Dallas Cowboys' 3 Biggest Concerns Entering Week 5 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Dallas Cowboys have a short week as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football in Week 5. After knocking off the Houston Texans on Sunday, the Cowboys are going to take on a short-handed Tampa Bay squad.

Tampa Bay won't have Baker Mayfield under center, meaning undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will get the start. Also out is safety Antoine Winfield, which gives the Cowboys a huge advantage.

If they can capitalize, they will end up with several days of extra rest before taking on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 6. While they will be favored, here's a look at three areas of concern the Cowboys need to focus on while preparing for Tampa Bay.

Consistency in the run game

Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Javonte Williams had three touchdowns on Sunday, proving to be a beast in the short-yardage game. As impressive as that was, the ground game as a whole had some issues. Dallas averaged just 3.0 yards per attempt against Houston. The Texans have an elite defense, but the Cowboys ground game has had issues to start the season, averaging just 3.8 yards per attempt through four games.

Making matters more concerning is the way Tampa Bay has shut down opposing ground games. Led by Vita Vea, they are surrendering just 3.2 yards per attempt. Dallas can't afford to be one-dimensional in this one, so they need to find a way to get the ground game going early.

Cornerback play outside of Joey Porter Jr.

Houston Texans wide receiver Xavier Hutchinson runs after the catch as. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Reddy Steward. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Joey Porter Jr. had an excellent debut for the Cowboys, both Reddy Steward and DaRon Bland struggled mightily. Dallas has a golden opportunity for their defense to put together a good performance with an undrafted free agent starting, but if they're leaving players wide-open (as they were in Houston), it could allow Daniels to find his confidence. That's why the cornerbacks outside of Porter need to step up.

Special Teams issues

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey walks off the field as Houston Texans celebrate a blocked field goal. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Special teams has been a major problem for the Cowboys this year. In addition to Brandon Aubrey getting multiple penalties for kicking the ball out of bounds, Dallas has been unable to block on field goals. In Week 3, Baltimore got pressure up the middle on a 59-yard attempt and Keondre Jackson recorded the block. In Week 4, Will Anderson Jr. was able to block a 62-yard attempt. Anderson also came close to blocking the final extra point attempt, which would have been huge since it would have made it a three-point game at the end.

Special teams coach Nick Sorensen has come under fire for all these miscues and he has to find some answers this week. The last thing the Cowboys need is to give the Bucs any momentum through special teams miscues.

—Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI—

Add us as a preferred source on Google