Odds Are Heavily Against Cowboys Firing DC Mike Nolan After Dallas Has Allowed 38+ in Last 3 Games

The Dallas Cowboys offense hasn't been able to make up for the defense so far. Photo by @RonBohning (Twitter)

• The Dallas Cowboys have lost three of their first four games to start the 2020 season
• The Cowboys defense is giving up 42.0 points per game over their last three contests
• Mike Nolan should be able to save his job if the Cowboys can pick up some wins against some weaker opponents in the coming weeks

The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the NFL’s biggest disappointments so far. Through four games, they are 1-3 and quite frankly, are lucky to have that one win. Their defense has been absolutely abysmal and changes might be on the way. Could they decide to fire defensive coordinator Mike Nolan this season? Let’s take a closer look at this prop.

Odds Mike Nolan Is Fired

Odds as of Oct 7

Cowboys Defense Has Been Embarrassing

The Cowboys defense has been absolutely shredded the last three weeks as they’ve given up 49, 38 and 39 points in the last three games. It’s tough to win in the NFL when the defense is coughing up 42.0 points per game. To add some perspective, the worst defense in the NFL last season allowed 30.9 points per game. The Cowboys are more than 11 points over that the last three games.

Mike McCarthy's leaked halftime search history pic.twitter.com/RfawNhBXiN

— Alex ✭ (@alexlaws22) October 4, 2020

Nobody expected the Cowboys defense to be a suffocating unit – especially after the team lost top-flight cornerback Byron Jones in the offseason along with leader sacker Robert Quinn. However, the fall has been significant. Losing linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Sean Lee has compounded the problems.

The Cowboys rank 30th in overall defense and are dead-last in terms of points allowed at 36.5. They can’t get stops any which way as they are 31st in run defense (172.5) per game) while allowing 4.9 yards per carry, and are 23rd in pass defense at 258.0 per game. Nothing is working for them right now.

Cowboys Have Faced Some Good Offenses

One thing that’s likely saving Nolan’s skin, for now, is that the Cowboys have faced some strong offenses so far. The Cleveland Browns hung 49 on them last week but the Browns lead the league in rushing yards per game at 204.5. Meanwhile, the Cowboys previous two opponents – the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons – are both in the top five for passing offense.

Rodgers smiling watching the cowboys struggle with Mike McCarthy ???? #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/yp5ZBRgV12

— Morgan (@its_organme) October 4, 2020

The Cowboys offense isn’t doing them any favors either as they have a league-high nine giveaways so far this season. Not only is the Cowboys defense bad but the offense is putting them in some bad situations.

What’s the Best Bet?

Dallas’ defense has had a rough go of things early on but things will get better. The key here is the Cowboys are losing games right now. If they start winning, there will be less attention paid to the defensive struggles.

Mike McCarthy without Aaron Rodgers pic.twitter.com/WpZY0gHukm

— ً (@Iafleurgod) October 4, 2020

The wins should start to come as the Giants vs Cowboys odds show they’re a big favorite at home this week. The Giants have scored 16, 13, nine, and nine total points in each of the four games so far. If they explode for numbers much higher than that against Dallas, Nolan could be in trouble. They’ll also be favored at home next week when the Arizona Cardinals visit, and then the Cowboys have back-to-back games against one-win teams Washington and Philadelphia.

The heat is on the defense right now as the Cowboys are 1-3. If they can put together a few wins over the coming weeks – especially against opponents that have very weak offenses – the pressure will ease off of Mike Nolan and this defense.

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