{"id":49007,"date":"2025-05-17T08:20:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T08:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=49007"},"modified":"2025-05-17T08:20:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T08:20:51","slug":"dak-prescott-at-60-million-must-lift-dallas-but-theres-more-to-cowboys-failure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=49007","title":{"rendered":"Dak Prescott At $60 Million Must Lift Dallas But There’s More To Cowboys Failure"},"content":{"rendered":"
Everyone\u2019s focused on Dak in January \u2014 but the Dallas Cowboys’ run game completely disappeared when it mattered most.<\/div>\n
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There\u2019s been a lot of noise this week about whether or not Dak Prescott \u201cshows up in January.\u201d\u2028S<\/a>tephen A. Smith\u00a0added fuel to the fire with his usual style of the delivery of an empty one-liner …<\/p>\n

\u201cDo people respect the man who doesn\u2019t show up in January?\u201d<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s what he won\u2019t say.\u2028Here\u2019s what none of the viral-first talking heads want to slow down and explain:<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u2019 running game has completely failed them in the postseason.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the receipts \u2014 specifically, the last three playoff losses:<\/p>\n

2022 vs. San Francisco (Divisional Round)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Running back carries: 16<\/p>\n

\u2022 Total yards: 45<\/p>\n

\u2022 Yards per carry: 2.8<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not just bad. That\u2019s game-plan breaking.<\/p>\n

2023 vs. San Francisco (Divisional Round)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Running back carries: 16<\/p>\n

\u2022 Total yards: 48<\/p>\n

\u2022 Yards per carry: 3.0<\/p>\n

Same script, same result. Predictable. One-dimensional. Easy to sit on.<\/p>\n

2024 vs. Green Bay (Wild Card)<\/p>\n

\u2022 Running back carries: 17<\/p>\n

\u2022 Total yards: 67<\/p>\n

\u2022 Yards per carry: 3.9<\/p>\n

Slightly better on paper \u2014 but let\u2019s be real: that number liekly looks much worse if not for Green Bay sitting in prevent defense for most of the second half. The damage was already done.<\/p>\n

When a defense can keep 7 in coverage, not even commit extra men to the box, and still suffocate your run game \u2014 your\u00a0quarterback\u00a0is cooked before the snap.\u2028He becomes predictable.\u2028Your play-action gets eliminated.\u2028And defenses sit on everything underneath because they know you\u2019re desperate to make a play.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not a \u201cDak Prescott problem.\u201d\u2028That\u2019s a team construction problem.<\/p>\n

By the way, this isn’t mean to absolve Dak from losses; Dallas has been a playoff failure across the board, from the coach to the ball boy and everybody in between.<\/p>\n

This is football.\u2028It\u2019s the ultimate team sport.\u2028So yes, wins and losses are credited to the QB … and yet at the same time, in Dallas’ case?<\/p>\n

When 16 carries for 45 yards is all you get from your backfield in the biggest moments of the season, not too many quarterbacks are bailing you out of that.<\/p>\n

But of course, none of that gets mentioned on ESPN.\u2028Because it doesn\u2019t fit the script.<\/p>\n

Stephen A. Smith isn\u2019t breaking down run fit problems or zone-blocking inefficiency.\u2028He\u2019s here to entertain. To antagonize. To stir the pot.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s fine.\u2028But let\u2019s not confuse that for real football analysis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone\u2019s focused on Dak in January \u2014 but the Dallas Cowboys’ run game completely disappeared when it mattered most. There\u2019s been a lot of noise this week… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nDak Prescott At $60 Million Must Lift Dallas But There's More To Cowboys Failure - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=49007\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dak Prescott At $60 Million Must Lift Dallas But There's More To Cowboys Failure - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Everyone\u2019s focused on Dak in January \u2014 but the Dallas Cowboys’ run game completely disappeared when it mattered most. 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