Studs and Duds: Cowboys crash down through earth in 38-point dismantling

Mike Crum

Jerry Jones probably feels like he received a lump of coal as birthday present, as the Dallas Cowboys lost by a record margin at home since he became the owner. The Detroit Lions demolished Dallas 47-9, rushing for nearly 200 yards, throwing for over 300, putting up five touchdowns, and not allowing a single end-zone trip to the Cowboys. The Lions had as many rushing first downs as Dallas had overall. Detroit nearly doubled Dallas in yards per play, and were close to tripling in yards per pass.

Dallas didn’t have many players step up, let alone play like studs, but the duds could be seen from every unit on the offense and defense. The offense couldn’t run or pass the ball, and the defense couldn’t stop the Lions from moving the ball by either method. Dallas needs to use the bye week to battle to improve all the poor play and find ways to continue the minimal positives from their third home loss of the season.

Duds: QB Dak Prescott

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 06: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks to pass during warmups before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on October 06, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

From a macro view, Dallas’s Cowboys quarterback isn’t a big concern. The offensive line struggles, a lack of weapons, penalties, poor depth in the front seven on defense, and the play-calling are all bigger issues, but when Dak Prescott doesn’t play well, it’s ok to criticize his performance. The team started on offense with two drives, each for nine plays. The first was stalled for a field goal, but Prescott threw another red-zone interception on their second drive. That poor decision placed the offense in a quicksand they couldn’t escape. After the interception, Dallas had two three-and-out drives and a four-play turnover on downs. Then they turned the ball over four more times in the second half.

When the game was a blowout at 34-6, the Cowboys were 1-7 on third-down conversions and 0-1 on fourth down. Prescott threw another interception later in the game on an overthrow before being benched for the night. That made his total turnovers over the last two contests up to five. If he doesn’t play better, this team will continue to lose games this season.

Studs: Special Teams

Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey (17) kicks a field goal against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The only area on the team that has been good, game in and out, has been the special teams unit, which remained true against the Lions. Brandon Aubrey has been a stud. He made all three kicks against the Lions and scored all nine of the Cowboys’ points. The first drive ended with his field goal from 34 yards. He hit a 47-yard one later and scored the Cowboy’s final points on a 50-yard attempt in the third quarter.

This category isn’t just Aubrey because of Kavontae Turpin’s play as a returner. He had a 79-yard kick return to set up one of Aubrey’s field goals for Dallas and hit on another over-40-yard return later in the game. They were the two longest plays Dallas had the entire night. The special teams unit has been so consistent that their coach, John Fassel, would likely replace Mike McCarthy if he was fired in-season.

Duds: Play calling

Oct 13, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy looks over his play chart during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Studs: DE Chauncey Golston

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 01: Chauncey Golston #99 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after scoring a two point conversion during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at AT&T Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Finding silver linings in a 47-9 blowout is difficult. The Lions completely dominated Dallas, so a “stud” could be a player who makes a couple of impactful plays and competes hard when the game is beyond the competitive point. Chauncey Golston fits that description perfectly. At the start of the game, the Cowboys defense was surviving. Dallas had held Detroit to two touchdowns and a field goal, and the Lions were driving again when Golston combined with Damone Clark for a sack on third down. Detroit had to kick a field goal to go up 20-3, leaving the door open for a possible comeback. He had five total tackles and added a tackle for a loss directly after a turnover, but those few impactful plays did not affect the overall game. The defense in Dallas was crushed, so claiming a player played well is a hard sell, but Golston at least tried to flip momentum with a couple of big plays.

Duds: Turnovers

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 06: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys walks off the field during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on October 06, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The early red-zone interception started the offense down the wrong road, ending with the Cowboys having five turnovers. Prescott threw a second interception, overthrowing a pass leading to Brian Branch’s second pick. Then Branch ruined a big moment for rookie Ryan Flournoy, punching out his first catch for a forced fumble that Terrion Arnold recovered. Cooper Rush added an interception in the red zone, and then Turpin fumbled after catching a pass on their final offensive possession.

Any team that turns the ball over five times will likely get blown out. The Lions had no turnovers and scored five touchdowns, while Dallas had five and scored no touchdowns.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast.

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