Stunning Cowboys Stat Shows Duality of Third-Down Performance By Offense & Defense

The Dallas Cowboys have been complete opposites on offense and defense when it comes to their performance on third downs.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (6) scrambles with the ball defended by Dallas Cowboys safety Jalen Thompson (34) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As good as the Dallas Cowboys' offense has been on third downs through two games this season, the defense has been the exact opposite.

We knew the Cowboys' defense was having issues on third downs because, well, the unit simply can't get off the field, something that was especially apparent in the Week 1 loss to the New York Giants.

According to TeamRankings.com, the Cowboys' offense has the best third-down conversion rate in the NFL at 68.18%, which is a full five points better than the next closest team, the San Francisco 49ers (62.16%). No other team has above a 60% success rate.

However, it has been a totally different story on defense for the Cowboys, who are allowing opponents to convert at a 68% clip, which amounts to a league-worst mark. The Giants are the next closest team at 65% and the NFC East teams are the only ones above 60%.

The time of possession problem

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In Week 1, the Giants converted on 9-of-11 third downs, and no surprise they dominated time of possession at 36:40 to Dallas' 23:20. What's more glaring is the fact that the Cowboys were only able to garner two offensive possessions in the second half of that contest, which is obviously not a recipe for success, especially when you consider the offense is the Cowboys' biggest strength by a mile.

In Week 2, the Commanders were 8-of-14 (57.1%) on third downs, but they also started out 6-of-8 before Jayden Daniels went down with his injury. Washington still ended up winning time of possession by nearly three minutes.

The time of possession is obviously one big concern, but the wearing down of the defense is another. If Dallas' unit can't get off the field, it's going to lead to a tired defense that will be more susceptible to getting burnt.

Better, but not good enough

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) leaps to avoid a tackle by Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs (13) while running with the ball during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even though the Cowboys gave up less points in Week 2, there were still some major issues and if not for a few bad breaks for Washington, the Cowboys would've allowed two more touchdowns in the game.

Daniels and Marcus Mariota had way too easy of a time moving the ball through the air, and Washington was running all over the field, with the Commanders gaining 182 yards on 32 carries (5.7 yards per carry).

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was happy with the improvement in the team's communication, but he cited the performance on third downs and Dallas' failure to contain Daniels on the ground as two issues.

“Overall, I thought the communication was better. There’s certainly things to clean up. We certainly did a poor job of containing Jayden (Daniels), but he can do that. He does that to a lot of people. That’s really where the rush yards got away," Schotty said, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.

“And then we got some things to improve on third down. I thought we really rushed the passer well. I don’t know what the pressure numbers were. I know we didn’t get any sacks, but (Daniels) and Marcus (Mariota) were both moved off the spot quite a bit. So, I felt good about that," Schottenheimer added.

While the pressures are nice, the Cowboys were not able to get home and didn't record a single sack. That has got to change because the Cowboys' coverage has not been up to snuff through two games.

Adding to that concern, Dallas must get better at containing mobile signal-callers or else it's going to be a long Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson.

As Schottenheimer admitted, the defense is still a work in progress and if the Cowboys don't improve in the aforementioned areas, this defense isn't going to achieve the kind of turnaround Dallas needs.

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