Nick at Nite: Dallas can erase three major concerns in Miami

Nick at Nite: Dallas can erase three major concerns in Miami

Texas’s Frisco Everything remains in front of the Dallas Cowboys and their goals for 2023,

despite an ugly 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Following the Eagles’ loss to the Seahawks, Dallas secured its third consecutive postseason berth,

and the **door remains open for a divisional title**.

I understand your thoughts at this point. How can any faith be placed in a Cowboys comeback in Miami after

the team’s performance in Buffalo on Sunday? True,

but a victory at Hard Rock Stadium would provide Dallas the chance to allay three serious worries.

Let’s examine it.

First up, touring with a band. Oh my goodness, when will this squad be able to produce a road effort –

just one – that matches what it does all season long at home?

When it comes to playing a complete game and leaving no detail unfinished,

I haven’t seen a road effort that I would rank higher than any seven of the home victories,

with the exception of the season-opening victory in New York.

After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy stated, “It’s a gap, and that’s part of my message.”

“At home, we play so brilliantly. The distance between our road games is simply too great.

We know this, and we’ll have plenty of time on the long ride home to discuss and reflect on it.

We need to improve, but we also need to go on to Miami in the morning and get this one fixed.”

In order to start the process of dispelling the myth that they are unable to compete on the road, they would need to defeat a 10-4 Miami team that appears to be an AFC contender in their own stadium.

Because that story has two solid legs to stand on up to this point.

Knowing that this club will be playing a strong opponent on the road in the playoffs in

January might be a huge confidence boost.

Secondly, stopping a strong onslaught. Dallas’ run defence performance was the worst it has seen since 2012,

when the Cowboys defence gave up 266 yards, including 179 from James Cook alone.

Though Cook’s performance also saw him break contain many times and get around the edges for huge gains,

Johnathan Hankins’ absence was noticed greatly.

Miami, who field the two-headed running back tandem of Raheem Mostert and Devon Achane to lead

the fourth-best rushing offence in the league,

only makes the battle more formidable this week.

If Hankins is unable to return,

it will need a “Herculean effort” to contain the dangerous and adaptable

rushing onslaught that the Dolphins are capable of producing, in the opinion of Jerry Jones.

When Hankins returns to the squad,

there will be a slight increase in confidence that the Cowboys can contain that attack even without him.

Examples of such players include Christian McCaffrey and David Montgomery/Jahmyr Gibbs.

As far as run defence goes, Buffalo put on a once-in-a-decade kind of show.

To restore the belief that this squad possesses one of the best defences in the league,

capable of guiding a team to the postseason, another one must occur, this one in a good manner.

The third point is about speed.

It was obvious when the schedule was released that the Miami game would cause the Dallas defence a

great deal of headaches because of the Dolphins’ abundance of speed weapons.

One component in NFL’s Next Gen Stats monitors on-field speed;

the season-long tracking of the top on-field, in-play speeds occurs.

The Dolphins have six players on the top ten list of quickest on-field times this season,

including Tyreek Hill, Devon Achane, and Raheem Mostert.

That leaves out Jaylen Waddle and Braxton Berrios, the team’s top returner,

who both possess the speed to be the quickest players on almost half of all NFL teams.

Throughout the season, the Dallas defence has struggled mightily with speed.

With a maximum speed of 22.23 mph on his 73-yard touchdown reception against the Cowboys in week 13,

DK Metcalf became the fastest on-field ball carrier of the whole season.

Remember also how Rondale Moore controlled the game in week three,

how Keenan Allen consistently gained ground in week six,

how Devonta Smith broke free for a touchdown in week nine,

and how Curtis Samuel recorded a 100-yard day in week twelve.

Despite the length of the list, the Cowboys have not yet encountered a single speed

weapon that can compete with the Dolphins’ third or fourth-fastest weapon.

It would be a huge step in the right direction if the defence wins that game and stops

Tyreek Hill beneath and Devon Achane and Raheem Mostert from creating enormous rushing lanes.

Of course, it’s always possible that none of these pressing issues will be resolved

in time for you to play on Christmas Eve.

After what transpired in Buffalo, it is difficult to imagine in all three places.

However, asking any member of the team and examining the Cowboys’ post-loss actions under Mike McCarthy

may give you a positive idea of what could happen on Sunday night in South Beach.

Micah Parsons stated after the game, “It’s going to have to be a mentality thing.” Everyone will need to improve.

We have to prepare and be well because we have a big game [against Miami] coming up next week.”

Get more related news on https://dailysportnews.co.uk