The Cowboys have played three teams on the road with grass fields and lost all three – at Philadelphia, Green Bay and Jacksonville. With games coming up at Tennessee and Washington, who both have grass fields, is this just coincidence or is there something to it? Perhaps a mental issue they need to overcome? – Mark Mumford/Wilmington, DE
Patrik: Well, that's new. I've grown so rightfully accustomed to the conversation regarding turf being Satan's trap for all of mankind that it's refreshing to at least consider the opposite might be true of the Cowboys. The injury dialogue aside as it relates to which surface wants your soul, you're right, Dallas is struggling to get the job done on grass. They're 0-3 on grass in 2022 and, interestingly enough, you'd have to go back to 2017 to find the most recent season wherein they had a winning record on God's carpet. Playing on turf at AT&T Stadium acclimates them to that surface, as does the turf inside of The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, but they practice daily on actual grass, outside of The Ford Center. I'm sure there are other variables to consider in the Cowboys' struggles on grass — opponent quality, stadium noise decibel levels, weather/temps, etc. — but facts are facts and the struggle is real.
Nick: Honestly, this is the first I'm hearing of this. It's definitely interesting but I don't know, I think it's still too small of a sample size to say that. I mean, if being on grass is the reason the quarterbacks are throwing interceptions, then maybe you're onto something. But Cooper Rush threw three picks at Philly, Dak had two against the Packers and two against the Jags – and all of them seem to be at the worst times. So to me, those interceptions were a problem more than anything. If that somehow is connected to the grass field, then maybe so. But we're really about to find out. I would imagine the Cowboys play Tennessee, Washington and then another grass field in the playoffs for their next three games.
