DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys went down to Georgia, but there wasn’t a game to steal. Despite having enough chances to pull off the upset, the Cowboys came up short, losing to the Atlanta Falcons 27-21. In just nine weeks, Mike McCarthy’s team has already lost five games, the same number they’ve lost in each of the previous three seasons.
In the process of losing, the team added injury to insult as well during the sloppiest game that the Cowboys have played this year. That’s surprising for a team that’s 3-5 and hasn’t had an aesthetically pleasing game since their Week 1 win in Cleveland, but it wasn’t a pretty effort overall for Dallas in the loss.
Not only did the Cowboys lose the game, but they’ll be holding their breath as MRIs are scheduled for star performers quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Prescott’s hamstring caused him to miss the fourth quarter – he was also dealing with a banged-up hand – and Lamb’s shoulder was hurt early in the contest, but he played through the pain for most of the game.
The Cowboys went from a depressing Sunday night loss to rival San Francisco on the West Coast to a cross-country trip to Atlanta for a noon kickoff in Week 9. Trips like this always seem to bring a little malaise, but Dallas was a mess, especially with their dynamic duo banged up.
There were physical mistakes, mental breakdowns, and poor decisions that cost the team in that loss, all of which could’ve been avoided.
The messy play started early, and as usual, the missteps ruined what had been some positive play. The Cowboys had a good opening drive, but All-Pro right guard Zack Martin couldn’t make a block on screen play that might have ended up in a touchdown on a second down play. The miscue resulted in a loss of four yards and the team settled for a field goal. From there on out, there was an avalanche of mistakes.
On their next possession, Prescott couldn’t see wide receiver Jalen Tolbert running free for a big gain. Instead, Prescott was sacked, which was followed up by another sack. Back-to-back sacks by a team that has just six on the year tells you all you need to know about the inexperienced offensive line’s issues this season.
After the Dallas defense got the ball back to the offense with a sack-fumble, the following series was a calamity. Prescott’s screen to tight end Jake Ferguson was poorly thrown, which limited the damage he could do on the play, leading to a fourth-and-1.
Instead of using the QB sneak or running straight ahead, McCarthy chose an interesting path by calling for a jet sweep to Lamb that was snuffed out for a loss of yards. If it wasn’t clear before that McCarthy and the Cowboys don’t trust their league-worst running game, abandoning a short-yardage play call for a gimmick play on a critical fourth down provides clarity.
The turnover on downs became a theme for the Cowboys, who failed on their first of four fourth-down attempts during their stay at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
For the game, the Cowboys were 4-18 on their third and fourth down attempts. An abysmal rate that made the close final score a mirage.
The Falcons had no such issues. After stopping the Cowboys, they were facing a third-and-long, and threw a swing pass to tight end Kyle Pitts who broke a poor tackling attempt by Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs to gain extra yards. The failed tackle gave the Falcons a chance to go for it on fourth down where Diggs misplayed the pick route and allowed a 36-yard touchdown.
Just like that, the Cowboys were chasing the scoreboard again trailing 14-3. A miracle touchdown play from Prescott and running back Rico Dowdle got the Cowboys back into the game, but the carelessness from the team continued.
Before the day was over, Dallas was called for nine penalties, eight of which were for pre-snap infractions, and three of which came from rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton. Mistakes happen, but the mental breakdowns that continue to plague the Cowboys are inexcusable.
The team was clearly pressing, which led to several unforced errors. There was a penalty for 12-men in the huddle on a would-be fourth-and 1 attempt. On a critical third down play early in the game, Dallas had just 10 players on the field as Atlanta converted. There was also a failed fake punt that had no shot at succeeding, a call that reeked of desperation from McCarthy.
Lamb was playing through pain with a bum shoulder, but he dropped a beautiful throw from backup QB Cooper Rush that would’ve gotten the Cowboys within a touchdown with plenty of time left to go in the game.
You cannot have that many mistakes when you’re playing a good team on the road and trying to pull an upset. For as poor as Dallas has played even while playing clean football this season, in Week 9, they were done in by silly miscues that resembled something you’d see from an undisciplined high school football team.
There were bright spots in the loss, with Dowdle being one of them. After leaving veteran Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas due to disciplinary reasons, Dowdle got the majority of the backfield work and he didn’t disappoint. The fifth-year RB had 75 yards on 12 carries, good for 6.3 yards per carry, and had a juggling score through the air.
The issue was his number wasn’t called enough. McCarthy and Jerry Jones have been ranting about getting the running game going, and when it did, they didn’t use it. Add it to the list of frustrating things from the organization from Week 9.
On defense, linebacker DeMarvion Overshown once again demonstrated playmaking ability. With three tackles for a loss, the second-year player showed that he can be a part of the defensive core. His athleticism, physicality, and speed were evident, and something the rest of the unit lacks.
Overall though, Dallas needed to bring their A game on Sunday and instead left it at home with Zeke. The Cowboys simply aren’t good enough to play that carelessly and win a game. The sloppy, undisciplined play never gave them a chance.
The Cowboys came into the matchup trying to get their season back on track, but it was evident early and throughout that it wasn’t going to happen in this game. With the loss, it’s clear that it probably isn’t going to be their year, either.
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