DALLAS — Without the perfect conditions at their palatial, climate-controlled stadium in Arlington, the Dallas Cowboys again couldn’t weather the hostile environment on the road, much to the chagrin of Jerry Jones.
The away game Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills dropped the NFC East leaders to 3-4 away from AT&T Stadium. That’s not going to cut it if the Cowboys have designs on holding onto the East and making a deep run in the playoffs and owner, president, and general manager Jones would like to see his squad show more fight as visitors.
Speaking during his weekly visit on the Shan & RJ show on Audacy's 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Jones touched on the road woes and what went wrong for Dallas during the 31-10 loss.
"We didn't finish, period," Jones said. "Plays, tackles, series ... anything. When that happens you're going to lay an egg."
After putting on a tackling clinic in the Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles that vaulted Dallas back into first place, the Cowboys were far less disciplined in their effort in Sunday’s loss to the AFC’s Bills, especially in the run game.
Overall, the Cowboys allowed an outrageous 266 yards to Buffalo on the ground, with James Cook’s 179 yards far and away the highest on the season for an opposing running back. The Cowboys hadn’t allowed a runner to reach the 100-yard plateau against them all year before Cook cooked them with a 7.2 average per attempt.
Was it the cold, rainy weather in Upstate New York? Or perhaps it was Dallas dealing with the loss of injured defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins after he had anchored their efforts to keep the opposition’s ground game in check. Whatever the case, the Cowboys once again must figure out how to improve from their disastrous showings on the road. At least with Sunday’s loss, Jones feels like the issues can be addressed.
“The good news is that this is correctable week to week,” Jones said. “We can specifically address what got us beat last Sunday and take it into next Sunday. I'll say emphatically that we can reverse this thing from what we saw in Buffalo.”
They will need to act fast to correct their road shortcomings with another tough battle away from home awaiting them on Sunday. The team ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East, the Miami Dolphins, are next on the docket at 10-4 and the Cowboys will meet them on Christmas Eve from Hard Rock Stadium in Week 16.
It wasn’t all bad news for Jones and Dallas, however. After clinching a playoff spot despite the loss, the Cowboys received an early gift from the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night as the NFC West playoff hopefuls produced a fourth-quarter rally to upend the Eagles to help Dallas remain atop the NFC East for the time being.
"It was marvelous," Jones said of Philadelphia’s loss. "I watched every bit of it. I thought I was about to doze off then I couldn't sleep until 4:00 in the morning because of the impact [of their defeat].”
To continue to make scoreboard-watching matter, the Cowboys will have to handle their own business, which means handling their business on the road.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to overcome their issues away from Arlington? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @WFAASports.
