Let’s all agree that the Dallas Cowboys have been a mess since the start of the season. If you are a fan of America’s team, this hasn’t been your year so far. As week 7 approaches, the Cowboys currently have a 3-3 record. The team’s most recent disappointment came against the Detroit Lions as they thrashed Mike McCarthy’s side to a 47-9 defeat. Following this, many fans have been furious with the team and called out Jerry Jones to fire HC McCarthy. However, sportscaster and former NFLer Chris Simms has shared what he thinks to be the main reason behind the Cowboys’ downfall this season.

In the latest NFL episode on NBC, Simms mentioned that the Cowboys are too dependent on their QB Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. This is especially after Micah Parson and Demarcus Lawrence were both sidelined due to injuries. Since their unavailability there has been a lack of depth in the team’s defense, the team’s unable to make plays from the defensive side and “help them get out of the jam”. The ex-NFLer said, “It is a little bit like ‘Hey Dak can you make a big throw?’ or ‘CeeDee can you catch a ball and make a play happen for us?’ that’s what we’re kind of relying on here but yeah unable to win”.

This analysis from the ex-Bucs QB is accurate. The Cowboys’ defense has been in shambles since Parson and Lawrence’s injury, this defensive lack has haunted the team. In all the three losses they faced, one thing in common was big first-half deficits.

The Cowboys have a flawed pass defense. They have given up 213 passing yards per game. Their run defense is also disturbed. The Cowboys has given up 7.9 yards per pass attempt and allowed 143.2 rushing yards per game. These problems can be solved with Parson’s inclusion into the team after he recovers from his injury, which he should do by the bye week or even sooner.

But we shouldn’t put all the blame on their defense only. Their attack has been lackluster and second-best on many occasions in the last six weeks. Even though the chemistry between Lamb and Prescott looks decent on paper, the connection between both has been off for the better part of this season so far, resulting in multiple missed touchdowns, missed receptions.

With all said and done, HC Mike McCarthy needs to find a solution to all these problems fast as they are now approaching the mid-season mark. They are now set to face the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 28 (Sunday). It needs to be seen if the Cowboys can internally bolster their leaky defense, help their offense from the back, and get back on the winning track as just 10 games are left of the regular season and each of them counts for Dallas to get their ticket to playoffs.

Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy sounds confident of comeback following humiliating loss against Lions

Mike McCarthy’s decision-making came under heavy scrutiny after Dallas’ emphatic 9-47 loss against Detroit on Sunday. The Cowboys gathered just 251 yards in total. QB Dak Prescott finished 17-of-33 for 178 yards with two interceptions. They faced repeated failures in sustaining drives. They just converted a mere three chances on third down. Their rushing offense was disappointing as well. They picked up just 53 yards on 17 on-ground attempts.

However, instead of feeling remorse for this humiliating result, McCarthy sounded quite upbeat in the post-game interview. He was very confident of a bounce back from this situation. McCarthy said, “At the end of the day if we don’t believe it’s about us, it’ll always be about us….I think this is an opportunity that we relish. I know I relish it. And I think they do too.”

The Cowboys HC further stated that the team’s in “a place that a lot of good can come out of it”. According to McCarthy, “It’s an excellent opportunity for the young guys to continue to play. It’s an excellent opportunity for those guys to build off some of the things they have done well. Because this will pay forward”. The Cowboys’ HC further mentioned that for a long game, playing with young players and playing with different players can be very productive.

While some might think that McCarthy saying all this to avoid the blame game and keep the team’s morale high. But that’s not all. As per ESPN’s Todd Archer, this is the fourth time in McCarthy’s career that one of his teams started 3-3. But amongst all those times, only one team ended up missing the playoffs under his leadership. Under McCarthy, the Green Bay Packers, after a turbulent start to the season, won the Super Bowl in 2010.

Will McCarthy be able to do a similar magic with the Cowboys after their 3-3 start? One can’t say that with certainty. However, if that’s what is written in the team’s fate, they will surely need to improve their game drastically and fast as they delve deeper into the regular season.