3 burning questions the Cowboys must answer to turn season around

Entering Week 4 of the season might already be a make-or-break situation for the Dallas Cowboys. Falling to 1-3 wouldn’t be the end of the world but there are so many questions surrounding this team that a third straight loss could cause an all-out collapse.

However, a win over the New York Giants and getting back to .500 could boost morale through the roof especially with Pittsburgh, Detroit and San Francisco coming up.

Who steps up to rally the defense?

That’s a good question because, over the past couple of weeks, it hasn’t felt like anyone cared to. Two of the leaders on defense, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence got into it on the sideline during Sunday’s loss to Baltimore, so it’s clear that the pressure and tension are mounting.

Dallas’ defense has given up 888 total yards combined in their last two games. Both were at home where there’s supposed to be a home-field advantage. Now it’s a matter of who steps up to rally the troops. Will it be Parsons or Lawrence? Maybe Trevon Diggs or Malik Hooker?

Whoever decides to finally step to the forefront will also need assistance from defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. This defense has been atrocious against the run when Zimmer was supposed to come in and help improve that aspect. It’s still early in the season but thus far they are the worst run defense in the league giving up 185.7 yards per game on average.

Although the Cowboys beat the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, they still gave up 4.9 yards per carry and that was without Nick Chubb on the field. With the New York Giants next on the schedule, Thursday night, many are looking at this game as the one where Dallas can get back on track. However, the Giants are ranked middle of the road rushing the ball, averaging 105 yards per game. If you’re a gambler, take the over for the Giants rushing in this game as the Cowboys can’t stop a nosebleed right now.

Are the Cowboys really as bad as they’ve looked the last two weeks?

This is truly an internal question every player, coach and even Jerry Jones should be asking themselves heading into Week 4 against the Giants. Are we really this bad? Parsons questioned the defense's effort following the Ravens loss and Lawrence said they played like a little league football team.

On offense, Dallas continues to get off to slow starts scoring a total of six points in the first quarter the past two weeks against Baltimore and New Orleans. For a team that’d become known for its “explosive” offense the past few years, they haven’t looked the part recently.

Head coach/play-caller Mike McCarthy needs to get this train back on the rails against the Giants this week. This should be viewed as one of those games where he rights the ship and gets the team back on course. Last season they blew the Giants out twice including a shutout win to open the season at the Meadow Lands, 40-0. Dallas outscored New York 89-17 in their two meetings last year.

Of course, that has little to do with this season, but Dallas should be looking to those contests as a reminder of who they can be. Right now, this is not a confident team in Dallas. Sometimes athletes use anything they can as motivation and the Cowboys are in a position where they need as much confidence as they can find quickly. Suffering a third consecutive loss could cause the season to slip away before we even enter October.

Is this the year Jerry Jones realizes that he needs more than yes men as head coach?

Sure, the NFL season is only three weeks old and many things can change. But the further we get into it the harder it becomes to change tendencies and habits. The expectations will be there but what’s expected of McCarthy’s team and this franchise is more than winning 12 games every year. It’s nice but eventually, he’s expected to progress and move further along.

McCarthy is a good coach with a Super Bowl win on his resume. But he’s also had plenty of other seasons with good teams that were squandered the same way they have been so far in Dallas. This has been eliminated in the wild card round in two of the last three postseasons. Players have to play and execute but coaches and their staff also need to get their guys prepared for these big games.

Whether it’s regular or postseason, there have been too many times when McCarthy’s Cowboys have not been prepared. But at a certain point, it’s hard to blame McCarthy and not include Jones in this discussion. At a certain point, you have to wonder if the players in that locker room truly respect the coach. They may like him but respecting and liking are two entirely different things.

Since McCarthy is essentially coaching without a contract, that could be a sign that Jones has finally come to his senses. Or they’ll bounce back, and end up winning double-digit games again, only to be eliminated early in the playoffs but that’ll be enough to appease Jones and we’re right back in the same situation next season.

The holy grail of coaches for Cowboys fans is Bill Belichick. Although deep down they all know it’ll likely never happen, we’ve all got dreams. At this point, Jones might as well go ahead and really follow in his mentor, Al Davis’ (late Raiders owner) footsteps and actually coach the team. Jones is already general manager so he might as well for it. He’s been the defacto coach for years other than when Jimmy Johnson and Bill Parcells were in town.