Rob Carr
The Dallas Cowboys (6-7) were destroyed 31-24 by the Chicago Bears (7-6) and don't let the score deceive you. Dallas was only in the game for about the first 8 minutes, then the Bears took over and they never had a chance after that.
Recap
For the 2nd week in a row the Cowboy offense took their opening possession and scored a touchdown, but just like last week that was about all they did right.It looks like coach Garrett has lost the team and there needs to be a change.
Quarterback Dak Prescott was 27/49 for 334 yards, 1 touchdown, and NO turnovers. The NFL's leading passer put up another good looking statistical game but it still led to a loss. Prescott connected with 6 different receivers and 2nd year man Michael Gallup led the way with 6 catches for 109 yards. Dallas' #1 receiver Amari Cooper had 6 catches for 83 yards and a late garbage time touchdown towards the end of the game.
Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott had a good game. He carried the ball 19 times for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns. After the first drive he looked like he was set to have a big day but the Bears made better adjustments that Dallas couldn't keep up with.
Dallas (6-7) has now lost 3 games in a row but are luckily still leading the NFC East even though their division rival Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) won. No matter how bad they have been playing, they still have a 67% chance of winning their division and making the playoffs. Essentially they only need to win their game against the Eagles in Week 16.
3 Things to Watch For
1.Ezekiel Elliott (Running Back): Zeke had good game stat wise, but he is going to have to put the team on his back to get them a win this week against another top 10 defense in the Los Angeles Rams.
2.Cowboys Defense (All): Just made Mitch Trubisky and one of the worst offenses in the NFL look like All Pros, hopefully linebacker Jaylon Smith can help contain ProBowl running back Todd Gurley. If not, they could be in for another loss just like the last 2 games.
3.Kai Forbath (Kicker): The Cowboys finally cut kicker Brett Maher who was leading the league in missed field goal attempts so this will be Forbath's first game with the Cowboys this year. Forbath was just cut by the New England Patriots last week. Let's see if he can provide some easy points.
Coming Up
The Dallas Cowboys (6-7) will be at home taking on the Los Angeles Rams (8-5) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set at 3:25 pm Central time. The Cowboys are somehow favored to win this but I can't see a scenario where they come out with a win here. They are a very talented team that just can't seem to put together a whole game.
If you have any fantasy players, the only must start players are:
Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott (RB), Amari Cooper (WR), Dak Prescott (QB), Michael Gallup (WR)
Rams: Cooper Kupp (WR), Todd Gurley (RB), Robert Woods (WR), Jared Goff (QB)
For you gamblers out there, the Cowboys are currently -1 and the over/under is 48. Dallas has not beaten a team with a record of.500 or better this year, the Rams are 3 games over .500. Bet the Rams for an easy win.
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One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.