The Dallas Cowboys finished 8-8 for the third season in a row in 2013, which means they haven’t made the playoffs since 2009 when they won the NFC East. The Cowboys were on the cusp of ending that run but three losses in four December games sealed their fate.
Jason Garrett continues to be the head coach in Dallas but he clearly enters 2014 on the hot seat. Any more failures in December and another playoff miss will cost him his job. It will be an interesting season for “America’s Team”…as usual.
Strengths
Dallas’ offense should be the strength of the team again but for some reason, they continue to make strange mistakes and decisions at the worst times. Tony Romo tried to do his part but had back problems all season and missed the final two games. The passing game thrived as receiver Dez Bryant finally had a breakout season with 93 passes for 1,233 yards and 13 touchdowns. Miles Austin is now gone Terrance Williams served as the team’s No. 2 receiver most of last year, so he’ll be comfortable in the role. With Cole Beasley’s emergence as an effective slot receiver and the steady Jason Witten in the middle, Romo has plenty of good options. What the Cowboys need is to develop some balance with DeMarco Murray running the ball. If the offensive line plays well (it should as the Cowboys spent their third first round pick on a lineman in the last four years) and the Cowboys can pound away with Murray, Lance Dunbar, Ryan Williams, Joseph Randle or whoever, it’ll keep Romo out of those costly mistakes and protect the defense, which is the clear weakness of this team.
Weaknesses
Dallas needs to put up a ton of points because their defense was awful last year and could be worse in 2014. Linebacker Sean Lee tore his ACL time in OTA’s and will miss the season while Jason Hatcher, the Cowboys’ lone defensive Pro Bowler, signed with their rivals from Washington. DeMarcus Ware is gone as well, so between Ware and Hatcher, the Cowboys have to replace 17.0 sacks. From front to back and on the sidelines as well, Dallas’ defense is simply a mess. They have what is probably the weakest duo of starting safeties in the NFL.
The other main weakness on this team is on the sidelines. Offensively, we don’t know who is running the show. Garrett doesn’t call plays anymore as Scott Linehan (passing) and Bill Callahan (running) will share those responsibilities. It’s a bizarre setup and there is something to be said about having too many cooks in the kitchen. It’s never really straightforward in Dallas, is it?
Schedule
Dallas’ schedule is 18th in difficulty and they’ll get a tough test right off the bat with a visit from the San Francisco 49ers. Four weeks later, they host the New Orleans Saints in what should be an entertaining Sunday night game, then Dallas heads to Seattle two weeks later before back-to-back home games against NFC East rivals the New York Giants and Washington Redskins. The Cowboys will go to London in Week 10 for the NFL’s annual England game and they’ll face Jacksonville before their bye. Then, things get interesting for the Cowboys, who play four division games in the last six games of the season with three of those are on the road.
Outlook
The Cowboys have the offense to shoot it out with anyone but they have to execute better in big games – especially in December, where they have had their issues over the last few years. Execution and coach Garrett seem to be at polar opposite ends of the spectrum. With him “guiding” the team from the sidelines, it’s hard to trust the Cowboys. On top of that, their defense figures to be one of the worst in the NFL, which is going to help keep them under eight wins.
Pick: Under 8
