The Cowboys colossal failure in Seattle this past week didn’t help quarterback Dak Prescott. For the fifth game in a row Customized Dallas Cowboys Jerseys , and ninth in his last eleven games, Prescott failed to reach 200 passing yards, a universally doable task for all NFL quarterbacks these days. The loss that dropped the team to 1-2 also did no favors for a coaching staff that has come under fire. While both the quarterback and coaching have been critiqued and blamed, it’s only part of the problem. It’s peculiar that more people aren’t talking about how wildly inconsistent the rest of the offense has been in the past three weeks but now is a good time for a reminder.Suspect Protection There is no denying that Prescott has been at fault for a few of the hits he’s taken, he even admitted that much after the Seattle game. There was a popular stat being used to discredit theories about poor line play on Monday. It was determined that the Cowboys quarterback has the third-highest amount of time to throw at 2.99 seconds. Though that may be true, there was also a noticeable coincidence with that stat and another too:QuarterbackThrow Time (Rank)Sacks (Rank)Five of the Top-10 quarterbacks with the most time to throw are also in the Top-10 of most sacked quarterbacks on the season. Of those five, Deshaun Watson and Tyrod Taylor are the only two with clear WR1’s in reputation and stats. No other quarterback even has a receiver in the Top-30. Last week’s opposing QB Russell Wilson, the most-sacked QB in the league, ranks 13th with 2.78 seconds to throw. Wilson’s tight ends had to chip DeMarcus Lawrence all game long to avoid another six-sack nightmare. Dak is on pace to get sacked 59 times, which would tie Tony Eason at ninth all-time for single season sacks taken. Sacks are one measurement but don’t forget QB hits. Prescott took 81 last season, he’s already been hit 22 times in three games. Without question, his timing, ball-placement, pocket awareness, and mechanics have all been wildly inconsistent but we can’t say protection hasn’t been a problem. Are we possibly guilty of downplaying the absence of Travis Frederick, who may be the best center in football? It’s not a slight to Joe Looney, who hasn’t been a liability but he’s nowhere near the level of the All-Pro he’s subbing for. Connor Williams has been beat badly at times but he is a rookie learning on the job. The real problem with this line right now is that they are far more comfortable with run-blocking than they are in pass protection. Ezekiel Elliott had costly mistakes in Seattle but he ran for 127 yards and almost eight yards per carry. The team basically could run the ball at will but it didn’t matter and that’s troubling when it’s the formula for the offense. They couldn’t protect the quarterback against a Seahawks pass rush that ranked 29th in sacks before the game.Tyron Smith just had an uncharacteristically bad performance with Frank Clark on Sunday. La’el Collins has struggled in his second season at right tackle as well. In three games, Smith and Collins have combined for seven penalties that have hurt potential drives. You can live with mistakes made by Looney or Williams. However, this team has to hang their hats on this offensive line and especially Tyron, Collins, and Zack Martin. Right now, this unit is struggling on an offense that is dependent upon them for success.When the offense surrendered six sacks one week, zero the next, then five against a defense that could manage only three in two previous games, you got problems. That’s instability by definition and plays its role in erratic play from the quarterback. What’s the plan at receiver because no plan isn’t workingThe Cowboys made a lot of big-time decisions in the offseason to put pass catchers around Dak Prescott that would fit his “spread the ball” style. They took hard stances due to last year’s receivers not getting separation or yards after catch. So far, it looks as though every concern about an offense without any outside threats has come true.Dak’s ball placement is one thing but even when he throws a nice ball, it’s getting dropped, tipped www.authenticsdallascowboys.com , flipped, and intercepted if Earl Thomas is near. As sure as it is that Dak is missing open targets, his guys aren’t doing him any favors. According to Next Gen Stats, 2.77 yards of separation is average for NFL receivers and tight ends are almost always well over that mark. The Cowboys only had four pass catchers even qualify to be charted with targets being so low:PlayerAvg CushAvg SepTarg Air YdsTargRec/TDCatch %YAC/RecEYACEYAC +/-So, separation and cushion are related which is why tight ends usually have higher numbers in both. Geoff Swaim is getting four yards of separation because often the closest defender is five yards away. Also, receivers can have below the 2.77 average and still be very successful but those that do usually have good yards after catch numbers. That’s what’s so concerning about the Cowboys. All four qualifiers were below their expected YAC when the ball was thrown. Now, here’s the separation stats for the Cowboys in each game:NFL Sep. Avg (2.77)SeahawksGiantsPanthersFirst, look how much separation the Cowboys were getting in the Seahawks game in contrast to week’s one and two. The reason those separation numbers are so high is because the Seahawks weren’t concerned with them, they were too busy harassing Prescott. Also, look at how bad things have been for Michael Gallup, he’s had drops but also caused one of Dak’s two interceptions on the day. As down as these charts might be on these receivers, they are related to the suspect protection, playcalling, and quarterback play over these three games. Also, where’s Tavon Austin? He’s done more with two receptions than anyone else has with four times the amount. Blake Jarwin has played a higher percentage of the offensive snaps and doesn’t have a single catch. More than anything these charts tell you that the Cowboys just don’t have much of a plan with these guys. Cole Beasley and Geoff Swaim are the pass catchers with the highest snap percentages. The Cowboys have made Allen Hurns an exclusive slant route runner, he’s not offering much after the catch. Gallup may be making mistakes but he and Tavon are your two most explosive receivers playing a combined average of 36% of the snaps. The only way for the rookie to improve is to give him more opportunities. There is no respect from opponents to these receivers because they know:A.) They will rarely have the QB throw 20+ yards off the line of scrimmage B.) Even if they do throw 20+ yards off the line, they are 1-4 on those throwsC.) Of the two threats that can beat us in Elliott or Tavon, one will rarely see the field D.) Corners can sit in their zones on these receivers, we can send the hounds at the QBThe passing game is broken therefore the offense is broken too. They can be a run-first team but these struggles they have had make them a run-only team. When their best players have games like they just did, there is no chance for success at all. These coaches can be creative but they can’t commit to staying there. The players can execute the plays but they have a tendency to self-sabotage. It’s on the coaches to get their players prepared to play, it’s on the players to execute the gameplan. Right now, the gameplan has been completely pedestrian and the players have been atrocious at carrying it out. It’s clear that this offense is like any failing relationship, it can’t succeed without trust and commitment. Those are two things that everyone involved seems to be really short on at the moment.Rinse & Repeat: Why the Cowboys gameplan for the Seahawks game should look familiar The Cowboys have a road trip to one of the more hostile stadiums this week when they travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seahawks. For those counting at home, the Seahawks are 0-2 and a big reason for that is the fact that their quarterback Russell Wilson has been sacked 12 times. Those sacks are split evenly between their first two opponents in the Broncos and Bears. The Bears currently lead the league with 10 sacks but the Dallas Cowboys are right behind them with nine sacks after they brought Eli Manning down six times on Sunday Night Football.Face facts, there is a ton of bad offensive line play around the league. The Cowboys allowed their quarterback to take six sacks in week one, so they aren’t exempt though they allowed zero on Sunday night. The Seahawks offensive line may actually be even worse at protecting their quarterback than the Giants were this past week. Seattle is allowing a sack 14.81% of the time they are on offense, that’s over double their 2017 output of 7.19%. This should be great news for the “Hot Boyz”, the nickname that DeMarcus Lawrence has given his fellow defensive linemen. Lawrence was just one of six different defensive players to sack Eli Manning on Sunday. That’s what’s so different about this Cowboys pass rush. You never know who’s coming after your quarterback and when they blitz Dallas Cowboys T-Shirt , they’re getting home. Eight different players on the Cowboys have sacks with Lawrence being the only guy with two. Three of those sacks come from two linebackers and a safety. It’s established, this defense gets to the quarterback, which is bad news for the Seahawks.Sure, it’s going to be tough going up to Seattle and coming out with a ‘W’ against an 0-2 desperate team. However, this isn’t your same Seahawks team that has beaten the Cowboys in two of their last three meetings. This Seahawks team still has Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin,Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Earl Thomas, and we can’t forget head coach Pete Carroll. However, Doug Baldwin is dealing with a partial tear in his MCL with no definitive timetable for return. That means that the biggest wide receiver threats are34-year-old Brandon Marshall, and Tyler Lockett, a speedster. Tight end Will Dissly actually leads the squad in receptions. Russell Wilson is only completing 59.4% of his passes, while throwing well over 30 times per game. Now, Wilson does have 524 passing yards in two games with five touchdown passes, but he’s also got three picks, one of which was housed by the Bears on Monday night. That’s an interception percentage of 4.3, which is seventh-highest in the NFL.What about the powerful rushing game that Seattle used to boast? It’s almost non-existent, first-rounder Rashaad Penny has 17 attempts for 38 yards, zero touchdowns, and a 2.2 YPC. The starter, if you want to call it that, Chris Carson is better with 13 attempts for 75 yards and 5.8 YPC. Russell Wilson himself has a 4.4 YPC on five carries for 22 yards. The Seahawks are averaging 69 yards per game on the ground and face off against a Cowboys team that allowed 35 rushing yards last week. On defense, it’s quite simple for the Cowboys, the “Hot Boyz” just need to keep doing what they’re doing. It’ll be a little bit harder on the linebackers who will have to contain Russell Wilson, he still has that rare ability to beat teams almost single-handedly. This is a huge game for guys like Sean Lee, Jaylon Smith, Joe Thomas Dallas Cowboys Hats , and Damien Wilson. If they contain Wilson, it’s going to put even more pressure on an outmatched offensive line. With a secondary that bottled up a better receiving corps last week, it’s just about staying disciplined. The Seahawks are the worst in the NFL in terms of drives on offense, they average a league-worst 4.5 plays per series and the average drive is less than two minutes long. They are at the bottom of the league in rushing and passing except they are sixth in the NFL with five touchdown passes. That tells you that they live on the occasional big play, something the Cowboys defense is dedicated to stopping. The defensive line and linebackers for Dallas will need to bring the heat once again. If they do, more good news is that Seattle is third-worst with 18.5% of their drives ending in a turnover, three picks, and three fumbles.Quickly, let’s touch on the Cowboys offense, who looked better but still has plenty of work to do. Can the offense just do enough in this game to walk out with a win? It starts with protecting Dak Prescott where they are in luck that Seattle’s defense only has three sacks. Frank Clark is their best pass rusher by a mile so they must keep an eye on him. Though Wagner and Wright are two outstanding linebackers, both are questionable dealing with knee and groin injuries. This may be a game where the Cowboys can run the ball a bit more efficiently because the Seahawks don’t have the beef at defensive tackle that the past two opponents have had. Seattle is giving up 116 rushing yards per game, tenth-worst in the NFL. On the flip side, the Cowboys are averaging 116 rushing yards per game, 11th-best in the league. It’s a good day for the Cowboys to take the air out of Century Link by wearing down their defense with a heavy dose of Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. The one area where the Cowboys have to be careful is with the Seahawk’s secondary, they have five picks between three players. Earl Thomas, Bradley McDougald, and Shaquille Griffin will take the ball away if Prescott isn’t careful. With that said, they have to attack Seattle’s secondary. Seattle’s defensive backs take chances and their pass defense ranks 19th in the NFL, giving up over 250 passing yards per game. The Cowboys, so far, haven’t been a good passing team with so many new faces in the lineup. As bad as the Seahawks offense ranks among the league, the Cowboys are also down there in some offensive categories. It’s time for the quarterback and receivers to get on the same page because these Cowboys coaches preach balance. It really is going to come down to the Cowboys defense doing what they have been able to do in the first two weeks. It’s a rinse and repeat for the “Hot Boyz” with so many similarities to last week, with the major difference being Russell Wilson, and his mobility. Make no mistake, Wilson will be the best quarterback they have faced on the young season and despite him being brought down 12 times, the Seahawks have been in every game into the fourth quarter. Just keep in mind that this quarterback they are facing isn’t a sitting duck, they will have to work for those sacks.