The Cowboys are now 6-6 on the season after losing to the Bills. Dallas is still in control of the NFC East. Here are five things learned from week 13.
Many Cowboys fans already knew this, but another loss this season has added to the notion that Jason Garrett needs to be fired. The Cowboys seven first-half points against the Bills, which is terrible given how much money is tied up in the offense. They scored another touchdown late in the game, but the Bills controlled the game from the second quarter on.
After the disappointing loss to the Bills, the Cowboys have still not won a game against a team above .500. Jerry Jones still believes this team can do some big things, but that has to change and fast. Firing Garrett now likely won’t do much, but if a move isn’t made now, it needs to be made by the end of the year.
Brett Maher (Photo by bleacherreport.com)
Brett Maher made an impression a few years ago and played well enough that the Cowboys got rid of Dan Bailey. He had a strong leg and was kicking well. A lot has changed since then. Against the Bills, he missed two field goals, which made things tougher for the team.
Unfortunately, the game against the Bills wasn’t the first trouble Maher has had this season. He is currently hitting 67.9 percent of his field goals, which ranks 29th in the league. Bailey is eighth on the list with a percentage of 88.2. A more accurate kicker is needed for the Cowboys to reach their goals.
As someone who has made reference to needing to pass the ball more, in the game against the Bills, the Cowboys went too far. Ezekiel Elliot had just 12 carries on the game, which included just two carries in the second quarter. This was with Elliot doing well on the ground as well. He had 71 yards rushing for an average of 5.9 yards per carry.
This is a huge coaching error. Yes, the Cowboys should embrace that they are the best passing team in the NFL, but when the running game is working, they need to run the football. There is likely a balance that can be found in the future, but the biggest problem with the Cowboys this season has been that they don’t continue doing things that work.
A week after getting completely shut down by Stephon Gilmore, Amari Cooper bounced back to form against Buffalo. Even though he was going up a good secondary, Cooper still tallied eight catches for 85 yards. With the Cowboys trailing late in the game, Cooper was utilized and did ok.
This wasn’t his best game of the season, but Cooper needs to get going down the stretch and this is a good start. As the Cowboys try to win games and qualify for the playoffs, they’ll need their number one receiver to beat good corners so the ball can be spread around to the many good playmakers.
No one may be able to state why Jourdan Lewis was getting limited playing time earlier in the year. Once the coaches let him play, he has made key plays all season. Against the Bills, Lewis had six tackles and two sacks to help out the defense.
As the season goes on, Lewis needs to continue to make an impact. He has done a little bit of everything, as he even scored on a fumble recovery against the Giants. After being third on the team in tackles this week, the Cowboys need to make sure he can keep this level of play up.
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