The Dallas Cowboys lost their week 8 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 23-9. The Cowboys have now scored a combined 22 points in their last three games.Â
Their playoff chances keep on dwindling as they now fall to 2-6 on the season. The Cowboys are 1.5 games behind the Eagles in the NFC East. Here are three key takeaways from their week 8 meeting with the Eagles.Â
Trevon Diggs Has Potential
The former Alabama wide receiver has the potential to be an elite cornerback in the National Football League.
His transition from wide receiver to cornerback occurred during his sophomore year at Alabama. However, after a phenomenal senior year at cornerback, he was considered to be a top 10 cornerback in the 2020 NFL draft. The Cowboys would then select him in the second round (51st overall).
Diggs has only been a cornerback for a few years now and hasn’t reached his full potential. Nonetheless, his cornerback skills were on full display in week 8.
After being a victim to many deep ball completions this season, including a 52-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin last week, Diggs bounced back nicely this week.
He had his best game of the season against the Eagles. He picked off Carson Wentz twice and deflected another four passes. Although he allowed a nine-yard touchdown to Travis Fulgham, his two interceptions speak to his solid game in week 8.
With Diggs’ speed, he has the potential to be an excellent cornerback in the league. On the season, Diggs has 10 passes defended, two interceptions and a forced fumble. His 10 passes defended rank fourth in the NFL.
This is only the beginning for Diggs and he can prove to be a solid pick for the Cowboys in the future.
Dak Prescott Needs to be Paid
There’s no question that the Dallas organization sees the offensive struggles.
With Prescott at quarterback through the first five games, the Cowboys offense was a top-three offense in terms of yards per game and points per game. They were averaging almost 33 points per game with Prescott at quarterback, ranked third in the NFL.
Fast forward to after the Prescott injury, the Cowboys have scored 10, three and nine points in their past three games.
The Cowboys simply can’t get anything going on offense. They rank 31st in the NFL in points per game in their last three games (7.3). They only average more points per game during that span than the New York Jets (6.3).
After being the offensive juggernaut that everyone believed they were, their injury to the starting quarterback not only hurt their offense but their playoff chances as well.
Since Prescott went down, the Cowboys have shown no offensive firepower and are 0-3 without him.
His value keeps on increasing as the offense looks lost without him. Sooner or later, Prescott will look to expect a $40 million contract in which the Cowboys will give to him.
Finding an outstanding quarterback in the league is difficult and the Cowboys understand that Prescott is their guy for the future.
What happened to Ezekiel Elliott?
Ezekiel Elliott signed a large contract with the Cowboys over the offseason. Elliott and the Cowboys agreed to a six-year, $90 million extension that would lock him up in Dallas until 2026.
However, Elliott has not lived up to his contract expectations. Elliott has not surpassed 100 rush yards in a game this season, which is the longest drought of his career.
In week 8, when the Cowboys needed him the most, he didn’t perform. He ran 19 times for 63 yards averaging just 3.3 yards per carry.
The biggest problem could be the offensive line, which has been hurt all year long. However, there shouldn’t be any excuses for Elliott, he has to be able to create his own plays.
Although Elliott ranks seventh in the NFL in rushing (521), his 3.9 yards per carry ranks 34th in the NFL and his 65.1 yards per game ranks in the bottom half of the league.
Does Elliott need a top offensive line to be good?
Only time will tell, but Elliott is a former All-Pro running back, so it’s safe to say that he is still a top back in the league.
However, he has to step it up for Dallas and be the leader of this team like he knows how to be.
Featured Image Courtesy of Dallas News
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