Dallas Cowboys: Murder by the Numbers – Less than Razor Sharp in Gilette Stadium

I see the Dallas Cowboys like to live dangerously, hanging on the edge between staying alive in the game and going down in a heap. Be honest. You straddled the same emotional cliff, teetering back and forth between the highs and lows. Fortunately, the Cowboys were able to come away with a win on the road against the New England Patriots in a heart-pounding thriller.

Dak Prescott was in his usual mode, calm and in control en route to 445 yards and 3 touchdowns. I find myself having to search the thesaurus weekly to find new superlatives for the way Prescott has handled himself this season. On Sunday, Prescott was tasked with leading a game-tying drive late in the 4th quarter; before delivering again in overtime with a 35-yard game-winner to CeeDee Lamb to secure the 35-29 victory.

The majority of the credit will go to Dak Prescott, and deservedly so; but his supporting cast was also timely most of the afternoon. The Cowboys special teams unit was outstanding. The duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard were solid, Randy Gregory got to Mac Jones twice and Trevon Diggs (unsurprisingly at this point) found the end zone with his league-leading 7th interception.

That’s not to say there aren’t things I’m unsatisfied with. For starters, the Cowboys didn’t have an easy go in the red zone. And when they weren’t getting gashed by the New England rushing attack, they were getting the knife stuck in their back by the officiating crew. Luckily, the Cowboys were able to come out no worse for wear. Let’s dive in and trace this murder by the numbers.

115 – Enforced Penalty Yards Against the Cowboys

Ordinarily on Murder by the Numbers, I highlight where the Cowboys dominated. This is to illustrate how they were able to get the upper hand and pick up a win. However, this week I think it’s better to briefly touch on where they went wrong to accurately explain the story of this game.

There’s no excuse for some of the calls on Sunday, but the Cowboys didn’t help themselves on several occasions. They were flagged for a penalty 12 times. Six of those penalties were on the Dallas offense, on first and 10.

Several times the Cowboys had to dig themselves out of a poor situation merely because they couldn’t avoid costly penalties. It’s to be noted that some calls were highly questionable, but the Cowboys also failed to keep their composure at times. The team picked up two personal fouls; one of those on a game-tying drive late in the 4th quarter.

Much has been made of the Cowboys track record in games in which official Brad Allen is assigned. But I’d like to point out the Cowboys are the 3rd most penalized team in the NFL this season. They should be thankful they were able to win this game after the number of penalties they committed. That needs to be a point of emphasis as the Cowboys go into their bye.

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567 – Total Yards by the Cowboys Offense

567 yards is staggering for an offensive output. The Dallas Cowboys controlled the game on the offensive side of the ball. By all means, they should have run up the scoreboard the same way they ran up the stat sheet. What held the Cowboys back (in addition to penalties) was their inability to score in the red zone.

Dallas had five red zone opportunities, and could only convert on two. All three of those failed attempts came in the first half, where they limited New England to just 17 total plays on offense. The lowlight of their red zone problems was a sequence where they had first and goal from the 1-yard line but were stopped on four downs. Maybe you can make a case for officiating not being at their best in this situation. For the identity of the Cowboys offense (namely their offensive line), you’d think they would have no problem plowing through the end zone from one yard away.

As the game went on, the yardage output became a necessity as the Cowboys had to play catchup late in the 4th quarter. It felt like it should have never come to that.

The best thing I can say is that really good teams will struggle at times. Great teams are going to find a way to win those types of games. Although it was uncomfortable, the Cowboys might have proven that they are a great team.

2 – Sacks by Randy Gregory

It needs to be acknowledged just how well Randy Gregory has played in the absence of Demarcus Lawrence. Against New England, Gregory recorded two sacks, including a punishing hit on Mac Jones that resulted in a turnover.

The pass rush for Dallas feels like it’s been a trouble area for a few years; Gregory has been a much-needed remedy this season. He’s totaled four sacks and 14 quarterback pressures. Dallas Cowboys fans can fantasize what that means once Demarcus Lawrence returns.

It may go unnoticed just how impactful those two sacks from Gregory were. The New England offense was efficient, and Mac Jones didn’t throw an incompletion until late in the 3rd quarter. Something had to knock them off schedule and neutralize their success. That something was Randy Gregory.

Gregory’s two sacks couldn’t have come at better times. His first sack came with New England in Dallas territory. The second was on 3rd down with Dallas trailing to start the second half. If Gregory can keep this pace up, an area of concern can turn into an area of strength for the Dallas defense.

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23 – Dallas’ 3rd Down Conversion Percentage

If it hasn’t become abundantly clear yet, this game was defined by a slew of missed opportunities by the Dallas Cowboys; and them being talented enough to overcome that. Look no further than their 3rd down conversion rate. Dallas went 3-13 on 3rd down for just 23 percent. That’s completely out of character for a Dallas team that is among the league’s best in that department. Dallas converts on 46 percent of their 3rd downs; double what they produced on Sunday.

This lack of efficiency led to a missed field goal, a turnover on downs in their own territory, and a turnover on downs inside the New England 1-yard line. The latter two mentioned were both after not converting on 3rd and 1.

Those three sequences resulted in Dallas potentially not scoring 10 points, and New England scoring a touchdown on their first possession. All in all, I do find this to be a fluke and not indicative of who the Dallas Cowboys are. But, it’s another reason the Cowboys were fortunate to win.