Offense looks for balance with East title on the line

FRISCO — Dak Prescott, play-caller Kellen Moore and coach Jason Garrett each became enamored with the passing game at the start of the season because it was so much better than it had ever been.

In doing so, the Cowboys lost their identity.

That’s among the reasons a season that began with so much promise has been filled with disappointment.

The Cowboys are 7-7 and need a win on Sunday at Philadelphia to secure a playoff spot.

To do so, Moore must find what has eluded him so much this season: offensive balance.

Nobody expects the Cowboys to rush for 263 yards on a regular basis like they did in the 44-21 blowout win over the Los Angeles Rams, just like nobody expects them to win games with Prescott attempting 23 passes on a regular basis.

But if the Cowboys are going to win the NFC East and make an unexpectedly deep playoff run, Moore must find the right balance between Ezekiel Elliott and Prescott.

It’s not easy because Prescott has improved so much as a passer.

He ranks second in the NFL in passing yards (4,334) and fourth in touchdown passes (26) to go with a passer rating of 99.3.

That said, there are only a couple of quarterbacks in the entire league — Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees — who are good enough to be the epicenter of a team’s offense each and every week. No matter how much those guys throw the ball, you feel good about their ability to help their team win. A running game helps them, but they don’t necessarily need it.

Prescott isn’t that type of quarterback.

The more he throws, the more his flaws are exposed, just like any other passer who’s not a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Moore’s task is to find the sweet spot.

Prescott ranks sixth in the NFL with 519 pass attempts. There’s no way any of us expected him to throw that much when the season began. But he started the season with 405 yards passing, four touchdowns and seven completions of more than 20 yards in a 35-17 win against the New York Giants.

Suddenly, we all became enamored with his ability to make plays in the passing game to Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb as the Cowboys started 3-0 and emerged as one of the league’s favorites to reach the Super Bowl.

They have lost seven of their past 11 games.

The reality is this team was never built for Prescott to be the focal point of the offense — and it’s at its best when he’s not.

The sweet spot is 32 pass attempts.

The Cowboys are 29-7 when Prescott attempts 32 passes or fewer, including 5-0 this season. Dallas is 10-16 when he throws more than 32 passes, including 2-7 this season.

Now, you could argue Moore panicked and went away from Elliott too quickly, but that’s what happens when you have a first-year offensive coordinator and a head coach who occasionally makes it seem like he’s covering his butt by giving the rookie play-caller so much autonomy.

”We’re a lot better football team when we’re balanced and use clock and possess the ball, and I think it helps our defense, it helps everything,” vice president Stephen Jones said. “When we’re having to throw the ball a lot more than we have to run it, I just don’t think it’s conducive to us winning football games.“

That’s why Moore must find the sweet spot.