What Dallas Cowboys Must Improve Most Coming Out of Week 11 Bye

The Dallas Cowboys enter their Week 11 bye in an unfamiliar situation. The team has a 7-3 record and is in a good position to make the postseason.

After dropping back-to-back games against the Washington Redskins and Arizona Cardinals, Dallas rebounded in London last week playing the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Although the Cowboys have one of the NFL’s best records, they must continue to get better, especially coming out of their bye week. Let’s examine what Dallas must improve most, starting with the least important task.

Involving Other Playmakers

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Dallas’ offense has been incredible so far in 2014, but it can progress even more. The unit ranks fourth in yards, despite not utilizing all of the weapons at Tony Romo’s expense.

Of course players such as DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant and Jason Witten should lead the attack; however, there are several other playmakers not getting enough touches.

Among those players are Terrance Williams, Gavin Escobar, Lance Dunbar and Cole Beasley. Combined, these four have only 65 receptions through 10 games. Coach Scott Linehan needs to create more opportunities for the talented role players.

Resting DeMarco Murray

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The emergence of running back DeMarco Murray has to be the most exciting part of the season for Dallas. He reached the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time last year and has already eclipsed that total through 10 weeks. Murray leads the league with 1,233 yards.

The concern for the Cowboys is that they’re overworking their back. His 244 carries are 27 more than he received all last season.

The bye week will obviously be good for Murray, but the coaching staff needs to do more to ensure he will not break down. If this team is going to make a playoff run, Murray will be crucial.

Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar have a combined 48 carries. Dallas will need to incorporate these guys more often through the final two months of the season.

Tightening the Defense

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Even though the Cowboys defense ranks among the top 10 in points per game, it is still giving up a lot of yards. The 348.8 yards per game surrendered ranks 14th in the NFL.

One thing the unit needs to really work on is getting to the quarterback. Too often opposing teams’ quarterbacks have plenty of time in the pocket to pick and choose where to throw the ball.

Dallas has a measly 15 sacks so far, bad enough to rank 24th. The Buffalo Bills lead the league in the category and have 24 more sacks than the Cowboys. That’s simply not going to cut it.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli has done well thus far, but he needs to determine more ways to get to the quarterback. Rookie Demarcus Lawrence will be relied on to generate a spark.

Health

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The biggest issue Dallas must work on coming out of the bye is its health. Too many important players are banged-up for the team to play up to its expectations.

The most important player has to be Tony Romo. Although he played last week against Jacksonville, it was clear there was some soreness in his back. Everyone saw what this team was capable of with Brandon Weeden, so Romo’s health is of utmost importance.

Some others who have found themselves on the injury report lately are Rolando McClain, Tyrone Crawford, Doug Free and Ronald Leary. Each of these players has been playing well in 2014 and is vital to the success of the Cowboys. The health of the entire team will be a huge factor moving forward.