FRISCO – When the 1990s Dallas Cowboys needed to convert third-and-short or protect a late lead, they handed the ball to Emmitt Smith. Opposing defenses knew Emmitt was getting the ball, and the Cowboys gave it to him anyway. Result: three Super Bowls in four years.

The 2024 Cowboys, on the other hand, are not only the worst rushing team in the NFL this season but also one of the least productive in league history. Opposing defenses can overpower their offensive line, no longer fear the legs of quarterback Dak Prescott and face a shotgun formation against Dallas more than any other offense. Result: A 3-4 record.

When a team loses two veteran starting offensive linemen and its leading running back, a drop-off should realistically be expected. But the Cowboys’ running game has flat-lined to historically horrible levels.

They run plays from the spread formation 41 percent of the time, highest in the NFL. Lining Prescott under center and running a traditional hand-off just isn’t a part of the Cowboys’ bread-and-butter offense. When critics call the Cowboys “soft” it isn’t a jab at players’ individual toughness but more so the team’s play-calling mentality.

Prescott, 31, is no longer an alternative solution. After serious injuries to his ankle, lower leg, calf, etc., he’s not the running threat he once was. Through seven games he has only 10 rushing attempts, by far the lowest of his career. Last season at this time he had 23 and in 2018 he had 40.

Dallas plays at Atlanta on Sunday in what Dak himself has boldly announced is a “must-win” game.

“Yeah,” he said on the subject. “H***, to me every game is (must-win). … There’s a lot of season left, but the first start to be able to say that confidently is getting back even (record-wise). … Yeah.”

A must-win would be more easily accomplished if in “must-run” situations, Prescott could still do that. Which brings us to the twisted declaration from the team owner on the subject.

Somehow, Jones sees the disappearance of a viable weapon as a positive.

“You don’t want to see him really take off with that ball,” Jones said during this week’s radio interview on 105.3 The Fan. “These quarterbacks that run, you know they’re going to get injured. It happens to the youngest. It happens to the best. It’s happened to Dak. To the end,  we rely on him to stay healthy. I wouldn’t say it’s up there in red letters in the practice facility – ‘don’t run’ – but I would say that we want him to be smart about it.”

Throw in two rookie offensive linemen, a right tackle in Terence Steele who is seemingly regressing and aging running backs in Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook who have exhibited little or no burst and there you have it.

The Cowboys have deteriorated into a one-dimensional offense featuring one weapon: CeeDee Lamb.

Elliott is only the third running back in franchise history to start a season with 45 carries and less than 150 yards. And there have been 351 running plays in the NFL this season that have gained 15 or more yards. Of those, the Cowboys have produced zero.

To get “must-wins,” teams usually “must run.” In the case of Dak Prescott? There is no evidence that he’s that guy anymore.