The Dallas Cowboys still need to address one lingering issue.
There are so many pointless penalties. I thought they fixed it after the first couple of games of the season, but last Monday night proved me wrong.
The Cowboys had 11 penalties for 85 yards during the last weeks win, which is the second-most for the team so far this season.
If this team is going to be the best in the NFC, they have to clean them up.
When you watch other games, the pace is so much better because they aren’t committing 10-12 of them like the Cowboys did last week.
So many penalties for the #Cowboys….
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) October 17, 2023
They almost cost them the game; at some point, one will cost them a big game this season.
From lining up offsides pre-snap to making boneheaded plays after it is blown dead is unnecessary.
It is a Mike McCarthy problem, clear as day. We all should know that by now.
How do they fix them?
If I had an answer for that, I would be coaching and not sitting and writing about it for everyone to read.
Benching a player or making him run extra laps at practice will not solve this issue.
They need more self-discipline and stop committing them.
Seriously, I’m not trying to be funny.
A handful a game is okay, but something has to change when you are over double-digits.
Chargers punt. Pressure is making Herbert nervous but Cowboys need to get home WITHOUT drawing a penalty.
Two sacks on that drive negated by flags.
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) October 17, 2023
This should be the main focus in the bye week, just be more discipline.
Jerry Jones of course had to get his two cents in with the media about “evening” the flags in NFL games.
On the local radio station for Dallas, 105.3 The Fan, Jones shared a pretty out there theory regarding penalties. Jones believes that each team should be flagged an equal of number of times throughout the course of an NFL game (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
“Generally, in a given game, if the officiating is ‘what’s good for the goose, good for the gander,’ is the same for both sides, offense [and] defense, then you really haven’t had a game outcome change. And that one the other day [against the Chargers], we all got it equally.”
Jerry, please, do us all a favor and just stop talking.
I dunno what's more incredible – that the Cowboys keep incurring these dumb penalties, or that they keep getting off the field in spite of them.
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) October 17, 2023
End of the story is that if they don’t fix these, they are going to cost them games.
After the bye week, the Cowboys host the Rams, and then head on the road against the Eagles.
That game could very well be for first place in the NFC East.
Philly plays the Dolphins on Sunday Night Football tonight. With a loss would drop them to 5-2, leaving the door wide open for Dallas.
If Dallas can clean these up and stop shooting themselves in the football, it will go a long way.
Yet, here I am thinking about something that has been an issue for the last three years under Big Mike is going to get fixed because well it happened again.
I really wish I had an answer for how to get them to stop, I just hope they don’t cost them a game or two this season. (They probably will).