PRESCOTT HAS OFFENSE ON A ROLL
The Cowboys offense has finally hit its stride.
It took until Week 5 for it really to come to life, but through eight games the version of the Cowboys’ offense we all witnessed in Philadelphia is what can be expected the rest of the season.
To date in 2023, the Cowboys are averaging 345.6 yards per game, including 234.9 passing and 27.5 points. But over the last three games, those numbers are up to 373.3 yards, with 316.6 coming through the air and 28.6 points.
It starts and runs through quarterback Dak Prescott, who has shown over the last three weeks that he is settling in at the controls.
“He owns it,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. “He definitely owns it. He is in total command of it. Just like anything, growing through the ebbs and flows of a game it creates a pattern to grown through the ebb and flow of a season. If you look at the way our season went in the first six weeks, and now what we have done the last couple of weeks, he definitely has total control of the offense.”
Since the start of Week 5, Prescott completed 75 of 105 passes, a 75% completion rate, for 950 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception, while earning wins over the Chargers and Rams and taking a tough-fought loss against the Eagles.
He targeted 11 different receivers – CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert, Tony Pollard, Michael Gallup, Brandin Cooks, KaVontae Turpin, Luke Schoonmaker, Rico Dowdle, Hunter Luepke and Sean McKeon, in those three games, connecting with 10 – including Lamb 30 times on 37 targets for 466 yards and two touchdowns.
“Going back to the first day I arrived, it was important to build off what Dak established here in the prior years,” McCarthy said. “Dak’s gonna play with a number of different receivers in his career. I watched Aaron Rodgers go through this, and the most important thing they come in to develop that connection. But most importantly, continue to grow with the No. 1. And I think that is what you’re seeing happen.”
It starts with extending the play.
The longer the quarterback has to survey the field, the better chance the play will be successful.
McCarthy calls it the 2.3 seconds rule.
“It’s an important part of a productive passing game,” McCarthy said. “You look at these rushers in today’s game and the rush lane discipline. You look at how they tie the ETs, the TEs and three-man movements together. With that, it’s something we have spent a lot of time on in the quarterback room as far as how you want to vacate that. When you play above the 2.3, it’s an excellent opportunity for a big play for the offense.”
“Frankly, that’s the only approach I know. It’s the way it was taught back in the 90s. Dak and our guys are getting better at it.”
Which has led to an uptick in the part of Prescott’s game that had disappeared after his 2020 ankle injury.
The Cowboys quarterback has also found his legs again, rushing for 73 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns. He has a long run of 18 yards and led the Cowboys in rushing in the win over the Chargers with 40 yards.
Add that to how well he is playing in the passing game and the path to continued success for this Cowboys offense has come fully into view.
“There’s five points we focused on from the change last year and we’re moving in that direction,” McCarthy said. “So, you’re seeing the evidence of it, and the productivity. The clear point for Dak is not only the ownership but the understanding and connection that he has with both the front and perimeter.”
HERE WE GO!