The Dallas Cowboys left a bad taste in fans' mouths Sunday night when they suffered a crushing playoff loss at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
But what went wrong in the 48-32 debacle is up for debate.
Former NFL wide receiver Jason Avant told Fox News Digital in a recent interview that “the Cowboys will be Cowboys.”
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Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys watches after a play against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of the NFC Wild Card playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 14, 2024 in Dallas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“They'll do some things that will just baffle you,” he said. “I just don't understand how you have a whole week to prepare for a team, and you go out and lay an egg like that offensively and give up so many yards defensively and don't make adjustments.”
“As [owner] Jerry Jones said after the game: It's as bad a loss as the Cowboys have ever had. They have to go back to the drawing board. I think their defense is based on an advantage and I don't think it's a sustainable defense to win games in critical moments. If a team doesn't make mistakes offensively, can it stay in the game? And I don't think the Cowboys can.”
Avant, who recently teamed up with Action Network, said he sees two things the Cowboys need to fix immediately: stopping the run and getting more weapons for Dak Prescott.
STEPHEN A SMITH ADVISES JERRY JONES OF THE COWBOYS TO MAKE THE NEXT STEP
Jason Avant of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a pass during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 9, 2012, in Tampa, Florida. (Drew Hallowell/Philadelphia Eagles/Getty Images)
Packers running back Aaron Jones rushed for 118 yards and scored three touchdowns. Prescott was 41 of 60 for 403 yards with three touchdown passes. But Prescott's three touchdowns went to Jake Ferguson. Michael Gallup had over 100 receiving yards, but it was the first time he did it all season.
“In the games they lost this year, they were dominated from the front. So I think they have to get to a place where they can stop the streak consistently,” Avant said. “And if they can stop the run consistently, I think their backcourt is enough to win. They have a good pass rush and a good secondary game, but they are dominated when it comes to running the ball. I think that's a big thing, and “They have to address it either in a draft or by bringing in veteran players who just stop runs.”
“The other problem they have is constantly having more weapons than CeeDee Lamb. Michael Gallup hasn't shown up for most of the year. There hasn't been much production besides [Jake] Ferguson or CeeDee Lamb. “Everyone else is unpredictable and that has to do with Dak Prescott.”
Avant said Prescott needs to use those weapons more for the Cowboys to be successful.
Dallas targeted Lamb 181 times this season and Ferguson 102 times. Brandin Cooks had the third most targets with 81.
Jason Avant of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against Washington at Lincoln Financial Field on December 23, 2012 in Philadelphia. (Alex Trautwig/Getty Images)
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After another 12-win finish, Dallas will probably need to do some deep thinking to see what the real problems are.
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