The Bucs already knew how to slow down the Cowboys’ offense, according to

Sunday night’s game between the Cowboys and the Buccaneers is giving people something to talk about, beyond Dak Prescott’s injury and the flaws in the Cowboy attack. In fact, much of the credit goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense. And it is not for less, since it limited Dallas to only three points and kept them in their own field for almost the entire game.

However, the Bucs’ defensive performance was not just due to their good execution. In fact, they already had a clear idea of ​​the Cowboys’ approach on offense.

This was revealed by Devin White, Tampa Bay linebacker, in his statements after Sunday’s game. In the words of the Pro Bowler, the Bucs’ defensive success was due to the team’s preparation before the game.

“This time, going into the game, we already had a recording of them against us and we knew how they like to attack us”White said after the meeting. “So I think we were able to put together a better game plan than last year.”

They knew what Kellen Moore had in his bag. Yikes!! https://t.co/V8Brz58yk7

— Newy Scruggs (@newyscruggs) September 13, 2022

Let’s remember that, during the duel between the two teams in 2021, the Cowboys avoided attacking on the ground due to the Bucs’ defensive effectiveness in that way. Meanwhile, Dallas this time opted for a different strategy than that time, but which they applied for much of last season. And it was just that strategy that the Bucs discussed during their preparation for the game.

“Last year we learned that they weren’t really going to commit to the running game and the runs that they did, they were going to try to get out there and not run in.”White said. “But most of his running game is a fast game. (…) We knew that when we entered, so we were able to attack him”.

Likewise, Devin White indicated that the defense was committed to establishing the game identity of the team under the command of Todd Bowles. Let’s remember that Bowles, who held the position of defensive coordinator for the Bucs, is now their head coach. However, he continues to run the Tampa Bay defense.

“I think we just try to be dominant”said the linebacker after the victory against the Cowboys. “We wanted to set a tone for him (Bowles) as a head coach, and for us as a defense in general.”.

The game statistics, in effect, confirm the success of Todd Bowles’ defensive plan. The Bucs limited the Cowboys to 244 total yards: 173 through the air and just 71 on the ground. Additionally, Dallas managed just three third-down conversions in 15 attempts.

Devin White on holding Cowboys to 3 points: “I think it was just about being dominant. We wanted to set a tone for him [Todd Bowles] as a head coach, for us as a defense as a whole… we left a lot of plays out there. The pick six – I should have taken that one to the crib.”

— Brianna Dix (@briannadixNFL) September 12, 2022

Is the Cowboys offensive game predictable?

It is worth mentioning that Devin White’s words after the game against the Cowboys have resonated in recent hours. In fact, the linebacker makes one thing clear: Dallas’ offensive strategies are predictable. And this has the criticism starting to point toward offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Let’s remember that, during the first stretch of the 2021 season, Moore was praised for his strategies directing the cowboy attack. However, from the Week 9 game against the Broncos onward, the Dallas offense showed a different face. And this, in part, is because many teams “got the measure” of Moore’s strategies.

Moore’s insistence on the running game is undoubtedly already a recognizable element of the Cowboys’ offense. And while not opting for her against the Bucs in 2021 helped Dallas put up a fight, the coordinator persisted with that idea in the second half of the second season. Even forcedly playing with an Ezekiel Elliott who was not in optimal physical condition.

Now, in Sunday’s game against the Bucs, we saw a deja vu of the last games of 2021: an erratic Prescott, little connection between the quarterback and his targets, offensive line penalties, insistence on playing with Elliott (already recovered of his injury), dropped passes by CeeDee Lamb… All of this led to the Cowboys being the only one of the 32 NFL teams not to score a touchdown during Week 1.

Ofcourse. pic.twitter.com/N2xmwF8EyL

— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) September 13, 2022

Of course, this is not a good sign for future games. With Dak Prescott injured, it’s very likely that the Cowboys will lean more into the running game, just as they did in the 2020 season. And without a really strong offensive line, it’s very likely that opponents will focus on stopping Dallas for that way.

Given this, the outlook for the Cowboys in the coming weeks is not encouraging. If the Cowboy offense is going to do the best it can during Prescott’s absence, and even when he returns, Kellen Moore will have to work hard tactically. Otherwise, this Dallas season will be one to forget.