The Dallas Cowboys are likely down to their last chance this week against the Washington Commanders, having ignored the ice on the surface as they hurtle towards an iceberg. As they try to avoid having their ship sunk, here are some concerns and questions that must be addressed. 

Was Week 6 an Anomaly, or a Sign of Things to Come for the Ground Game?

If someone had told you that Javonte Williams got 29 yards against the Carolina Panthers, you likely would’ve thought that he had a great, explosive play. Very few people saw him having that be his total for the entire game. 

In fact, the ground game as a whole struggled, as evidenced by the 31 total rushing yards and 48.5 PFF grade that the team earned. The question now becomes whether or not that was just a bad game, or an indicator of holes in the dam.

It’s possible that the Cowboys ran into a run defense that is starting to get hot, as the Panthers recorded a fantastic 90.0 run defense grade in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins. Figuring out the answer to this question will be important not just for this week, but for the rest of the season. 

Can the Pass Rush Continue its Upswing?

After earning a pass rush grade of 70.0 or higher one time in the first four weeks of the season, Dallas has done so in back-to-back weeks, including a 75.4 grade against the New York Jets in Week 5. That was against an admittedly poor offensive line, but we’ll take improvement where we can get it. 

Continuing that improvement will be especially key against Jayden Daniels, as he goes from the fourth-ranked PFF quarterback in a clean pocket to No. 32 when facing pressure. Whether or not the Cowboys can generate that pressure will be determined largely by the performance of Washington’s rookie right tackle. 

First-round pick Josh Conerly Jr. got off to a rough start, as evidenced by his Week 2 nadir against the Green Bay Packers in which he gave up three sacks and nine pressures on his way to a 20.2 pass blocking grade. He’s been improving though, as he recorded his two highest grades over the last three weeks, including a career-best 77.1 mark last week against the Chicago Bears. 

Which Conerly shows up is a big question, the answer to which will play a large part in determining just how much of an impact the Dallas pass rush can have.  

What Does a Pickens/Lamb Duo Look Like on the Field?

We got a short look at this duo early on this season, as they both suited up in Weeks 1 and 2. This is what those games looked like:

Clearly, Lamb was the go-to target in those first two weeks. That makes sense, as Lamb has been a high-level player his whole career with a long-established connection between him and Dak Prescott. In the early going, Pickens and Dak were still working out the kinks in their process. 

In Lamb’s absence though, Pickens has been a revelation, seamlessly sliding into the number one role and establishing a strong rapport with Prescott. How Lamb works back into a changed offense will be interesting to watch during not only this week, but the rest of the season as well.