The Cowboys are walking into Green Bay carrying more questions than answers after a 24-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the timing isn’t great. Dallas showed enough offense to stay in games, but turnovers and wasted chances kept dragging it back down. On the other side of the ball, the defense still hasn’t found the kind of playmaking that flips a matchup.
That makes Sunday’s Week 6 trip to face the Packers a good place to sort out who Dallas can lean on and who has to clean it up fast.
George Pickens belongs firmly in the first group. He finally put together the kind of stat line Dallas has been waiting on, hauling in nine of 13 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown against Tampa Bay.
His 18-yard scoring grab in the fourth quarter gave the Cowboys at least a shot to make the finish interesting. It also followed a solid showing against Houston, when he caught two passes for 75 yards.
Through five games, Pickens has 27 catches for 355 yards and a touchdown, good for 13.2 yards per reception. The overall numbers are solid, if not spectacular, but the most recent game showed what happens when Dak Prescott keeps feeding him.
Pickens has also drawn a healthy number of defensive penalties, which has helped Dallas move the ball. The challenge now is turning one big outing into a real pattern.
Javonte Williams is another Cowboys player who deserves more of the plan. Dallas has used him, but not enough, especially when the offense gets close to the end zone.
Through five games, he has 74 carries for 276 yards and six rushing touchdowns, plus 17 catches for 94 yards and a receiving score. The yards per carry sit at 3.7, but the touchdown production stands out.
Against Tampa Bay, Williams opened Dallas’ scoring with a one-yard touchdown run to finish the first possession. Earlier in that drive, he also ripped off a 21-yard gain.
That’s the kind of versatility the Cowboys should be tapping into more often. With the passing game doing most of the heavy lifting, the offense can become too easy to read.
More Williams would help Dallas stay on schedule and take some pressure off Prescott.
The guys to avoid right now are on the other side of the ball. DaRon Bland and the rest of the secondary are hard to trust until they start making game-changing plays.
Dallas has gone five games without an interception, and that number says plenty on its own. The Cowboys have had chances, too.
Bland came close against Tampa Bay when he got a hand on a pass from rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels, only to drop what could have been a pick-six. He also drew costly penalties and slipped in coverage on a big play. It was another rough night for a defense that needs help in the worst way.
The issue isn’t only the secondary, either. Dallas has just five sacks through five games, so quarterbacks have had too much time to pick apart the coverage.
That leaves defensive backs stuck trying to hold up far longer than they should. Joey Porter Jr.‘s return gives the Cowboys another experienced cornerback option, but that only matters if the pass rush starts doing its part.
Jake Ferguson is the other player who needs to be shelved in this category until he cleans up the mistakes. Against Tampa Bay, he caught three passes for 19 yards on six targets, and the drops were brutal.
One late mistake turned a comeback chance into a game-ending interception. Another came on Dallas’ two-minute drive before halftime, killing a possession that mattered.
The problems aren’t just one bad game, either. Ferguson hasn’t topped 43 receiving yards in any of his first five contests, and the blocking issues have become impossible to ignore.
A starting tight end has to do more than collect targets. He has to be reliable in traffic, dependable on key downs and steady when the offense is under pressure.
Right now, Ferguson isn’t giving Dallas that.
The Cowboys need more from both sides of the ball, but the urgency is different for these four names. Pickens and Williams have shown enough to be leaned on. Bland and Ferguson have to show the opposite before anyone can feel good about trusting them in a tough road spot against Green Bay and a Packers offense led by Jordan Love and featuring big-play receivers like Christian Watson.
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Former Cowboys Punters Tragic Death Brought An Emotional Family Reflection
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