It was a fun few weeks of optimism. Just when you thought the Dallas Cowboys might go on an improbable run toward the postseason, they were undone on the road against the Detroit Lions. The offense put themselves in a deep hole early and were playing catch-up against one of the league’s most potent offenses. The Cowboys put themselves in a high-octane race against Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions, and unfortunately, they got lapped. With the loss, Dallas’ chances of making the playoffs plummeted. Not saying it’s over, but the last sprinkles of sand in the hourglass are fading away on this season. Here’s what went wrong for Dallas in Detroit.
Unable to force stops in the second half
Numerous times the Lions were backed up on penalties only to overcome the negative yardage. For example, the Lions erased a 1st and 25 in just two plays, which ultimately led to a disappointing 35-yard rumble for a score by David Montgomery.
Then, after the Cowboys drew within one score at 27-19, the Lions managed to get past a 1st-and-15 following an illegal motion penalty and a 2nd-and-22 from the Dallas 41-yard line. This was largely due to the secondary giving generous cushions, and no one rerouting receivers as they ran through zones. Dallas didn’t force a punt or get a sack on Jared Goff once in the second half. It’s a shame because the Cowboys had quality pass rushes at times, but they didn’t get to Goff. Ultimately, Dallas couldn’t close the gap because the defense couldn’t get off the field enough.
Trading Field Goals for Touchdowns
As amazing as Brandon Aubrey is, making field goals from 55, 57, and 63 yards respectively, it’s not ideal to ask him to kick as many long field goals as he had to last night. The Cowboys’ inability to score touchdowns versus field goals put them behind the curve against Detroit. After winning the opening coin toss and deferring until the second half, it would have greatly helped if Dallas had scored a touchdown before the break rather than settling for a field goal.
A penalty by Jake Ferguson offset a D.J. Reed pass interference penalty on George Pickens that would have given the Cowboys 1st-and-goal from the two-yard line. Instead, Dallas had to settle for three points on the drive. Hypothetically, the Cowboys could have gone into the break down 17-13. However, their field goal was nullified by the Lions marching down the field with 50 seconds left in the quarter to answer with a field goal of their own before the half and take a 20-9 lead.
The Cowboys trailed by ten with just under four minutes left in the regulation, but again had to settle for a field goal to make it a seven-point game. Had they been able to score a touchdown on that drive, they could have at the very least maintained a one-score deficit if they held Detroit to a field goal on the ensuing drive. As we know, Detroit added another touchdown, Jahmyr Gibbs’ third of the night, and ended the Cowboys’ comeback.
Losing the turnover battle
You cannot turn the ball multiple times and expect to win, especially against a team like the Detroit Lions. Things were already looking bleak after the Cowboys were trailing to open the third quarter. It immediately got worse. Dak Prescott looked to complete a short pass to George Pickens, but Lions cornerback Amik Robertson tipped the ball in the air at the catch point, where it fell into the waiting arms of Derrick Barnes. Two plays later, Jared Goff throws a touchdown to Isaac TeSlaa over the outstretched hand of Shavon Revel, who had a pretty rough game in coverage overall, and Dallas was down by 18 points in a flash.
You also can’t forget about Jake Ferguson’s fumble that occurred right before David Montgomery’s touchdown. The Cowboys gifted the Lions with prime field position due to costly mistakes, and Detroit made them pay for it. The Lions scored 14 points off of takeaways. You can also throw in the coverage unit for good measure. Brandon Aubrey did a good job angling his kickoffs in the corners of the landing zone, but the special teams unit allowed 261 yards in kickoff return yardage. In all, Dallas had three turnovers to Detroit’s zero.
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