Although the goal of hitting the playoffs is all but mathematically over, the Cowboys might be able to win some games. What it takes is a complete shift from what they’re currently doing with Cooper Rush and instead analyzing what they can produce in Trey Lance. If the season is already down the drain, pick the young guy to start. The team knows what is has with Cooper Rush starting, so see what you have in Lance.
The Cowboys Could Still Pull Out a Win By Starting Trey Lance
Cooper Rush’s Offense Against the Eagles
The Eagles are Cooper Rush’s kryptonite. In all of his starts, he’s currently 5-2. Those two losses are against the Eagles. The stat sheet doesn’t lie about it, Rush had 45 passing yards for the whole game. He added insult to injury by not scoring any touchdowns whatsoever. While the Cowboys have struggled on their own home soil, this demonstration of effort was demoralizing. Especially when paired with a defense that came to play and gave so many opportunities for victory in the first half.
A majority of the difficulty Rush faced came from a very aggressive passing rush. The Eagles defensive line plays aggressive ball. But even with that, the Eagles only created 10 pressures and one sack. Most of the bad play is just Rush not moving the ball forward. There were no passes that were greater than 10 yards. Rush can’t scramble out of the pocket comfortably, and hee couldn’t get anything going for the team. This provides the perfect opportunity for Lance to step in.
Trey Lance Compared to Cooper Rush
Lance didn’t play significantly better than Rush. However, the kind of quarterback he is provides more opportunities for this Cowboys offense. Currently, the offensive line is blocking very off and on. Lance’s ability to escape the pocket and fire under pressure will produce better odds than Rush who is more of a pocket passer. Similarly, because Lance can run the ball, he’s a dual-threat. This makes it harder for defenses to game plan against him.
The Cowboys defense is a prime example of that. Although they’ve done better at shutting down the running game, they’ve struggled with a running QB like Jalen Hurts. Other defenses tend to struggle too because it creates unpredictability. Instead of the QB just dropping back, he could shift left or right and collect yards with his feet. Lance would add something the Cowboys haven’t done all season.
Even though Lance didn’t have nearly as many opportunities, he still made the most out of what he got. His QBR was only one point below that of Rush. Although Lance threw an interception, Jalen Tolbert, wasn’t in the correct place. However, when you look at the passing yards on these two quarterbacks, there’s room for growth for Lance. Rush had 45 passing yards but Lance had 21 with only a few snaps under his belt. Again, Rush had a 56.5% completion rate to Lance’s 66.7%. Lance’s scrambles averaged a 5.7 yards for 17 while Rush averaged 1.0 yards for 2 carries. There’s clearly a stronger option for this Cowboys team.
Putting Lance on the Field is a Must
The Cowboys don’t know what they have in Lance. He could be a lethal asset with a unique skillset, or he could be a bust. Dallas knows what they have with Rush. Give the young guy with potential the ball. Let him play and watch what unfolds.
Main Photo Courtesy of Tim Heitman – Imagn Images
