FRISCO — Merry Christmas, Netflix. The present you get to open on Thursday? How about broadcasting two games that looked a lot better — and a lot more meaningful — earlier this season than they ultimately proved to be.
The Cowboys and Commanders went from playoff contenders to start the season, to a game between two eliminated teams, including the Commanders, who will be on their third-string quarterback when they host Dallas. Even the matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions is between two teams that most likely won’t make the playoffs. The Vikings are eliminated, while the Lions hang by a thread.
Hey, at least Netflix has new episodes of Stranger Things on Thursday.
Believe it or not, there are things worth watching when the Cowboys play the Commanders on Sunday. Here are five final thoughts before kickoff.
Cowboys
No motivation required
Let’s start right where we left off above. In theory, it would make sense for the Cowboys to pack it up and prepare for the future. It would make sense — a lot of sense, if you take this writer’s word for it — to sit Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for the final two games and get more playing time for backup Joe Milton. Prescott’s future, especially after this season, is not something worth risking, right?
Prescott doesn’t look at it that way. In meeting with reporters, Prescott didn’t even let a question about potentially sitting the last two weeks finish before he answered that he wouldn’t let that happen. He even told reporters in a hypothetical situation, if Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer tried to mandate a two-game rest for Prescott that Prescott would fight him regarding it.
Prescott was not serious (I think?) about fighting Schottenheimer, but he was clearly serious about playing the next two weeks.
Schottenheimer is also serious about trying to win the next two weeks against the Commanders and the Giants. A division title may be out of reach, but they could finish with a 5-1 record in the division, which would be the best among all four teams. If they win out, they can avoid having a losing record for back-to-back seasons.
“At the end of the day, we’re playing to win. That’s not just my philosophy, that’s what these guys want to do,” Schottenheimer said. “They want to play. If you listen to our guys, they want to play and they want to play well. They love one another, they care about one another. That’s really cool.”
Learning curve
Cowboys rookie corner Shavon Revel went 14 months without playing a football game. That’s worth keeping in mind when we talk about the third-round pick’s development.
Revel had the worst performance he’s had in his brief, six-game NFL career thus far in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. He was targeted nine times, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed seven catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. He also struggled tackling on occasion, including a third down in the first half where he attempted to push a Chargers receiver out of bounds for a stop, but instead it resulted in a first down.
Corners will get beat. It’s something that every coach will tell you, including Schottenheimer, who alluded to it this week. In the NFL, especially on a short week, there’s no time to dwell on that, however.
“[Revel] struggled a bit last game, [but] next man up. Hey, that guy over there, No. 17 [Terry McLaurin] he’s really good, and he’s really fast, but it’s just the next opportunity,” Schottenheimer said. “You can’t look back. You got to look to this opportunity.”
Take your pick
Cowboys receiver George Pickens was named a Pro Bowler for the first time on Tuesday. And for good reason. Pickens has set a career high in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns this year. He’s third in the NFL among all receivers with 1,342 yards. He’s been fantastic.
And yet, the Cowboys are still trying to adapt to a way the league has adapted to him. When Pickens draws single coverage, he’s been incredible. When he draws double coverage, the Cowboys have mostly went away from him — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when CeeDee Lamb is the other option.
Last week’s loss to the Chargers showcased both: Pickens was fantastic in the first half when he was single covered. His production slowed down in the second half, just as it did the previous two games when he was essentially a non-factor while dealing with extra attention.
Eventually, the Cowboys will have to persevere through Pickens getting doubled. Last week showed some progress in that regard. Will this week show more?
Slowing down?
Another fantastic addition for Dallas this offseason has been running back Javonte Williams, who has set career highs in carries, rushing yards and touchdowns. The last two weeks he’s been limited because of in-game hits that bruised, but didn’t fully injure him. He’s had a combined 24 carries the last two games. It appears his usage might be slowing down.
Throughout this season I’ve written that the Cowboys eventually need to find a running mate for Williams. They want to run the ball, and doing so for a whole season, mostly, with one player will erode tread on the tires.
That need to find a running mate is showing itself now. Could Malik Davis fulfill that role next season? Or how about rookies Phil Mafah or Jaydon Blue?
There’s a potential audition for that role the next two weeks. We’ll see if someone can seize it.
The elephant in the coaches box
The biggest storyline the next two weeks is centered around the Cowboys defense and maligned coordinator Matt Eberflus. The Cowboys defense is on pace to be the worst in franchise history from a points allowed perspective. They’re now the worst defense in the NFL in terms of EPA allowed per play, according to RBSDM.com.
All those things add up to a potential one-and-done season for Eberflus in his return to Dallas. But will that actually happen?
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has put pressure publicly on Eberflus the last two weeks. He even said after last game that he wouldn’t “couch” a potential decision on Eberflus’ future as “difficult,” adding that it’s not uncommon to evaluate all coaches once the season concludes.
Jones knows he needs to make a change on defense, but is that change the man in charge of it? Jones has talked often about continuity being an edge for a defense — a factor that the Cowboys haven’t had. If they moved on from Eberflus, they’d have to hire a defensive coordinator for the fourth time in four years.
Jones said that would be a sacrifice, but as time continues, it feels like a sacrifice potentially worth making if they deem Eberflus responsible for the defensive shortcomings.
Related
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