Our writers provide their opinions on the latest Dallas Cowboys news during our weekly review on the Roundtable.
Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the roundtable. This week we have Brian Martin, Tom Ryle, David Howman and RJ Ochoa.
KaVontae Turpin made an excellent play in the second quarter to score the teams only touchdown. Does he deserve more touches going forward?
KaVontae Turpin made the best play of the day against Houston last week in the second quarter. Turpin flashed his unbelievable release quickness and caught the ball to score a huge 64-yard touchdown. The play was a great example of his speed, acceleration and playmaking ability. The unfortunate part was after that great catch and run, Turpin was targeted zero times until the final drive near the end of the game.
Brian: Turpin has deserved more playing time since arriving in Dallas. His ability to take it to the house any time he touches the ball is something that should’ve been incorporated into the game plan on a weekly basis a long time ago. Sadly, it’s unlikely things will change unless a new coaching staff sees things differently next season.
Tom: The Cowboys often seem to pigeonhole their players. Draft status and how much they cost affect playing time. They focus more on perceived weaknesses than strengths. Turpin is a great example. He doesn’t fit the mold of big, physical receiver, and the playbook leans on those. He’s too dangerous to not use.
Howman: I’m not sure that more touches are what’s necessary, but more intentionality with his touches is definitely on the call sheet. Mike McCarthy has rightly sought to use Turpin more on offense ever since taking over play-calling, but a lack of viable options behind CeeDee Lamb has led to Turpin seeing work he probably shouldn’t. But the house call in this game was a perfect example of how to use Turpin. Screens, orbit swings, and touch passes are other ways to take advantage of Turpin’s speed but we just haven’t seen much of it.
RJ: I have never been someone who really bought into this as a legitimate thing to be quite honest. I suppose that with the lack of playmakers around him (are we ever going to see Brandin Cooks play again, by the way?) Turpin deserves more. But it all feels empty at this point anyway.
The game plan and decision making from the Cowboys sideline was extremely poor against Houston. How much longer can Mike McCarthy hold his position for this season?
Last week’s game against Houston saw a failed fake punt (again), a field goal taken off the board due to a penalty which later resulted in zero points, but worse the team went 0-4 on fourth-down attempts. Injuries have taken its toll and is a main reason for such poor results at the moment, but the sideline options, play-calling and poor preparation for every game is undeniably a huge cause for concern for this coaching staff. Mike McCarthy is securely fastened in the hot seat right now and it only seems a matter of time before he leaves.
Brian: One way or another Mike McCarthy’s time in Dallas is coming to an end. It doesn’t really matter if it’s sometime soon or if he finishes the season as the HC. A coaching change isn’t going to improve things for the Cowboys, so why not just stick with McCarthy and let things play out? It’s not like Dallas has anybody else to consider for the position on the coaching staff.
Tom: What’s the point in firing him now? The roster is a hot mess and Mike Zimmer’s defense is arguably the biggest issue. You have to pay him anyway. The season is sunk. Just fire him on Black Monday so Jerry Jones can get right to taking his time to hire his next retread head coach.
Howman: It’s very simple for Jerry Jones: why fire McCarthy now, and have to pay him a little bit of a buyout, when he can just let the contract lapse in January and have him off the books completely? Similarly for McCarthy, why should he not get totally weird with his game plans between now and his impending free agency? McCarthy is essentially auditioning for another job right now, and showing off his creativity – while also highlighting how the front office has hamstrung his roster – only helps his case.
RJ: The idea that the Cowboys are going to fire him is so silly to me. There is zero way that they take it upon themselves to make matters more complicated at this point. They are more than content letting things ride themselves out, even if it means mass chaos.
What’s your expectations for this week’s game against Washington? What players are the biggest threat for the Commanders?
This week the Dallas Cowboys take on the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium. The game will kickoff at 1 p.m. ET and will see Dan Quinn. who has Washington second in the NFC East with a 7-4 record, face his old team. Washington are favored to win this week with a huge 10-point spread. Dallas has won seven out of the last ten meetings between the two teams and leads the series 78-48-2.
Brian: With the all-around poor play and the injuries continuing to pile up, it’s difficult to have any kind of expectations for the Dallas Cowboys in this Week 12 matchup with the Washington Commanders. The only thing I really expect is another embarrassing loss, but hopefully not one where Dallas’ players roll over and give up. I’d like to see them at least continue to play hard.
Tom: Dan Quinn is going to have his team fired up and ready. More importantly he has a far superior roster. Pick your poison. It feels like keeping within a couple of touchdowns would be a moral victory for the ravaged Cowboys. Against the resurgent Commanders coming off a loss to the Eagles, it’s probably going to be flat out ugly.
Howman: To me, this all comes down to Jayden Daniels and his ribs. The electric rookie quarterback has looked like a shell of himself while playing through the injury, and if he’s still wincing in pain every time he throws, this could be a big night for a resurgent Cowboys pass rush. But if Daniels is closer to 100%, he should be able to shred this paper thin secondary.
RJ: I fully expect Dan Quinn and his bunch to provide the latest round of humiliation for the Cowboys. Consider that Dallas opened up as 10-point underdog. These are the times that we are in. It is rough.