensive coordinator? Maybe the game has passed him by. Maybe the talent does not fit the scheme. Something needs to be done. Bench some guys, bring in others? Ride it out, finish with a bad record, and get a high draft pick? Then what was the point of bringing in Pickens, surrendering a third and a fifth if you are not going to compete or re-sign him in the offseason? The only way the Pickens’ trade makes sense is if you re-sign him.

Otherwise, it does not make sense. But a lot has not made sense with this franchise lately. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the same result. The offense is fine. The defense is not. Make some changes. Make things uncomfortable. A new culture starts with accountability. 

Doing some things differently would be a good start on accountability. 

Game Notes

Per NFL Network, the Cowboys are the sixth team in NFL history to score 175+ points with no more than two wins in their first six games of a season.

Per ESPN research, since statistics began to be tracked in 1950, Prescott is the first quarterback to have 11 or more passing touchdowns/rushing touchdowns with zero turnovers in a three-game span but a non-winning record in that span.