DALLAS — Enduring a crisis of their own creation, the Cowboys' locker room has been a place of exasperation and profanities and then finally explanations and apologies.
A team without an identity, one appearing fragile while managing a losing record for the first time in 36 games. Perhaps a team on the precipice between comeback and collapse.
Criticism and accountability
Dak Prescott served notice when he openly questioned the professionalism of all involved. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis reinforced the message the following day, citing players' widespread failure to be properly detailed in their game preparation.
“Practice how you play or you gonna get exposed, no matter how good you are,’’ he warned, knowing they have, so far, not been very good at all.
When asked if he was surprised this was an issue considering most of these players have been together for years and have won together, Lewis responded with an answer that arched more than a few eyebrows: “That's always been a problem."
That does not reflect well on Mike McCarthy or anyone else in the organization.
Prescott’s criticism was not specific, but the fact that he mentioned the importance of players knowing their routes and adjustments against certain coverages made it apparent he was including receivers in his criticism—CeeDee Lamb could not be excluded.
Speaking for the first time Tuesday, Lamb took accountability for the dropped passes, the red-zone fumble, the bad body language on the sideline displayed when Prescott and Zack Martin engaged with him as the Ravens became the second team to defeat the Cowboys at home Sunday.
"Obviously, I have to be truthful to myself and I played a part in that loss, a big part honestly,’’ Lamb said. “My body language, my attitude, approaching the situation.”
"As for me and my performance, I expect a lot out of myself, more than anyone could put on me. Quite honestly, I failed myself and obviously I failed the team...I kind of let the game get to my head a little bit."
"I actually look at that as motivation because I know that's not the player I am. I know that's not the teammate that I am. And I know that's not the guy I am. And with that being said, I look at that to build off of.’’
For the first time in their history, the Cowboys are playing a road game on just three days of preparation. Every other NFL team has played in this circumstance at least six times. While the Cowboys have no experience with the routine, at least the opponent is familiar.
Beating 'Big Blue'
This Thursday night game at the NFC East rival Giants is unique for Dallas—and suddenly its importance cannot be overstated. The Cowboys’ flaws have been exposed—they cannot run the football or stop the run on defense.
“At the end of the day, this sh— is about stopping people,’’ Lewis said. “We got to be credible and (bleeping) accountable every single play. That’s 60 minutes of football. It doesn’t matter who we play we got to go out there and be detailed in the plays. No matter who we play in this NFL, if we’re not doing that, sh— anybody can beat us.”
The Cowboys are built to play with a lead and rush the passer. They’ve never led in their two home losses. They’re the worst defense in the league against the run and their last two opponents have attempted a total of just 31 passes.
"I feel like as a competitor, at some point, you gotta be prideful enough to say, 'Hey, man, I'm not gonna allow this to happen to me,'’’ Micah Parsons said. “I just feel like some people are just allowing them to keep getting smacked in the face. Like, when are you gonna stand up?"
The Cowboys are seeking to avoid their second 1-3 start in last 10 seasons. They were 1-3 in McCarthy’s first season and finished 6-10 that year, one memorable for Prescott suffering a season-ending injury in Week 5 against—of course—the Giants.
But if they have to play a game of huge importance, the Giants would almost certainly be their opponent of choice. Prescott has defeated them 12 consecutive times, the longest current winning streak by any quarterback against a single opponent.
Tom Brady wants to purchase some of the Las Vegas Raiders. Prescott owns the Giants entirely. The Cowboys outscored the Giants by 72 points last season, their best against a single opponent in a season in franchise history.
But of course these Cowboys have proven themselves capable of once unimaginable losses. They were the only team in the league to win all their regular-season home games in 2023 and lost their home opener two weeks ago to the Saints in a blowout. Nobody in the league was better coming off a loss than the Cowboys—until they failed Sunday against the Ravens.
The players didn’t have a full week of regular preparation. There was no full pad work because of limited time. But one player said it seemed attention to detail had improved.
I asked Parsons whether he believes everyone has embraced the message about the importance of professionalism and being dedicated to their preparation and following the coaches’ game plan.
“It's very hard to tell because everyone was nodding their head like, 'Yeah, we all agree.' But at the same time, it's not (showing) out on the field. I mean, everyone says it, but then again we got to see what happens Thursday."
While he’s one of the most accomplished young players on the team, Parsons does not perceive himself as someone who can directly speak to teammates and challenge them to elevate their performance.
"I just feel like I'm not there yet to go to someone because it's hard to just blame one particular person for one thing,’’ he said. “I don't think that's right."
But Prescott can do it, and he has.
"We talk about it every day, every night and, if anything, our relationship has gotten stronger,’’ Lamb said of Prescott. “Don't let what's out there fool you. We're brothers to the end, and we know we're all we got.
"I tip my hat to him. I have that much respect for him and I look at him as a brother. With that said, everything is gonna come out — the energy, the passion, the love, the fight, and we'll make up in the end.’’
