DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys lost a game that they should have won when they failed to put away the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It was the second time in six weeks where the Cowboys couldn’t protect a double-digit lead late and lost in overtime.
Had they won both of those games, this week’s matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles would have potentially been for the NFC East title and the NFC’s No. 1 seed. If they would have closed out games against two teams that have combined to win just 12 times in 28 attempts, the Cowboys could have shown that they can be taken seriously.
Instead, they lost both games, almost certainly missed their shot at the division, and will need a win or two in their final three weeks to assure themselves of the No. 5 seed in the NFC, all while calling into question their status as Super Bowl contenders.
Here’s what else we learned about the Cowboys in the embarrassing 40-34 overtime loss to the Jaguars in Week 15:
Cowboys on wrong side of history
The Cowboys have one of the most storied franchises in football, but this season has seen them land on the wrong side of history. Against the Green Bay Packers, it was that no Cowboys team had ever held a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost. They were 195-0 in those situations prior to giving that game away.
In Sunday’s game, the Jaguars hadn’t beaten an NFC opponent in the last 20 attempts, an NFL record. Dallas made sure that record fell as well.
That’s not the kind of history that the Cowboys want to be associated with, but it’s become more and more the kind of record that they seem to set during this recent era.
Help is needed at wide receiver
If you’ve questioned why the Cowboys have sought help at receiver, why they signed T.Y. Hilton, or why they’re entertaining the idea of bringing in Odell Beckham Jr., Week 15 was the answer.
Aside from top receiver CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys simply don’t have a wideout who scares defenses. Lamb caught all seven of his targets for 126 yards yesterday, but there wasn’t much help opposite of him.
Veteran wide receiver Michael Gallup only had one catch as he remains hot and cold in his first season back from major knee injury. And, despite catching two touchdowns, wide receiver Noah Brown cannot be counted on as a threat that draws coverage away from Lamb.
In addition, for the second time in two weeks, Brown dropped a pass that should’ve been caught, and the drop turned into an interception. This time, the drop came in overtime and led to the game-winning play for the Jaguars in overtime.
Lamb needs help, and with Gallup not yet back to his standard level, the offense doesn’t have another legitimate option. The hope is that Hilton can help, and maybe even Beckham, if he’s signed.
Tyron Smith played well at RT
The Cowboys did some shuffling along the offensive line after losing right tackle Terence Steele for the year. To find their answer, the team tabbed returning veteran left tackle Tyron Smith and moved him to the right side.
Sunday’s contest was Smith’s first game back from a torn hamstring suffered in training camp and the Cowboys put him at right tackle for the first time since his rookie year in 2011. Smith didn’t disappoint, playing well at his old position.
With it being his first game back, Smith didn’t take all the snaps, conceding some to fellow veteran tackle Jason Petters, but Smith was appreciably better. The Cowboys should make the move permanent and stop the shuffling of the offensive line. Smith’s play makes it clear that he needs to be a bookend on the line for the remainder of the season if healthy.
Injuries are piling up on defense
The Cowboys had a deep rotation at every level of their defense to start the season, and that depth is being tested late in the year. The result of all the injuries is that Dan Quinn’s unit isn’t playing nearly as well.
Against the Jaguars, the injuries were magnified by the Jacksonville offense. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch had a nerve impingement early in the game and didn’t return. As one of the defense’s best run defenders, the Cowboys missed his presence with the Jaguars rushing for 192 yards. That cannot happen, no matter who’s playing, but Vander Esch’s absence was felt.
Dallas was also without two-thirds of their starting cornerback unit with corner backs Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown out for the year, so the team was forced to play second-year corner back Kelvin Joseph. The Jaguars picked on Joseph most of the game, and he gave up two touchdowns, including a long 59-yard score that shifted the momentum. The Cowboys eventually replaced Joseph with fellow second-year corner Nahshon Wright.
Defensive end Dorance Armstrong and safety Donovan Wilson also left the game with injuries but returned.
It’s a defense that is getting thin and worn out. The Cowboys could only muster one sack and had Lawrence all but sacked on other occasions but couldn’t finish taking him down. The Cowboys are running out of depth on defense, and it showed in the overtime loss.
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