After eight games in 2023, the Dallas Cowboys were trending up. They were 5-3 and set to go on a five-game winning streak.
What a difference a year makes.
The 2024 Cowboys are 3-5 and just lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott for the upcoming stretch. They face a daunting schedule, and the hopes have gone from Super Bowl contention to merely sneaking into the playoffs. Let’s look ahead to the second half of the season and try to forecast what is on the horizon for this team.
DeMarvion Overshown is brightest spot on defense
To be fair, there isn’t much competition for “bright spot” on the Cowboys defense this season. What does the list even look like? Overshown. Jourdan Lewis?
I believe that’s the entire list.
Overshown’s season began with a bang, as he made his presence known in the opening week in Cleveland. There was a period of growth early in the season, as he played 58 percent, 31 percent and 78 percent of the snaps in the first three weeks. In the last four games, Overshown has played more than 90 percent of the snaps in each game. His speed and athleticism show up at some point every game. In his first regular season in the NFL, Overshown has reinforced why many believe he has a bright future.
| OPPONENT | SNAPS/PCT | TACKLES | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|
 at Falcons |
56/98%
|
7
|
3
|
|
68/100%
|
8
|
1
|
|
 Lions |
63/93%
|
4
|
0
|
 at Steelers |
58/100%
|
8
|
0
|
 at Giants |
59/86%
|
8
|
0
|
 Ravens |
49/78%
|
6
|
0
|
 Saints |
18/31%
|
4
|
0
|
 at Browns |
44/58%
|
11
|
1
|
Brandon Aubrey sets record for longest field goal
Aubrey almost had a chance to set the record in Week 1, when he made a 66-yarder in Cleveland that didn’t count due to a penalty and the ensuing 71-yard attempt was called off by holder Bryan Anger.
The Cowboys are about to be led by backup quarterback Cooper Rush for the foreseeable future. There’s a decent chance the offense will stall around midfield and the Cowboys will get desperate for points. There’s also the fact that of the remaining nine games for the Cowboys, six are in the comfortable confines of AT&T Stadium. Maybe Aubrey won’t get a chance quite from 70-plus yards, but something a hair over 66 would not be surprising.
"He's like the @StephenCurry30 of kickers. There's no range that's too far.@TomBrady is in awe of Brandon Aubrey after his 65 yard field goal. pic.twitter.com/5pY2GfbqrK
— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Cowboys finish season with 2 wins at home
For the better part of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Cowboys’ dominance in Arlington got all the love. After losing the home opener in 2022, the Cowboys rattled off 16 consecutive wins at AT&T Stadium. That streak came to a screeching halt with the abomination against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. Since then, the Cowboys have not won a home game. Including the Packers loss, they are 0-4 in their last four home games.
Their remaining opponents at home are the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders. The Giants on Thanksgiving is one the Cowboys can feel hopeful about, even with Rush leading the offense. Perhaps they can find a way to come out on top in one of the other games. The Commanders matchup is in Week 18, so Washington could have nothing to play for at that point.
Jonathan Mingo catches first NFL touchdown in Week 15
This is an oddly specific prediction for the newest member of the Cowboys, who was acquired at Tuesday’s trade deadline from the Carolina Panthers. Regardless of the dire situation for anyone playing in Carolina, Mingo’s arrow isn’t pointing up as he gets a much-needed change of scenery. But that doesn’t mean Mingo doesn’t have the talent. Mingo deserves time to get acclimated with the Cowboys, especially since he’ll be doing so without the starting quarterback.
In about a month, the Cowboys will travel to Carolina for their Week 15 matchup against the Panthers. The Cowboys, and Mingo, hope he’ll have his first NFL touchdown in the bag by then, but if he doesn’t, what better storybook fashion to do it in than against the team that drafted and gave up on him in two years?
Rush offense and run defense finish in NFL’s bottom 3
The Cowboys rush offense finally climbed out of the NFL basement last week with a 137-yard day in Atlanta. It is now second worst. The run defense isn’t much better, checking in as third worst, only better than the Indianapolis Colts and the Panthers.
Does one of these areas have the better chance to improve? One would assume it’s the rushing offense. There have been signs of competency — the second half in Pittsburgh and last week in Atlanta. When the running game has been successful, it’s featured a heavy dose of Rico Dowdle and a decent performance by the offensive line. The talent is there to at least climb out of the very bottom of the league.
The defense will be getting reinforcements: Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland are expected to return at some point. However, they were all on the field when New Orleans gashed the Cowboys in Week 2 and Baltimore in Week 3. Those opponents featured special talents in Alvin Kamara, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, but the ineptitude of the Cowboys rush defense was still alarming. It’s difficult to see it getting much better.
No Cowboys defender reaches double-digit sacks
The last Dallas defender not named Parsons to notch at least 10 sacks in a season was Robert Quinn in 2019. This year, after eight games, the Cowboys sack leader is Lawrence, who has three sacks and hasn’t played a snap since Sept. 26. Next on the list is Carl Lawson with 2 1/2 sacks, and two of those just came Sunday against the Falcons.
Parsons is expected to return soon from the high ankle sprain that has kept him out since the Cowboys’ Week 4 win over the Giants. But how quickly will he hit the ground running? And even if he’s intact physically, how often can the Cowboys get leads and force opponents to throw the ball, allowing the pass rush to get after the quarterback? Parsons has one sack this season in four games. Getting nine more in the remaining nine games — assuming he returns this week — feels like a tall task.
Jerry Jones will blame injuries for this season
Injuries have become a legitimate culprit for the Cowboys’ season spiraling out of control, but it’s important to remember: The Cowboys weren’t a good team, even when they were mostly healthy. Aside from Sam Williams and DaRon Bland, the Cowboys had everyone at their disposal for the first four weeks of the season. They went 2-2 in that stretch, beating the Browns and Giants while getting blown out by the Saints and Ravens.
Those two losses are hard to shake. The Saints haven’t won a game since and just fired their coach. The other was against a team that featured a player (Henry) who wanted to be a Cowboy this season but didn’t even get a call. Both were blowouts at home.
The Cowboys’ season got worse because of injuries, with Prescott the latest. But it was pretty bad even before the injuries because the construction of the roster was flawed from the outset.
(Photo of DeMarvion Overshown: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)
