Lowly Miami presents no-win challenge
Dallas tries to stay focused for expected victory
FRISCO — Jason Garrett did not wait to set the tone.
On Wednesday morning, the Cowboys coach led players during their first team meeting of the week. It was here that several people in attendance said that Garrett acknowledged the enlarged dolphin in the room, addressing the dismissive media and public chatter surrounding their next opponent.
It’s natural to hear that talk. It’s dangerous to listen to it. “If you’ve been around this league for a minute,” tight end Jason Witten said, “you understand you can go from the penthouse to the outhouse in a hurry. If you think you’ve made it, you’ll get your butt real humbled, real quick in this league.”
The Cowboys will look to drown out noise Sunday when hosting the Miami Dolphins at AT&T Stadium. Although the talent disparity and roughly 23-point betting spread separate the two sides, the teams share one commonality. Pundits have undercut both at some level following the first two games.
Regarding such talk about the Dolphins or themselves, the Cowboys don’t seem to care.
Outside the organization, many downplay the Dolphins’ merits as a football team because, well, they’ve been awful. They opened the season with a 59-10 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens and followed it with a 43-0 home loss to the New England Patriots. The minus-92 scoring differential through two games is tied with the 1973 New Orleans Saints for worst in the Super Bowl era.
The Dolphins rank last in the NFL in scoring (10 points), scoring allowed (102 points), total yards (388), total yards allowed (1,024), first downs (23), first downs allowed (58), turnover differential (minus-6), team passer rating (32.4) and opposing passer rating (155.9).
Their defense has forced a three-and-out just once in 23 drives.
Since Wednesday, Cowboys coaches haven’t focused on these numbers or how the Dolphins, looking to rebuild, have traded away some of their top talent for future draft picks and financial flexibility. Instead, they’ve discussed coach Brian Flores’ defensive scheme and studied film of standout players like cornerback Xavien Howard.
They also watched how Miami lost most recently.
“The games have been lopsided, but if you really watch them, like the Patriots game, it was 13-0 right before half,” safety Jeff Heath said. “The Ravens game obviously got out of hand early, but it’s just mistakes. Like during the Patriots, it was close and then they throw a pick-six. Then they throw another pick. They’ve just been turning the ball over. If they don’t turn the ball over, they’re in the game.
“It’s an NFL football team. It’s the same number of guys. They have first-round picks. They have high-paid free agents. They have players. And really, whenever our defense steps onto the field, we’re never really even concerned with who we’re playing. We’re always just competing against our standards that we have. If we feel like we can play to those standards, it doesn’t matter who we play. We can win.”
As the Cowboys ignore what’s said about the Dolphins, they cast aside chatter regarding themselves.
Sunday’s game is one that pundits believe Dallas essentially cannot lose. And so, by proxy, it is a game the Cowboys cannot win. The team will be unable to accomplish anything Sunday that won’t be dismissed at water coolers as unimpressive because hey, it was just the Dolphins.
Like it was just the New York Giants in Week 1.
Like it was just the Washington Redskins in Week 2.
“We’re not here for people’s credit,” cornerback Anthony Brown said. “They have no say on what goes on in this locker room. We know what we got going on. We know what job we’ve got to do. We know what mission we’re trying to accomplish. Our head is down, focused. We don’t care what nobody says. We’re not looking for approval from nobody. Whoever wins the Super Bowl doesn’t win it off approval. They win it by going and doing it. So that’s what we’re going to do. We don’t make the schedule.”
Said wide receiver Randall Cobb: “This isn’t college ball. You’re not playing Southeast Missouri State (as) a Power 5 Conference team. This is the NFL. These guys are getting paid.”