The Dallas Cowboys defense allowed its most rushing yards since 2012 in Sunday’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills as Buffalo became the second team to eclipse the 200-yard mark against Dallas this season behind 179 yards from second-year running back James Cook.
Teams have had success on the ground against the Dallas defense this season, and Buffalo gashed it for 266 yards, leading team owner Jerry Jones to address the issue during a radio appearance Tuesday morning.
“We didn’t tackle,” Jones told Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan. “Fundamentally, and I know this is just simply old hat, when you’ve got them in your sights, you’ve got to bring them to the ground. … It sounds elementary, that’s a fact. We didn’t tackle, and we didn’t have much chance to play pass defense because they didn’t have to. They just ran the ball.”
Overall, the Cowboys’ run defense ranks near the middle of the pack in the NFL, but several teams have begun to zero in on it as a potential weakness and have found success with the approach. However, Jones said he believes the issues are correctable and that the team will show improvements moving forward.
“This is correctible from week to week,” he explained. “You can emphasize fundamentals because you’ve been practicing them the entire year since training camp, and for that matter, back in the spring to some degree. These are the kinds of things that you can be better from one week to the next.”
The Dallas run defense will be crucial over the next two games as the Cowboys aim to win the NFC East and perhaps earn the No.1 seed in the NFC with some help.
Its next two opponents, Miami and Detroit, each rank among the top four teams in the NFL in rushing offense and are two of the five NFL teams to have scored at least 20 rushing touchdowns this season.
The Cowboys get their first chance to show improvement against the run when they face the Miami Dolphins at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday in Miami.
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EXTRA POINTS
— Jones added he was sure about the status of guard Zack Martin for Sunday’s game.
— The Cowboys, Eagles, and 49ers have clinched playoff berths in the NFC. Baltimore is the only team to have done so in the AFC. Detroit, Kansas City, and Miami can join them with wins this weekend.
— The Los Angeles Chargers are looking for a new head coach and a new general manager after firing Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco. The team also signed former Cowboys quarterback Will Grier and waived former TCU standout Max Duggan.
— The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Damontae Kazee for the rest of the season and postseason for “repeated violations” of playing rules related to player health and safety.
