Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and Mike McCarthy all searching to figure out how to play better on road

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There is no team in the NFL in 2023 where calling them Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is more appropriate than the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys. They are a perfect 7-0 at AT&T Stadium and in possession of the league’s longest active home winning streak (14 in a row) dating back to last season. On the flip side, they dropped to 3-4 on the road Sunday after suffering a 31-10 beatdown against the Bills in Buffalo in Week 15. 

“We did not play well,” head coach Mike McCarthy said postgame, via The Athletic. “There’s just too big of a gap in (our play on the road). We have to be much better on the road.”

Not playing well would be an understatement. Buffalo outgained Dallas, 351 to 195, a gap of 156 yards made up of mostly the Bills’ 266 yards on the ground. Sunday marked the first time under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, since 2021, in which the Cowboys defense allowed more than 250 rushing yards.

Bills running back James Cook looked like a Hall of Famer against the Cowboys defense that ranked inside the top five across the league in scoring defense entering Week 15. He totaled a career-high 179 rushing yards on 25 carries with a touchdown, a 24-yarder. That comes out to a 7.2 yards per carry average. Cook also tallied 42 yards receiving on two catches, including an 18-yard receiving score in the second quarter. That performance made Cook the first Bills player with 200-plus scrimmage yards (221), one or more rushing touchdown and one or more receiving touchdowns in a game since Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas did so back in the 1991 season.  

Sunday’s faceplant is part of a season-wide trend for the Cowboys. At home, they lead the NFL in scoring offense (39.9 points per game), turnover margin (+10), third-down conversion rate (53.6%), point differential (+171) and time of possession (35:11). On the road, all of their numbers in those same categories are considerably worse. 

Cowboys…

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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/cowboys-dak-prescott-micah-parsons-and-mike-mccarthy-all-searching-to-figure-out-how-to-play-better-on-road/

Author : Garrett Podell

Publish date : 2023-12-18 02:57:24

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