IRVING, Texas - Your Dallas Cowboys professional football club had a final practice today before a badly needed rest. What this team clearly needs is a break.
The Cowboys do not play again until they travel to play the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) on Oct. 14. BTW - the Ravens will be coming off a game in Kansas City, which some may argue is easier than a bye.
What does the NFL's second-lowest scoring team really not need to do in its next game? Play the Ravens.
Actually, this are not your Ravens Super Bowl-defense. A lot of the "Ravens defense" is reputation based on that crew. In terms of total defense today, the Ravens rank 23rd, but in points allowed they are tied for 10th. These aren't bums, but they are not the ideal opponent for an offense that has lost the directions to the endzone.
"I don't want to look at it as a problem," Cowboys WR Kevin Ogletree said today in the locker room as the players prepared to flee for several days off before they returned to work. "It's all still in front of us."
He means there are 12 games remaining, and plenty of time to win.
But how does a team with Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Tony Romo, Jason Witten, DeMarco Murray and to a lesser extent even Felix Jones be this bad on offense? (Offensive line - cough, cough - offensive line).
"The majority of this is mistakes - untimely," Ogletree said. "They really, really magnify this. Like my biggest mistake is (the dropped pass that led to an int in the Bears game) was in the redzone. You can't have those."
Tight end Jason Witten sees the offenses' struggles in the last three games narrowed down to a "couple of plays" he said. "We did a lot of good things in that game (against the Bears)."
Define "good". The Cowboys' offense the previous three games has not been good.
The Cowboys offense has scored four touchdowns in the past three games. Their opponents have scored two touchdowns on defense, and one on special teams in that time.
"I have to play better," Witten said. "Everybody has to play better if we are going to beat those types of defenses (such as the Ravens)."
It would help.
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