Cowboys news: Second straight home loss has all parts of the franchise under scrutiny

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Attitudes, lack of effort likely highlight Cowboys systemic issues that rain from top down – Reid Hanson, The Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys leadership is being put to the test early as they look to dig out of a 1-2 hole.

Scanning the sideline mid-game, it was impossible not to notice visibly deflated body language and the many forlorn faces amongst the team. The impressions given on the sideline bled into the game with Cowboys players appearing dejected and even exhibiting suspect effort in plays in which they were actively involved.

Calling into question someone’s effort is dangerous business in sports. To say someone isn’t trying or has given up is one of the most damning things you can say about a competitor. With that said, it’s hard to argue the issue doesn’t exist in the Dallas these days.

The Cowboys had a handful of landslide losses in 2023 where players appeared to be done playing by halftime. The scheme change this offseason didn’t change that nor did the move from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer. The Cowboys even churned the bottom of the roster, rolling out new players and new roles in their defensive front-seven. It offered up the same optics as before with the same poor results as before.

To say the issue is systemic is to say the issue is engrained in the culture of the team. Several members of the offense even seemed to fall victim to it this time around.

Only after a handful of role players like Brandan Aubrey, Hunter Luepke, KaVonate Turpin and Jalen Tobert stepped up and got the Cowboys back in the game did some of the attitudes and effort appear to return, but even then, effort and attitude looked suspect.

Jerry Jones’ instant reaction to Dallas Cowboys’ loss to Ravens is a terrible sign – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports

The Cowboys not upgrading the roster in key areas and then making Dak Prescott the highest paid QB in NFL history right before the season is certainly a choice.

All of these needs are unlikely to be addressed as the season continues, and that was made even more clear by Jerry Jones’ immediate comments following the game, when he simply claimed he doesn’t believe the Cowboys have a personnel issue, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota:

Jones’ bold claim doesn’t hold up to stats nor film review. The truth is the Cowboys are dropping to 1-2 ad a consequence for preaching the “do more with less” mindset while other NFL contenders spent top dollar to boost their rosters. That includes squads paying big contracts to their quarterbacks and wide receivers, like the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions in the NFC.

Although it’s true Mike McCarthy and Mike Zimmer can do more for the Cowboys as play-callers, the team needs better players at key positions as well. Unless Jones changes his stubborn stance on personnel, it’s tough to envision many of these issues going away.

Cowboys’ offense showed up too late to save Dallas – Richard Paolinelli, Inside The Star

Are we ever going to see the high-scoring Cowboys offense that lit up scoreboards a year ago in 2024?

Dak Prescott finished the game 28-for-51 for 379 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored the first of the three touchdowns on a one-yard plunge.

Nearly 200 of those yards came in the final quarter.

In the end, the 19-point eruption still came up three points short as the Ravens left with a 28-25 victory.

Moments after the game ended, social media was alight with the same general statement that this loss couldn’t be pinned on Prescott. They are half-right.

It was the third-straight home game where the Cowboys were run off their own field by halftime and only started putting up points long after the game was in hand.

Green Bay and New Orleans kept their foot on the gas and never let Dallas get too close. Baltimore’s offense went to sleep up 28-6 and the Cowboys nearly made them pay for it.

2024 NFL season, Week 3: What We Learned from Sunday’s games – Around The NFL, NFL.com

Mike Zimmer’s defense deserves a lot of the blame.

Baltimore Ravens 28, Dallas Cowboys 25

Cowboys’ furious comeback bid falls short. Mike McCarthy wanted to get off to a fast start, electing to receive the ball to start the game. A first-drive punt coupled with an inability of his defense to get off the field scuttled those plans, as the Cowboys got down, 14-3, in the opening frame. Mike Zimmer’s defense deserves a lion’s share of the blame for getting gashed on the ground again. However, the offense’s inability to sustain drives and a CeeDee Lamb fumble in scoring range was a major factor in the 28-6 deficit. Credit Dak Prescott for finding playmakers late to make things interesting, but it was too little too late. McCarthy’s club once again hasn’t played consistently for four quarters through three games. Early in the contest, it looked like they’d get boat raced at home for the third consecutive time dating back to the last postseason. Maybe the Cowboys can build upon the end-of-the-game performance, but an L is an L.

Next Gen Stats Insight from Ravens-Cowboys (via NFL Pro): Dak Prescott threw into a tight window on 35.3% of pass attempts in Week 3, his highest rate in a game in over six seasons (since Week 4, 2018). Prescott struggled on tight window throws against the Ravens, completing 5 of 18 such pass attempts for 66 yards (-7.0% CPOE).

NFL Research: Derrick Henry had his 12th career game with 150-plus rushing yards and two-plus rushing touchdowns, tied for second-most in NFL history tied with LaDainian Tomlinson and one behind Jim Brown. Henry is the first 30-plus year old with such a game since the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson in Week 12, 2015.

Trevon Diggs, Cowboys defensive players take accountability for loss against Ravens – Dana Bartholomew, Blogging The Boys

The Cowboys veteran defense players are tired of the standard not being upheld on this side of the ball in a third straight home loss.

Micah Parsons had another quiet showing on Sunday. This was his second game in a row where his sack stat line was zero. For someone who has had DPOY aspirations, performances like these will not cut it. He knows it too. Parsons was visibly frustrated on the sidelines throughout the game. After the game, he confirmed that the issues from last week carried over into this game. Everyone on the defense is trying to do too much to make the big play. The Cowboys defense needs to be more disciplined and trust that each player is going to do their job.

DeMarcus Lawrence also shared that sentiment with the media in the locker room saying that it is little things that the defense needs to focus on to improve and that the only thing holding them back is themselves. The defense needs to “get out of playing Little League football and get back to playing pro football”.

Cowboys quickly shift to ‘Thursday’ mode for NYG prep – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys are hopeful their issues don’t go too far beyond getting back on the field just four days after a loss against an opponent they’ve owned for a while now at the Giants.

Technically, it was still Monday for the Cowboys, but in the game-week clocks in their own heads, it’s already a “Thursday” mentality – or better yet, just three days before the next game.

That’s the mindset in a short week like this, which could come a great time for the Cowboys, who are now 1-2 after two tough home losses.

Then again, is a short week a good time for this team, especially when players such as Dak Prescott and Jourdan Lewis, and even head coach Mike McCarthy talked about having less-than-stellar practices last week as they prepared for the Ravens.

Practices and meetings are the best time to clean up some the “details” that Lewis said is missing from the team right now. But those are heavily limited in a game like this with the Cowboys practicing on Monday and Tuesday, before a light walk-through Wednesday and then it’ s on a plane for New York.

The Cowboys’ offense, which struggled to score just two field goals until the fourth quarter on Sunday, finally got hot in the fourth quarter – racking up three touchdowns and 19 total points to nearly rally back for the win. Dak Prescott said that offensive momentum needs to carry over to Thursday.

“It’s important to continue to roll that over into this short week as far as getting the taste out of your mouth,” Prescott said. “If we win or lose, just being able to get right back to it, not being able to celebrate a win or dwell on a loss, understanding that next game’s just as important.”

Prescott said he told his teammates after Sunday’s loss to enjoy their “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday” all in one night and it’d be a Thursday schedule when they walked in on Monday.