The Cowboys finally got the kind of offensive burst they needed in Week 2, and Dak Prescott was at the center of it. His four-touchdown performance against the Commanders gave Dallas a win and pushed him past the franchise mark for career passing touchdowns, a milestone that came as the passing game started to find its rhythm after a sluggish opener.
Even with the air attack taking off, the ground game remains stuck in neutral. Javonte Williams has 24 carries for 71 yards, a tough number for an offense that is also dealing with a line missing All-Pro guard Tyler Smith. The depth chart has thinned out, too, after Malik Davis suffered a hip injury before the season opener that required surgery.
That combination has left the Cowboys looking for answers, and Jerry Jones says they may come from unexpected places. During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, the owner and general manager said the team could explore ways to use All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and All-Pro return specialist KaVontae Turpin in the run game.
"I would like the run game to have looked or executed better but we’re going to get there," Jones said.
Turpin already has some history in that role. He got plenty of work out of the backfield during training camp last season, but never carved out a steady spot after Williams’ breakout year.
With Davis out and Dallas still searching for more explosion, Turpin gives the Cowboys a live option. In his career, he has averaged 6.4 yards per carry and totaled 209 rushing yards with one touchdown.
Lamb is a different kind of discussion. He was injured on a rushing attempt in last season’s Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears, leaving with a high left ankle sprain that cost him the next three games. That absence opened the door for Pickens’ breakout campaign.
So if Dallas is going to get inventive, Turpin looks like the cleaner fit. He brings experience in traffic and the kind of speed that can stress a defense in a hurry. Lamb in the backfield would be a bigger gamble, especially after what happened last season.
In Other News...
Jerry Jones Pushes Back As Cowboys Get Pulled Into NFL Debate
Jerry Jones is not buying the idea that the NFL is anywhere close to planting a permanent flag overseas, even as the league keeps leaning harder into its international push. The Cowboys owner said an international expansion team feels like a long way off, pushing back on the notion that Europe is ready to house an NFL franchise anytime soon.
Still, Jones was not dismissing the leagues global ambitions outright. The Cowboys are headed to Brazil for the NFLs first game in Rio de Janeiro, another sign of how far the sport has stretched beyond U.S. borders, and Jones acknowledged the complications that come with taking games abroad while still supporting the effort to grow the league. Roger Goodell has made clear he sees international teams as inevitable, with London viewed as the likeliest landing spot, leaving one of the NFLs most influential owners on the skeptical side of a debate that is only getting louder. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Face A Real Problem Ahead Of Rio Showdown With Cowboys
The NFLs first regular-season game in Rio de Janeiro is set to bring the Cowboys and Ravens to Maracan Stadium on Sept. 27, but the buildup has already taken on an unusual tone because of the playing surface. Heavy rain, heat and a packed soccer calendar have left the grass in poor condition, creating the kind of backdrop that can alter how a game unfolds before either team takes a snap.
For Dallas, the setting adds another layer to an early-season matchup that already matters, since both clubs enter at 1-1. The league plans to move ahead anyway, and the field is expected to be part of the story in a game that could look and feel very different from a typical September Sunday. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Defense Suddenly Has A Ravens Problem Fans Need To Watch
Dallas got a clearer look at its defensive health picture on the Week 3 injury report, and it comes at a time when the Ravens are looming on the schedule. Cobie Durant, Malik Hooker, P.J. Locke, DeMarvion Overshown and James Houston all showed up on the report, giving the Cowboys another reminder that the secondary and linebacker depth is still very much in flux heading into a tough matchup.
Brian Schottenheimers updates only sharpened the concern. Overshown is a low-probability play because of a hamstring injury, Locke is working back from plantar fasciitis with a possible return within four weeks, and Durant is still rehabbing his own hamstring issue. Hooker, meanwhile, remains sidelined while recovering from a fractured forearm and is not expected back this week, leaving Dallas with more questions than answers as it tries to get its defense ready for Baltimore. [Read more 🡒]