By A to Z Sports,Mauricio Rodriguez

Copyright yardbarker

So far, so good for Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. He seems be in control of the locker room. The offense is innovative.But he’s also thriving in important areas of the game. The Cowboys rank first in the NFL in third down conversion percentage, for example. Game management has mostly been good for a first-year head coach.But one area that’s really stood out as a strength is the team’s red zone efficiency. There are a couple of keys to that. Let’s break it down.

Cowboys’ run game has been productive inside the 20

Disclaimer: This is a limited data point since we’re only two weeks into the regular season and the sample size is small. But Cowboys RB Javonte Williams ranks first in the NFL in EPA/attempt in red zone carries. The film backs up the data.The Cowboys’ new RB1 has shown a little bit of everything: Physicality, acceleration, and vision. But mostly, it’s been Williams’ patience to allow blocks to develop that’s paid off. In goal-line situations, the Cowboys have run power runs and other concepts using pulling linemen along with pre-snap motion.If Schottenheimer keeps finding ways to run the ball efficiently in the end zone, Dak Prescott’s job will become much easier as defenses worry about fitting the run.

Red zone passing has also been on point

On Sunday’s win over the New York Giants, Prescott has two touchdowns, both of which came inside the 20. One was to KaVontae Turpin over the middle of the field while the other one was a one-on-one shot to George Pickens from the six-yard line.The latter could be a key to continues success in the red zone. With the threat of a good run game and an elite WR like CeeDee Lamb, Pickens is likely to get a lot of favorable matchups. As long as he keeps winning those one-on-ones, Prescott will have a go-to target in scoring situations. Defenses could double Pickens and leave Lamb alone but that’s not a winning bet either. And if defenses double him and Lamb, good luck stopping the run.

Red zone success is crucial

The Cowboys are a flawed roster. The defense is missing a premium pass rusher since the Micah Parsons trade, cornerback is a a banged-up position, and Matt Eberflus has yet to adjust. Meanwhile, the pass protection on offense is troublesome.

This is to say, winning on the margins will be huge for this Cowboys team. Red zone success is one of the top ways to win the details. Let’s see if they keep it up.

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