The Cowboys (10-4) 40-34 overtime loss to the Jaguars (6-8) on Sunday forced them to swallow pride and accentuated a weakness: their passing offense struggles to make big plays, diminishing Dallas’ championship chances.
Although Dallas went 4-1 over its last five games, the passing game’s imperfections created problems, specifically Dak Prescott’s interceptions.
Prescott has thrown seven picks through the last five games. Since Week 7, he’s heaved a league-leading 11 interceptions, per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News.
After throwing two against Jacksonville, Prescott acknowledged he needs to polish this area of his game. “I’ve got to do a better job,” he said in a postgame news conference.
Prescott also needs more from his wide receivers. Aside from CeeDee Lamb, the unit is not explosive. Dallas hasn’t hit the 300-yard passing mark in a single game this season.
Lamb nearly accounted for 50 percent of the production against Jacksonville. He had 126 receiving yards, while Dallas totaled 256 yards passing. When Lamb wasn’t wide-open, Prescott’s other targets failed to prove they possessed similar reliability.
The final play of the Week 15 Jacksonville defeat epitomized the problem. Cowboys wideout Noah Brown deflected a pass to Rayshawn Jenkins, who raced for a 52-yard pick-six.
Whether it’s signing Odell Beckham Jr. or a schematic overhaul, the Cowboys must resolve the passing woes quickly, or it could tank Jerry Jones’ Super Bowl dream.
The three previous Super Bowl champions had a passing offense that ranked in the league’s top five. Dallas ranks 17th through 14 games.
It’s time to clean it up.
