Another slow start under Kellen Moore
Thus far, getting off to a slow start is a common theme of the Kellen Moore era. When the Dallas Cowboys are rolling on all four cylinders, the offense is dominant. The Cowboys started 3-0 to begin the 2019 season. Those three teams had 4 wins, 3 wins, and 5 wins in 2019, respectively. Point being, the Cowboys were able to control the line of scrimmage against losing teams in 2019. When teams are able to stop Ezekiel Elliott and pressure Dak Prescott, the Cowboys usually get off to a slow start under second year offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore. Slow offensive starts plagued the team in losses last year and has been a factor to begin 2020.
Yesterday was no exception. At times Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys looked unstoppable. When Prescott had time in the pocket he found open receivers and put the football on the money. Unfortunately, the injury ridden offensive line remained inconsistent and struggled against the pass rush at times. Ezekiel Elliott never really got going. Elliott struggled catching the ball in the flat and the Seahawks defense was as good or even better than advertised at stopping the run.
Did the defense contain Russell Wilson
Slowing down Russell Wilson was going to be key if the Cowboys had any chance of winning this game. On paper, Wilson put up historic numbers. He surpassed Patrick Mahomes’ record with 14 TDs in 3 games and looked impressive doing it. However, there were good moments for the Cowboys defense to build upon. The defensive line did a better job at pressuring Wilson than they did the week prior against Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. While Wilson was still able to make plays with his feet, he felt pressure coming and looked uncomfortable at times.
Most impressively, there were multiple coverage sacks against Wilson. On certain plays he had all the time in the world, but receivers couldn’t get open against a depleted Cowboys secondary. The bad news, is when Wilson did find Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf down the field, they were usually wide open and walked into the end zone untouched. Safety play continues to be a concern for the Cowboys moving forward as they return home to face the Cleveland Browns this upcoming Sunday.
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