Decoding McCarthy/Zimmer Report, Wk 12
Cowboys needed a win badly. Micah Parsons dominates and Josh Butler gets his day.
Tuesdays – since about 2008 – have been my day to evaluate the offense in this space. However, due to circumstances beyond the Cowboys control, evidently, we have modified this space from now through the end of the regular season as the games themselves have become less compelling. Therefore, we will attempt to combine the offensive and defensive reviews as best we can and that will leave us room for additional projects in non-Thanksgiving weeks.
Our objectives today:
The Offensive Overview vs the Commanders
The Defensive Overview vs the Commanders
2025 Pieces that We Are Tracking
Plays that defined this game - Xs and Os breakdown
Let’s get busy:
The Offensive Overview vs the Commanders
In analyzing this current form of the Cowboys' offense, we obviously have to offer some level of “grading on a curve.” On Sunday, they did not have QB Dak Prescott, RG Zack Martin, LG Tyler Smith, TE Jake Ferguson, and WR Brandin Cooks. Not just five starters, but five very significant starters from the offense that started the season.
I’m not trying to lower the bar of expectation here, but I do think it is notable that the Cowboys have had a reasonably “watchable” offense in the two games since the Eagles left town. We expected every week to be “unwatchable,” and while it certainly won’t make us forget the glory years, it is objectively better. You wanted a game plan that could succeed? I think we have to acknowledge that the offense is doing things that are at least functional, given their dire circumstances.
Take a look at the game log:
The vertical blue line shows the moment Prescott was lost. The three horizontal lines emphasize the yardage totals for each game. 5.4 yards per play is not going to break records, but it is roughly where an NFL offense needs to be, and you can see that they hit it against Washington. Going backward, it had not been there since the Pittsburgh game—the last time they had won.
Not everything is great, at all. But when Cooper Rush played that game against the Eagles, we started wondering if they could score in double digits again this year. Now, we see a clear investment in Rico Dowdle, and Rush is, in fact, running the offense properly. This says nothing about an offensive line that put on a very nice performance of its own.