On Monday night, the Cowboys ran the ball for 204 yards, while passing it for 212.

That was part of the plan.

“Our whole thing here is to establish the run,” owner and G.M. Jerry Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, quoting his in-game comments to Stephen A. Smith of ESPN. “We’ve got to stick with this run.”

Later in the segment, Jones confirmed his belief that the Cowboys need to be a run-first team.

That approach doesn’t mesh with the whole “GOTI” vibe, but it’s a formula for winning. It keeps the defense off the field, and the defense continues to be a weakness.

On Monday night, for instance, the Cowboys gave up 321 yards to an offense led by a quarterback who entered the season as No. 3 on the depth chart.

The other question, as raised by Smith on First Take, is whether the Cowboys have lost some confidence in quarterback Dak Prescott. Smith, who spent part of the game sitting next to Jones in his suite, explained that it’s his own interpretation of the situation and nothing Jones said to him.

Still, unless the vast majority of those who witnessed last night’s game, Smith had the perspective of hearing directly from Jones while the game was being played. Which makes it very interesting to see how the offense performs for the rest of the season.

That doesn’t mean they’re down on Dak. He played very well last night. But it’s easier to play well when the running game is softening up the defense, and drawing a safety or two closer to the line of scrimmage.

It hasn’t been working with the Cowboys operating as a pass-first offense. As a run-first offense, it worked on Monday night.