The Aftermath of Week 3: Cowboys @ Packers

An article by Joe D.    Comments Off

Cowboys Look Good Headed Into Rivalry With Redskins

The Cowboys simply dominated the Packers at Lambeau Field in this game.  The offense got going in the second half, the defense stiffened against the Packers, allowing just one touchdown when the game was already out of reach. 

The 27-16 victory moved the Cowboys to 3-0 and has put them in great position in the dogfight that is the NFC East.

The Good:  Strong Defense and Running Game 

After the Dallas defense gave up 30 points to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, the defense only gave up 16 points against the Packers.  They didn’t give up a touchdown until the game was already well out of reach.  So much for all of the questions that everyone had about our defense after Week 2.

The two-headed monster of Marion Barber and Felix Jones is something special.  Barber rushed for 142 yards against the Packers and Felix Jones broke a 60-yard run for a touchdown that really started to open up a Cowboys passing game that was not getting anywhere fast in the first half.  What a weapons to have when your passing game isn’t going as planned. 

With this team it really is pick your poison on offense.  If you want to double cover Terrell Owens, Jason Witten will beat you down the middle.  If you take Jason Wiiten away, Terrell Owens will beat you. Don’t forget about Miles Austin either.  He caught a 63-yard pass for a touchdown against the Packers.  The running game of Marion Barber and Felix Jones just makes it that much better since you know that other teams will have to respect them as well.

The Bad:  Not Enough Turnovers

The Cowboys have only forced two turnovers in their first three games of the season.  While they have only turned the ball over five times this season, the defense needs to find a way to step up and cause more bad passes that result in interceptions and force some more fumbles.  After Adam Jones forced and recovered a Ryan Grant fumble two plays into the game against the Packers, they did not force anymore turnovers.  Those will likely come soon enough with the amount of pressure that the Cowboys are getting on the opposing quarterback.

The Ugly:  Red Zone Efficiency

The Cowboys just couldn’t get it done when they entered the red zone.  They converted just 1/5 possessions that they had there.  They had two field goals, two turnovers, and a touchdown down there.  The touchdown came after Miles Austin caught a bullet down the middle from Tony Romo and ran it down to the Green Bay 3.  Two plays later, Marion Barber punched it in for the score.  This shouldn’t be a huge concern, and the Cowboys will fix trhis problem that they had against Green Bay.

What It Means:  Great Start

When I looked at the first four games on the Cowboys schedule, I thought that it would nice to if nothing else get off to a 3-1 start.  It was a tough schedule to open up when you look at it.  You start out on the road against a Cleveland team that went 10-6 last year, and dominate them 28-10.  Then the Cowboys slug their way to a 41-37 victory against a very tough Eagles team, and now the 27-16 victory over the Packers that the Cowboys just took over in the second half.  That brings us to Week 4, where a fierce rivalry will be renewed.

What Lies Ahead:  Redskins vs. Cowboys

You know what’s coming when these two teams meet.  These two teams know each other very well, and they will meet tomorrow at Texas Stadium to start a new chapter in this intense rivalry.  The game can be seen on FOX at 3:15 PM CT.  Santana Moss has always given the Cowboys problems in the past, so we will see how the defense does against him.  It should be a good game.