The special teams struggle is real
The Dallas Cowboys have a massive problem on their hands, and it’s not just a fluke. In two straight weeks, the Cowboys' field goal team has allowed a kick to be blocked. To put that in perspective, there have only been six blocked field goal attempts across the entire NFL this season—and Dallas is responsible for a third of them.
It started in Week 3 when the Baltimore Ravens blocked a 59-yard attempt by kicker Brandon Aubrey. The squad didn't manage to patch the holes in time for Week 4, because the Houston Texans came in and did the exact same thing. While the Cowboys squeezed out a win against Houston, they’re lowkey playing with fire.
The film study reveals a pattern
This isn't on the kicker. Owner Jerry Jones went on 105.3 The Fan and made it clear that the protection is the issue, not Aubrey. Houston coach DeMeco Ryans basically admitted they had the Cowboys scouted. The Texans watched the tape from the Ravens game, saw a breakdown in the C and D gap, and realized they could exploit the same vulnerability. Will Anderson Jr. went completely untouched up the middle to swat that kick—a total nightmare for the protection team.
What's next?
Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer acknowledged that the team is scrambling to move pieces around to fix the technical lapses before Thursday’s game against the Buccaneers. With injury concerns lingering on the line, the pressure is at an all-time high for special teams coach Nick Sorensen to lock it down. If they don't, the special teams unit is going to stay rent-free in every opponent's head as a target for a blocked kick.
Why it matters
Blocked kicks can be the difference between a W and an L in a tight game. With Dallas fighting for momentum, they can't afford to keep giving opponents a free path to the end zone or, in this case, the backfield.
