Gruden must begin to turn the tables on the Dallas Cowboys
Jay Gruden is in a defining season for a variety of reasons. For many seasons it was thought that the talent is just not good enough on the roster to compete every week, against any team. The last two off-seasons Washington’s front office has worked to address that, and this year Gruden has his best team he has ever had as the head coach. Now, can he compete? Can Gruden prove to the front office that the extension he received deserved and he can get the Washington Redskins out of the depths of mediocrity?
After the disastrous 4-12 rookie season, Gruden somewhat leveled out the football team, and since 2015 he has produced a 27-25-1 coaching record. He is coaching at a .501 level since 2015 and currently has his team one game over .500. The Redskins have yet to compile back to back wins on the season and face a great opportunity to accomplish that for the first time this year against the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFC East has not been too kind to Gruden over his five years with Washington, but the Cowboys specifically have haunted Gruden throughout his Redskins tenure. Gruden has an overall record of 10-14 against the NFC East, five losses against the New York Giants, and six losses against the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are 4-0 on the road against the Redskins since 2014 and last lost to the Redskins in the 2016 season. For Gruden, this week’s matchup against Dallas is more than just another opponent. Gruden is in a position to change the narrative concerning his ability to consistently win within the division, against all three teams, not just the Philadelphia Eagles.
Beating the Cowboys will not be an easy feat, what the Cowboys strengths are on both sides of the ball is what the Redskins have struggled to defend and attack consistently. Dallas offense once against boast a top-five rush attack, ranking second in the NFL in yards and yards per attempt. Since running back Ezekiel Elliott was drafted to Dallas, the Cowboys have averaged 35 rush attempts for 154 yards (4.4 yards per carry) in four games against the Redskins. The Redskins defensive line continues to get tested as the season goes along, management has put a focus on stabilizing the defensive front for games like this, it will be important that Washington put a focus on stopping Elliott and making quarterback Dak Prescott beat them from the pocket.
On the offensive side of the ball for Washington, the Redskins struggled up front defending their defensive line. Jay Gruden acknowledged the similarities between the Cowboys defensive scheme and the Indianapolis Colts, who dominated the Redskins offense, not allowing a touchdown all game. However, this Cowboys defense is drastically better than the Colts unit, boasting the fourth best unit in yards and second best in points. If the Redskins want any chance of being able to compete in this game and not having a repeat of the Colts game, Washington needs to establish a ground game early and stay true to it. Without a serviceable run game against Dallas, the Redskins offensive line will be exposed to their pass-rushers who are all more than capable of winning their matchups.
Gruden has his hands full this week preparing for the Cowboys, but at the end of the day, there are no excuses to be had in year five, Jay is either capable, or he is not. His first divisional test has arrived, and it is a big one.