The Lions have consistently played teams that don’t have a good run game. Until Week 5, the Cowboys also fell into that category. But now, the Cowboys offense has something special with Rico Dowdle.
Hopefully, they realize that and use it.
Rico Dowdle: The Key to the Cowboys Offense Crushing the Lions
The Lions Defense vs. The Run
The Lions are good at a lot of things defensively. They’re fast. Players get in the backfield quickly. But also, they’re effective. Fans won’t see the missed tackles that the Cowboys defense still needs to work on. However, they aren’t as effective against the run game. This isn’t to say they can’t stop the run. They definitely can. But they haven’t played teams that used the run well.
Most teams that play them resort to airing the ball out and throwing for 40 or 50 pass attempts, with the exception of Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers beat the Lions because they diversified the game. If the Cowboys copy that kind of success, then they could come up with a victory, too.
What Worked Well for Rico Dowdle and the Cowboys Offense
Although plagued with injuries, there were a few takeaways from the game against the Steelers that the Cowboys can now implement in their upcoming matches. Firstly, the Cowboys might need to adjust personnel groupings. They originally came into the season wanting to play in a 12 personnel, but what benefits the run game better is a 21 personnel. As awesome as it is to see running backs carrying guys down the field, most RBs aren’t Derrick Henry. And even Henry likes to have the extra block. Dowdle is a monster when he gets going, but he’s not as powerful of a runner initially.
What would help him is having that additional back, namely their full back, Hunter Luepke, the Swiss army knife for the Cowboys. Using Luepke to block and make room for Dowdle is key in breaking down this tough defensive line.
Also, the offensive line got much better at making holes and space for the runners to be successful. That can’t happen occasionally. The Cowboys offense has to adjust and make that the new normal so that Rico Dowdle can normalize averaging more than four yards a carry. It isn’t just Dowdle that it helps.
A small running back like Deuce Vaughn also benefits from having that additional blocker. He did in preseason and ran much more effectively than he is right now. Bringing in extra protection and adjusting the line need to be permanent fixes for this offense.
Running Back Committee Might Be Terminated
Another problem the Cowboys have to overcome is themselves. For some reason, Mike McCarthy is afraid of utilizing the run as a weapon. Some of that lessened with the success the Cowboys had against the Steelers. But he’s got to keep at it.
Instead of only using the run when it’s convenient, he has to add it into the Cowboys regular rotation. This might mean eliminating the running back committee and just giving the keys to Rico Dowdle. The concept was great in theory, but reality showed that using one running back throughout most of the game produces the best results overall. Dowdle has shown efficiency. He’s consistently been the best back for the Cowboys offense.
Now, it’s time to let him shine.
Main Image: Barry Reeger – USA Today Sports
