The Dallas Cowboys suffered their second straight loss Sunday afternoon in Arlington, Texas in a match-up against the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals. Brandon Weeden was at the helm for the Boys, with Tony Romo on the sidelines after suffering two fractured vertebrae against the rival Redskins on Monday Night Football.
From my front row, 50-yard line seats (at my house), it looked as if the Cowboys had gotten away from what had lead them to a 6-1 record, prior to the Washington loss. With DeMarco Murray racking up yards, and carries, at a record pace, Jason Garrett made it clear that the team would limit his carries. Who knew it would limit their success.
DeMarco’s numbers are staggering, collectively, but when you dig a bit deeper, the story is much more telling.
In the Cowboys six wins, Murray averages 27.5 carries, 132.5 yards, and one touchdown. Conversely, in the three losses, Murray only accounts for 20 carries, 113 yards, and has only registered one touchdown in the three losses. Collectively, as a team, Dallas averages 32 runs in the six wins, and a just 22.3 in the three losses.
Tony Romo is slated to start in London vs the Jaguars, but Weeden or Dustin Vaughan should be at the ready because Jacksonville can get after the quarterback. The Jags are currently ranked 3rd in the league with 27 sacks.
In order for Dallas to get past the 8-8 record that has been their plateau of late, they need to put the ball in the hands of DeMarco Murray, early and often. No one is expecting Weeden to throw the Cowboys to victory, but if the running game can force defenses into eight-man boxes, Roc Nation’s newest client, Dez Bryant, will get 1 on 1 coverage on the edge. And he will win those match-ups.
So, Coach Garrett and Mr. Jones, if you want extra football in AT&T Stadium, take the reins off of #29. The kid is pretty damn good at what he does. So let him do it.
