The Dallas Cowboys can’t afford to let their season slip further away. At 2-4, Dallas heads into Monday night’s NFC East clash against the Philadelphia Eagles following consecutive defeats to Tampa Bay and Green Bay, scoring just 29 points across those games.
Quarterback Dak Prescott understands that the team must respond quickly if it hopes to remain competitive in the division.
Dak Prescott looks back after one word from a stadium worker hits a nerve following Cowboys loss
Although there’s still an opportunity to improve their standing, the Cowboys can’t continue wasting chances against opponents they believe they should beat.
“I would say determined, and I would hope urgent,” Prescott said. “We can only say ‘we’ve got a lot of games in front of us’ for so long. Might be already past us, right? We’ve got to go win. Gotta go win. You’ve gotta go win.
“You want to give yourself a chance to be a winning team, to be a playoff team, you’ve got to win as many games as you can.
When you drop two games, and particularly games that we didn’t expect to drop, it makes it that much harder. So urgent, urgent to get it done now.”
A stronger running game could transform Dallas’ offense
The Cowboys’ rushing attack needs to become a more dependable part of Dallas’ offensive strategy.
Establishing the run would make Dallas less predictable, prevent defenses from concentrating exclusively on Prescott’s passing game and create better opportunities for play-action plays.
A productive ground attack could also help the Cowboys control possession and give the offense a more balanced approach.
Without that consistency, opposing defenses can focus on disrupting Prescott and forcing mistakes when Dallas falls into obvious passing situations.
Philadelphia defensive coordinator Vic Fangio presents another challenge. The Eagles frequently rely on four or fewer pass rushers, but Prescott expects they could increase their blitzing after Dallas struggled to handle pressure in recent games.
He doesn’t anticipate Fangio abandoning his defensive principles, although he believes the coordinator could adjust his approach against the Cowboys.
Dallas must therefore improve its protection and capitalize on opportunities when they arise. Prescott entered Week 7 with 1,639 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 66.3% of his passes.
While those numbers demonstrate his contribution through the air, the offense needs to become more reliable in every area.
Reducing turnovers will also be essential. Costly mistakes can erase promising drives and put additional pressure on a defense that’s already struggled to deliver consistent performances this season.
Prescott has also welcomed the challenge of playing at Lincoln Financial Field, where Philadelphia’s passionate supporters create an intimidating road environment.
“It’s one of the few opportunities that you get that you feel like you’re truly on the road,” Prescott said. “You know you’re hated. It’s you guys and those guys on that sideline versus the world, it feels like.
“And that’s what football is supposed to be when you go on the road and you go to someone else’s house.”
Monday night offers Dallas an opportunity to regain momentum, but the team must address its offensive shortcomings if it wants to keep its postseason hopes alive.