Fansided

One silver lining for every team that missed the playoffs

By Luke Dahlgren

Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns fans in the stands against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns fans in the stands against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 33-27. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 7, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden (20) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Dallas Cowboys defeated Washington Redskins 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden (20) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Dallas Cowboys defeated Washington Redskins 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /

Dallas Cowboys (4-12)

You lived without DeMarco Murray.

Entering the 2015 offseason, the problem lingering for Cowboys was over who the team would choose to keep: DeMarco Murray or Dez Bryant? Not being able to afford both, the team chose to bring back Bryant, banking on the game-breaking ability of a field-stretching wide receiver and trusting that Murray’s success the previous year was largely due to the offensive line.

The bad news for the Cowboys was that they missed both Bryant and Tony Romo in 2015 – the former either sidelined or slowed by a foot injury, and the latter whose collarbone was crunched by the weight of many pounds of defensive linemen.

The good news is that the Cowboys found out they don’t need Murray. The unlikely emergence of Darren McFadden showed the Cowboys that (1) the offensive line is the dominant force of the team’s running game , and that (2) the team has a capable back in the former Raider to take advantage of that offensive line.

Here’s a look at how the Cowboys running game has fared over the last two seasons:

Dallas Cowboys Team Rushing Stats
2014- 2,354 yds (147.1/g), 4.6 YPC, 31.8 attempts/g
2015- 1,890 yds (118.1/g), 4.6 YPC, 25.5 attempts/g

Darren McFadden 2015 Rushing Stats
1,089 yds, 4.6 YPC, 3 TDs

While the Cowboys decreased the volume of their running game, they were able to maintain their efficiency with McFadden in the lineup, keeping at near 5 YPC. This bodes well for next season if Dallas can remain healthy on offense.

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