Losing in the playoffs is always difficult. The season comes to an end, and championship hopes are dashed. Teams wonder what they could have done differently to win. Teams are proud that they made the post season, but frustrated that they could not win the championship. Only one team in the playoffs will win their final game. Every other team will lose their final game, and begin the process of looking ahead to the offseason sooner than they wanted to.
Despite losing in the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys have a lot to be proud of. They began the season 3-5 and won 7 of their final 8 regular season games. They were 8-2 in the regular season after acquiring wide receiver Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders. They won a playoff game.
The Cowboys finished with the 7th ranked defense in the NFL for the regular season. They ranked 6th overall for points allowed, as they gave up 20.2 points per game.
Rookie linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was 3rd in the NFL with 140 combined tackles. Fellow linebacker, Jaylon Smith finished in the top 15 in tackles with 121 combined tackles. Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence finished 17th overall in sacks with 10.5 for the season.
Nevertheless, the Cowboys need improvement in some areas. They could improve both offensively and defensively.
The Cowboys need to improve their ability to create turnovers on defense. They created 20 total take always, which ranked 16th in the NFL.
The Cowboys' offense needs to score more points as well. The Cowboys ranked 22nd in the NFL with 21.2 points per game. Clearly, if they want to advance further in the playoffs, they need to score more points. The Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots scored the most points in the NFL this season. The Chiefs and Rams have advanced to the Conference championship games, while the Patriots and the Saints will try and advance today. It is very difficult to win a Super Bowl without a prolific offense.
Dak Prescott is 32-16 as a starter in the regular season. He is 1-2 in the playoffs. Prescott, a 4th round draft pick, has established himself as the quarterback for the Cowboys. He is a leader who his teammates can rally behind.
Additionally, Prescott seems to play his best in the second half. Over the last 3 seasons, Prescott has 9 fourth quarter comebacks and 15 game winning drives. Over three seasons, Prescott has thrown 67 touchdowns and 25 interceptions, and he has completed 66% of his passes. He has thrown for 10,876 yards. He has done a good job at the quarterback position.
However, Prescott fumbled 12 times this year, which was tied for third most in the NFL. Clearly, he needs to stop fumbling the football if he wants to continue to improve as a quarterback.
Third year running back Ezekiel Elliot lead the NFL in rushing for the second time. Elliot is a complete running back. He can run in between the tackles, run around the line, catch passes out of the backfield and block on third down. He is one of the best running backs in the NFL. Elliot has 4,048 yards rushing for his career. He has 28 touchdowns the past 3 seasons. Elliot is one of the Cowboys' best overall players.
Amari Cooper gives the Cowboys a number one receiver. After he was acquired by the team for a number one draft pick, the Cowboys' offense played much better. Teams had to account for Cooper, which helped the running game. Cooper's presence also helped Blake Jarwin, Cole Beasley and Michael Gallup to get open more often. The Cowboys will have Cooper at the beginning of next season, so they should be able to continue this improvement from the beginning of next season.
The offensive line dealt with injuries all season. Center Travis Frederick missed the entire season. Tyrone Smith and Zach Martin also dealt with injuries. Smith wore a knee brace on his left arm to contend with his injury. Smith also nursed a hamstring injury at the beginning of the season. Martin left a pre season game with a knee injury. Martin also struggled with a strained ACL injury. Smith and Martin will have the offseason to get healthy.
The Cowboys do not have a first round pick in next year's draft. However, they will look to the draft to improve their team for next season. They may want to consider a tight end who can give Prescott another option in the passing game. They could look to add depth to their group of receivers especially if Beasley leaves as a free agent. They may also consider adding depth to their defensive line and defensive secondary.
The Cowboys have won the NFC East 3 times in the last 5 seasons. However, they have lost in the divisional round all three seasons. For the 23rd straight season, the Cowboys will not play in the Super Bowl. The Cowboys need to address their inability to advance past the divisional round. Three times in the last five seasons, the Cowboys have been good, but not good enough.
There is a difference between disappointment and failure. The Cowboys have not failed, but the season has once again ended in disappointment. They did the best they could, but their best was not sufficient to advance past the divisional round. These kind of seasons always seemed to be bitter sweet. They always seem to have mixed emotions. However, that is the nature of sports.
Despite a disappointing ending to the season, the Cowboys still have a lot to be proud of.
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