Alright, so get this: The Dallas Cowboys have a glaring problem on their special teams, and it is costing them. They’ve had two field goals blocked in their last two games, which is absolutely wild considering only six blocked field goal attempts have happened across the entire NFL through Week 4. Like, seriously? Two of six are from one team? That’s not just bad luck, that is a full-blown issue staring them right in the face.
Protection Breakdown Is Real, And It Hurts
The first blocked kick came way back in Week 3, during their game in Brazil against the Baltimore Ravens. Brandon Aubrey tried a 59-yard field goal, and boom, Ravens stuffed it. What makes that block so crucial? The Cowboys ended up losing that game 34-31. Three points, man. That block was the difference. Then, in Week 4, same thing! This time it was the Houston Texans, who blocked Aubrey’s attempt again. Now, the Cowboys did pull out a 34-30 win, but it took some absolute last-minute magic from Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to get it done. You gotta wonder if they would have even been in that spot if the field goal unit had done its job. Having one kick blocked is a tough break, but two in a row? That’s a pattern, and it needs fixing pronto.
Even Jerry Jones, the big man himself, is scratching his head about it. He told 105.3 The Fan this week that it is not Aubrey’s fault. “The problem isn’t with the kicker, it’s with the protection there,” Jones said. He sounds pretty confident they can fix it, but also admitted he was “shocked” it happened twice in a row, because teams usually get that sorted out. When the team owner is calling out the protection, you know it is a mess.
The “C and D Gap” Is Wide Open
So, why is this happening? Well, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans basically laid out the blueprint for the entire league this week during an interview with his team’s radio crew. He was straight up about it, saying, “During the film study, you definitely saw a breakdown in the protection. You’ve seen it consistently.” Consistently! That’s the kicker right there. Ryans explained that his coaching staff found a “weakness there in the C and D gap area” when they overwhelm one side of the line. The Cowboys’ field goal unit just seems lost, unsure who to block.
Think about it: Will Anderson Jr. went basically untouched up the middle to block that kick against Houston. Untouched! You can’t have a defender flying through the line like that on a field goal attempt. That should never, ever happen. Ryans’ film study basically handed every future Cowboys opponent a playbook on how to get after Aubrey.
The Cowboys have a Thursday night game coming up, which means minimal practice time to fix this gaping hole in their special teams. Will they actually address it, or are we going to see another blocked kick soon? Because if they don’t lock down that C and D gap, opponents are absolutely going to keep exploiting it, and those crucial points could be the difference between wins and losses all season long. They better figure this out, and fast!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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