New-look OL, ‘boom-or-bust’ play call propelled Cowboys run game vs Giants

On third down and with 12 yards to go from their own 21-yard-line didn’t seem, to the Cowboys fans watching from home, like the ideal time to pitch the ball to the running back that many feel has lost a step and may be in his final year wearing the star.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore acknowledged later that the play call- which backup passer Cooper Rush checked into at the line- carried a high degree of risk.

“It’s a little bit of a boom-or-bust type call,” Moore told reporters this week. “It can go for minus-3 and you feel pretty dumb. But it also has that opportunity if you can get it.”

Ezekiel Elliott got it.

Thanks to solid blocking at the line of scrimmage from wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and tight end Jake Ferguson, as well as a downfield double-takeout from pulling rookie Tyler Smith, Elliott scampered for 27 yards, moving the chains and registering his longest rush since Week 4 of 2021.

The gutsy play call paid off and helped the Cowboys establish their ground game’s most productive outing- 176 rushing yards- since they racked up over 200 yards versus the Giants last Oct. 10.

But with a lot of personnel moves within the group since then, it’s taken time for the unit to gel.

“I think certainly with the run game, time on task is huge for anyone,” Moore explained. “And so certainly for the O-line, those guys spending more and more time together, being together, us kind of shuffling the deck there late in training camp, I think those guys have certainly become more comfortable with it. In general, I think as the season progresses, usually your run game gets a little better as they go, and I think our guys have done a nice job of finding their groove. Certainly it’s something we want to utilize.”

The Cowboys have been saying that, but Monday night’s 23-16 win was the first time it had happened to that degree in quite a while. The offense did it through a balanced attack- not just in a run-pass ratio of 30-to-31, but in doling out carries to both Elliott and Tony Pollard in nearly equal measure.

Elliott logged 15 rushes; Pollard had 13. Pollard tallied 105 yards; Elliott ended with 73 and a touchdown.

As team owner Jerry Jones put it the morning after the game, “that’s not 1-2; that’s a 1-1 punch.”

Moore hopes to keep slugging away.

“We want both those guys getting touches. I think the more balanced, the better it is week in and week out. There may be a game where one guy goes a little bit higher than the other and that may be situationally, that may be just the way the rotation works, but we love getting both those guys the ball.”

Elliott was quick to praise his upfront blocking for the pair’s performance.

“The O-line did their thing,” he said. “They established that line of scrimmage, established that run game early.”

On that front, the evening offered a preview of what’s to come in the weeks ahead for Dallas. Nine-time Pro Bowler Jason Peters made his debut in a Cowboys uniform, and his first play was memorable indeed, springing Pollard for the team’s longest run of the 2022 season.

Moore raved about the veteran’s acclimation since signing in early September; he even moved to left guard instead of his usual left tackle spot to allow the rookie Smith to continue to develop for the future there.

“Going through the process of training and practices and a new system, he’s done an awesome job for us. He’s a tremendous leader. You can’t think of a better person being in that room with some of those younger guys, and so he’s so valuable to us,” said Moore. “It was awesome to get him in there for a couple of series, and he’ll just continue to keep growing and evolving in his role.”

Peters was in on just 14 snaps (including Elliott’s long run), a number that represents not even a quarter of the Cowboys’ offensive plays on the night. Head coach Mike McCarthy says that was by design, as the team continues to let him ramp up to full speed; his usage will increase.

As for Smith, the first-round draft pick has already caught on very quickly.

“His play style’s been growing each and every week, and I think his confidence [has] as well,” Moore went on. “You see that, just the last few weeks. He’s been doing such a tremendous job for us.”

McCarthy agrees.

“We’re seeing a young man who’s just getting more and more comfortable,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “I mean, he’s outstanding in the classroom. He has a very high IQ of what to do. He just needs reps: doing it. He’s getting live reps. I thought he played his best game so far.”

From ball carriers to blockers, the Cowboys will look to keep the ground attack rolling when Washington comes to town on Sunday. Their defense has given up 5.4 yards per rushing attempt through three games; that’s tied for third-highest in the league.

The Commanders have also shown themselves to be notably susceptible to the home run, having given up seven plays of 40 yards or more already this season.

Looks like Moore, Rush, and the Dallas offense might be dialing up a few more of those “boom-or-bust” plays with their rejuvenated run game finding its rhythm once again.

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Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire