Cowboys Take Care of Business Against Miami with the Saints Looming

Cowboys Take Care of Business Against Miami with the Saints Looming

The Dallas Cowboys did what they needed to do against the Miami Dolphins, which was to step on their throats and take care of business. Dallas stayed perfect on the year (3-0), trouncing the Miami Dolphins 31-6. Dallas got off to a slow start to this game, but cleaned up their game in the second half, outscoring Miami 21-0 in the second half. Here are some highlights from this matchup.

The Rushing Attack

While Dak Prescott did not play bad, he did not dominate the game the way he did in Weeks 1 and 2. Instead, the Dallas running game did, totaling 235 yards on the ground and finding the endzone twice (Pollard, Prescott). Ezekiel Elliott had his usual dominant performance, rushing 19 times for 125 yards, wearing down the Miami defense. To complement that, Tony Pollard, rookie running back out of Memphis, had a breakout game. Pollard carried the ball 13 times for 103 yards and found the endzone for the first time in his professional career. If Dallas can keep up anywhere close to this rushing attack, it will open the play-action pass for Dak and the receivers and could prove to be a nice balance on the offensive side. 

The Trade that has Worked Out

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys traded their first-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for wide receiver Amari Cooper. Many criticized, but this trade has proven to work out extremely well for Dallas. In Sunday's game, Cooper reeled in six catches for 88 yards and found the endzone twice in the victory. On the season, the 25-year-old wideout has 16 catches for 238 yards and 4 touchdowns, which is tied for first in the NFL. What is most important with the presence of Cooper is that he and Dak are growing an elite connection. Since the trade, Dak’s numbers and the team’s offensive numbers have been drastically better. Watch out for this duo to keep it going for the rest of this season.

Positive Defensive Effort

While still not at the level of last years defense, the Dallas Cowboys are by no means playing bad on this side of the ball. In Week 3, they forced a red zone turnover and did not give up a touchdown. Granted, the Miami Dolphins, who arguably is the worst NFL team historically, was the opponent. Even with this, Dallas came up with big plays in clutch situations and cleaned up their game in the second half. The Cowboys only gave up 283 total yards in this game and shut drives down very effectively as Miami went 3-15 on third down. Jaylon Smith led the way with eight tackles and a forced fumble.

Dolphins Continued Struggles

As for the Dolphins, the biggest story was their newly acquired young quarterback Josh Rosen was making his first start for Miami. Rosen disappointed in his performance, going 18-39 for 200 yards and did not reach the endzone. His QB rating was only 61 and besides a few passes, the Dolphins offense looked non-existent for most of the game. It is going to take a while for Rosen and crew to rebuild this squad, and it may be rebuilt with Josh Rosen in another uniform. As for the rushing attack for the Dolphins, Kenyan Drake was the leading rusher, going 13 for 44 and no touchdowns. The Dolphins have had nothing go right for them to start this season and they are in full rebuilding mode now. Miami will look to get that elusive first win on Sunday at home against the Los Angeles Chargers

Seven Game Preseason

On Sunday night next week, the Dallas Cowboys will have their first “test”. Test to see if Dallas is contenders or pretenders at the end of the season. America’s Team will travel to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints. While without Brees, the Saints still have a talented roster. In many people’s eyes, the first three games added to the preseason because of the strength of the teams they played. Now, sitting at 3-0, Dallas has a chance to make a statement on national television, where the whole world will find out what to expect from the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 season. Will Dak and crew salvage the opportunity, or let it slip by the wayside?

By: Richie Dordas

Instagram: richiedordas23

Twitter: richiedordas1

Linkedin: Richie Dordas

Facebook: Richie Dordas

E-mail: rcddmd2@aol.com