Cowboys cornerback: Trust Jerry Jones? Time to panic? What about CeeDee Lamb?

Jerry Jones isn’t ready to panic, even if the rest of Cowboys Nation is.

The “All-in” owner of the Dallas Cowboys was more than happy to stay on the unsettled trail after the Cowboys suffered yet another home loss on Sunday, this time against the Baltimore Ravens. He seems to like it this the group. He refuses to dwell on its obvious problems.

And he has no apparent concerns that Dallas opened the season 1-2.

Whether he should be worried is up for debate, but there’s no question his team faces a key game in a short week as the Cowboys travel to New Jersey to face the New York Giants (1-2) on Thursday night. A 1-3 mark was unthinkable two weeks ago, but plenty of the Cowboys’ mistakes were exposed during their shaky start.

So, what are the biggest issues and questions facing Team USA heading into its crucial Week 4 game? FOX Sports NFL writers David Helman and Ralph Vacchiano explain it all in our latest edition of Cowboys Corner.

1. Was Dallas’ fourth-quarter comeback against Baltimore a good sign for the future, or a ridiculous garbage-time score?

Vacchiano: It’s always good when a team shows some kind of life. It will build some confidence in Dak Prescott and the offense. That’s still a good defense they faced, even though the Ravens were sitting back a bit and the Cowboys were helped by the onside kick. But no one should be too crazy. Those that didn’t mean anything, dumpsters and yards.

When it mattered most, when it was still a game, the Cowboys were a disaster. And it’s hard to say that there were good signs for the future, what with the Cowboys’ two biggest problems still evident in the fourth quarter: They can’t run, and they can’t stop the run. If anything, their last blowout was a reminder that Prescott is really good and can put up big numbers when needed. But he hasn’t received much help.

Helman: We have to be strict with our definition of “garbage time,” because being down 22 points early in the fourth quarter is not a safe situation in the NFL. Go to the fourth tape of Cowboys-Ravens, and you’ll see Baltimore doing all the things it usually does. They blitz Dak Prescott, they hide in coverage, they fake pressures. There was nothing “trash” about that rally. The more important question is why it took three quarters for the Cowboys offense to approach that level of performance. I will call it encouraging but not sustainable. The Cowboys have to find a way to balance, and it would help a lot if they could play games where they don’t trail by 10-plus out of the gate.

2. The Cowboys beat the Giants twice last season by a score of 89-17. But both are 1-2 now that their seasons are separate. Has the gap between these teams closed at all, or should Thursday night be another easy win for Dallas?

Helman: I am not exaggerating when I say that this game will tell me everything I need to know about the state of Nkomo boys. The Giants’ overall talent level has improved, and Malik Nabers is a ball player. I still think there is a strong gap between these two squads. If the Cowboys can’t get to Daniel Jones and make changes, or at least stop, I don’t have much hope for this defense to find its footing. And conversely, if Dak Prescott can’t take advantage of the Giants’ defense that has enjoyed so much the past two weeks, then there are big problems in Dallas.

Vacchiano: Yes, the gap has closed in that the Cowboys aren’t as good as they were last year and the Giants aren’t that bad either. I’m not sure it’s too closed, though. They’re both 1-2 and the Cowboys have looked awful the last two weeks, but I still think they’re generally a good, deep team. And if you go down the depth chart, the Cowboys are better at every position group. That doesn’t mean this game will be 40-0 or 49-17.

The Giants were frustrated in their first game against the Cowboys last year because their offensive line was a complete disaster, and they were blown out in the second in large part because their quarterback was Tommy DeVito. The line has been much better this season and Daniel Jones is coming off two good games; that improvement alone should help the Giants keep things close. Winning is another story, but they shouldn’t get blown out as badly as they did twice last year.

3. Did the Saints and Ravens just show the NFL a blueprint for beating the Cowboys? Will teams now try to run every long game?

Vacchiano: Yes, they do. And other teams should follow suit, although to be honest, none of this was really surprising. The secret to beating the Cowboys is running the ball over everyone on offense and doing whatever it takes to shut down CeeDee Lamb on defense, because the Cowboys can’t run or stop the run. They weren’t great last year either, and they didn’t do much to improve in the offseason, so the schedule remains clear.

The Cowboys will be vulnerable to any strong running team in their system, and even weak running teams may be stuck on the ground – at least until Dallas’ defense improves. Shutting down Lamb won’t be nearly as easy, of course. He will have his big games at some point. But he remains the one guy in the Cowboys offense that opposing teams should worry about.

Helman: I generally think the phrase “plan” is overstated – but not when you can’t stop working. There are currently five teams in the NFL that have not allowed more rushing yards in season as the Cows did against the crows. If you struggle like that, teams will target you. My only question this week is if the Giants have the system and personnel to replicate the success of the Saints and Ravens. If New York can do it, I think it means everyone in the league can – which puts the Cowboys in deep trouble.

4. CeeDee Lamb has had a really quiet start to the season and only caught 54.2% of his throws. Is that just a byproduct of his long summer holdout, or a warning sign that teams might not be able to pick him up?

Helman: Why can’t it be both? Lamb is definitely playing his way back into game form. He even told reporters last week that he and Prescott are still working on “training camp stuff.” But I also think it’s worth worrying about the options behind Lamb, and how much defenses can focus on him. Looking for positives from the Baltimore loss, it was encouraging to see Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tolbert both show up and perform well. That needs to keep happening. But more importantly, Lamb needs to step up his game.

Vacchiano: This seems to me to be the most predictable result of his holding. As good as he is, and familiar with his quarterback, the receiver can’t just show up with no practice time and expect to be in perfect sync with the QB. We’ve seen it many times in the NFL. Just a hair on the timing or the way the routes are run can mean the difference between catching and failing. Lamb caught just 13 of 24 passes on his way to 218 yards and a touchdown. It’s impossible to say how many of the 11 misses were timing problems, but it’s a good bet that more than half of them were.

The good news, of course, is that now you’ll think Prescott and Lamb have had enough time to make up their time, so it’s possible for a big game to put things together. Of course, Lamb will be discussed a lot – he’s the best thing about the Cowboys offense so far. But that was true last season as well, and he still caught 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. So, no, no one has figured out how to get rid of him completely. He will likely turn his slow start into a big year.

5. Jerry Jones said Sunday that he is “complete” with the staff on this team and doesn’t see the need to go out and make a big trade. Are you delusional, or are you right that this team is ready to turn their season around?

Vacchiano: Totally and completely fake. … OK, maybe not completely. The Cowboys are good, and will likely turn their season around. But remember there are levels. It’s basically Super Bowl or bust in Dallas, and if Jones thinks this team, as it stands, can make the Super Bowl with its current roster, then he’s a lot crazier than everyone else thinks. The Cowboys need… something. The trade isn’t easy, and it’s not like other teams will give away an All-Pro defensive end or running back — two positions the Cowboys need to address the most. But Jones should at least try. Or maybe he can go shopping, like dealing with Carolina running back Miles Sanders. Or honestly, even a No. 2 receiver can improve this team.

There are rumblings around the league that Amari Cooper — the No. 2 receiver the Cowboys should have kept a few years ago — could be on the vine at some point. Big, bold moves can really increase a team’s chances and give them a kick up the backside to roll over. At this point, Jones would be making the mistake of pausing and not at least exploring other options. Because if he can add a key piece and it all costs him a draft pick? How could he justify not moving like that?

Helman: The thing about Nkomo boys is that they are a stubborn group. They don’t want to overspend on free agents, they don’t want to pay top dollar for their players, and they don’t want to admit their mistakes until they have to. We’ve seen this song and dance before, in 2018 when they cut Dez Bryant and didn’t replace him enough until a 3-4 record forced them to trade Amari Cooper.

Now, I’m not ready to say the Cowboys are going to make a splash like that, but they’re willing to reverse course if they have to. So, either this group will step up and protect Jerry, or he will change his tune. Personally, I think he’s more likely to change his tune than be right. I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a way to add a running back or defensive end within the next 5-6 weeks.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the last six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys on the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in the production of “Dak Prescott: Family Reunion” about a quarterback at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

---

---