Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and NFL writer Charles McDonald discuss the Cowboys and their struggles on defense and whether they’re going to be able to turn things around. Hear the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
What we learned about the Cowboys is their defense structurally, personnel wise.
It’s the same problem as last year.
You can only play with the lead and if you’re going to get against a team like Baltimore where you let Baltimore get up two scores on you or in this case, three or four scores on you, you have no shot because you’re just neutralized entirely on what you do.
You know, I, I know it’s probably been said at nauseam this time like this much, uh throughout the week, but the Ravens ran 45 times to 15 throws.
There’s that, that is the worst case scenario for a defense bill like the Cowboys 75 5% run.
Right.
Yeah.
Take that nerds.
How many are bubbles might be even more.
But Lamar still throws like 12 yards an attempt on the back end of it.
Like that is the ideal way for the Ravens to play offense.
Yeah, it is.
That’s how they should be built.
But as much as we all see more of the throwing, it’s like it always should be Derek and Lamar’s legs.
Derrick Henry’s legs and Lamar’s legs like first and foremost.
That’s the thunder and lightning.
The Cowboys is like, if you’re watching these games, I’m, I, I don’t feel like I’m adding much.
It’s pretty obvious problem that’s going on.
I, I’m sure the Saints game is all you needed to see anyways.
Uh, the run defense sucks just straight up and they have no linebackers that can fill the run.
So teams are just trotting out heavier personnels and going fit the run.
Oh, you can’t.
All right.
Well, there’s Derek Henry getting 70 yards, the weakness of this team, which we thought in the preseason that it has been only solidified.
Now, running backs are nothing.
They’re a non factor.
Uh, the run game, their own run game is bad because again, they have ter bad running backs and a reconfigured offensive line that might get their long term.
But now when you’re trying to compete, that’s, that’s tough sledding.
Just a lot of issues that we thought maybe preseason, but they’re really, really, really glaring right now and teams are already picking at it and it’s, once you put it on film, it’s just hard to stop until you get to a bye week and then you just kind of go and take a deep breath, but right now it just feels like they’re swimming.