The Dallas Cowboys pulled out a wild overtime win against the New York Giants. While there are plenty of takeaways, one clear positive from the past two weeks has been their improved run game.
In 2024, the run game was a true disaster. Their rushing average ranked 30th in football. While Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott don't deserve most of the blame, Elliott looked like he was on his last legs. Signing him after the draft to be the starter was organizational malpractice.
The Athletic's Jon Machota laid out perfectly why Javonte Williams has been perfect for Dallas, noting that the Cowboys totaled six rushing touchdowns last season. Williams is on track to break that well before the halfway point of the 2025 campaign.
Javonte Williams is already showing why Cowboys' 2024 run game was a failure
Williams' touchdown was a thing of beauty. After finding the hole, he slipped past two defenders on the way in for a 30-yard touchdown run. The offensive line, along with Williams' experience and punishing running style, is all that Dallas needed to turn it around.
Compared to this time last year, Cowboys fans were left befuddled about the RB hierarchy. The team, likely because of Jerry Jones' influence, completely misused Dowdle, who finished with over 1,000 rushing yards despite not taking the starting job until the halfway point of the season.
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Williams got involved in all aspects of the game on Sunday. He ran 18 times for 97 yards and a score, adding six catches for 33 yards. Thanks to a budding young Cowboys offensive line, Williams is getting holes, and he's hitting them with conviction and power.
It’s a welcome sight for Cowboys fans after last season’s Elliott disaster. While there’s still curiosity about what rookie Jaydon Blue can bring once he's made active, Williams is starting to look like a true RB1 with no confusion about who’s leading the backfield.
Through two weeks (pre Monday Night Football), Williams is third in the NFL with a 60.6 percent rushing success rate among running backs who've had at least 25 carries. Imagine saying that when the Cowboys signed him in March?
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