Cowboys legend and ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Troy Aikman joined Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM) on Thursday for his weekly appearance to discuss the Cowboys’ startling loss to the Saints and upcoming matchup with the Ravens. Here are some highlights, edited for clarity...
Can the Cowboys lose a game like they did against the Saints and still win a playoff game?
Aikman: “Tells you what I know about the league, I thought going into the game, it would be a rout, but I thought it’d be Dallas that was giving it. So I was really surprised.
“The win the Saints had Week 1, I think people overlooked because it was against Carolina. This definitely put them on the map. And the confidence loss for Dallas. I mean, you can only imagine how high they’re riding right now in New Orleans. So probably, when we look back on the game itself, I think we’ll look at it a little differently, because I think New Orleans is better than what people thought coming into the year and will probably prove that as a year goes along.
“But I did go back and watch the defense, and man, I didn’t see any I didn’t see anyone that I thought played well. I thought a lot of lot of guys played poorly. I didn’t see the effort that you would expect to see, defensive lineman getting knocked off the ball 10 yards, things that you just simply do not see in this league. So it was, I can only imagine how hard that was on Monday to watch that film, because it was not pretty.”
Can the Cowboys win while struggling to both stop the run on defense and run the ball on offense?
Aikman: “Yeah, that is challenging for the obvious reasons. I do think that there’s a tendency for... It’s all coach speak. ‘We got to run the ball, we got to stop the run.’ And in the league that we’re in, there’s a hell of a lot more to winning football than those two things. With that said, I feel that being able to run the ball, my thought is, is that the offensive line typically sets the tone for the entire team. And if you’ve got a physical offensive line, you generally have a physical team.
“I would say the same on the other side: If you’re physical on the defensive front and able to stop the run, it creates a toughness and a mindset that permeates throughout the entire locker room. And when you don’t have that, it’s challenging. So when you have to rely on throwing the ball or you’re not able to stop the run, and that’s really the formula that the teams that have had success against the Cowboys that they have had to play.
“Now, this has been going on now for a few years, but there will come a time when the formula changes. But what it’s been — going back to San Francisco with Kyle Shanahan, it’s the way Sean McVay has wanted to play Dallas when when they’ve played in the postseason. We saw it last year with Green Bay, and then we saw it again with New Orleans— it’s no coincidence that they all come from the same coaching tree, but they they approach it the same way: Dallas has some things that can create some problems, and so be as physical as you can. Run the football. Get it to manageable third downs, convert, run the football some more, and just play this kind of street fight type game.
“And Dallas has yet to to really respond to that. They’ve lost those games when teams have played that style, when teams have been pretty good. So it’s a week-to week league. As we know, there’s a lot to work on this week, and we get a chance in what now becomes a huge game for Week 3 of the season. More so for Baltimore, but I think it’s almost as important for Dallas as well. Now, you can climb out of 1-2, but if they were to lose at home again in a game like this, it could, I won’t say, derail the season, but you talk about doubting and losing confidence? That would only add to it.”
What’s your take on this version of Baltimore and where Lamar Jackson is in his career, and in that surprising loss to the Raiders?
Aikman: “That was a surprise. It’s no shame, and opening up the season on the road against the defending World Champs and losing, and then you expect to get right back on track the following week. And they were unable to do that. So you know, their backs are certainly against the wall, and I still think they’re a really good team.
“I don’t think I have higher regard for any organization in the league the way that they do things. John Harbaugh and what he’s been able to do, Ozzie Newsome and and then now general manager Eric DeCosta. I like the organization. This is going to be a hell of a game, and I would be shocked if Baltimore doesn’t come in here and play really, really hard on both sides of the ball.
“But they had a heck of a defensive coordinator the last couple years in Mike Macdonald. I’m a big fan of his, young guy, got the Seattle job and just did a really incredible job with the players they have on defense, and they’ve got some really good players. And without having seen them, I’m not sure exactly what’s happening on that side of the ball right now, but when you start losing coaches that have been that impactful and trying to replace them, it’s hard. We’ve seen that in Philadelphia here over the last couple of years.
“But I like the team, and they’ll come back. We have Cincinnati this week, and they’re 0-2 as well. And they took Kansas City to the wire, and probably should have won that game at Arrowhead on Sunday. And I really like them and think they’ll be in the hunt, and I would be surprised if Baltimore is not. But for them to do that, if we’re projecting ahead, then this becomes a really huge game, because not many teams go 0-3 and make the postseason.”
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