Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Last week was extremely tough for the Dallas Cowboys. Any time that a team loses 47-9, something had to have gone really bad. In the case of the Cowboys, it was everything that went really bad for them. In that spirit, let’s hand out some grades and assess some blame for this one. Spoiler: there’s plenty to go around Quarterback I’ll give this one away right now: Dak Prescott gets the best grade on this team outside of the special teams group. It’s not saying much, because the quarterback looked off pretty much right from the beginning, but he was one of the few who seemed to show up to play in this one. Prescott only completed 51.5% of his passes and failed to score all day, but it’s hard to judge him in a game where he was under pressure on 47.4% of his dropbacks. He was also sacked four times, hit seven times, and his second interception of the day came when he was staring directly into the sun that Jerry Jones refuses to block with a simple sunshade. Prescott was far from blameless in this game, but there was also exceedingly little he could do given the way the rest of the team performed. Grade: C- Running backs This week showed how far a good complaint session will get you. After Ezekiel Elliott spoke publicly about his dissatisfaction with his role thus far, the running back that had averaged just 22% of offensive snaps and four carries a game the last three weeks suddenly played on 41% of the offensive snaps and led the team in carries with eight. He proceeded to average 2.1 yards per rush, failed to break a single tackle, and failed to record a single first down. Rico Dowdle, who was coming off a career game against one of the league’s best run defenses last week, played on just 28% of offensive snaps and saw just five carries; it was the first time all year he had seen fewer than 40% of snaps and set a season low for carries. Despite that, Dowdle accounted for 25 of the team’s 53 rushing yards, easily leading the team and being the only Cowboy to record a run of 10 yards or more. It already seemed obvious a week ago, but there is no reason Dowdle shouldn’t be the top back in this offense. Grade: D Pass catchers So much was made last week about CeeDee Lamb calling for a jump ball from Dak Prescott that it felt ironic, and depressingly on brand for this team, that Prescott’s first jump ball to Lamb in this game went incomplete in the endzone on the opening drive. Lamb only caught seven of his 14 targets, and there several plays where miscommunication once again popped up for him and his quarterback. It’s fair to wonder why the All-Pro receiver still can’t be on the same page, especially considering how rare those moments are for other, less experienced receivers on this team. Combine Lamb’s lackluster day with a disappointing showing from Jake Ferguson, a crushing fumble from rookie Ryan Flournoy, and not much else going on and this unit’s grade is not great. Jalen Tolbert saves the group from being worse, as he continues to stack consistent play week after week, but the Cowboys need more than just Tolbert. Grade: D+ Offensive line Where to even start? The Cowboys entered this game giving up the second-fewest pressures in the entire league, and the Lions defense was 28th in getting pressure. The result was Detroit pressuring Prescott on 47.4% of his dropbacks. Not only is that the highest mark they’ve given up this year, but it’s the second-highest in the entire Mike McCarthy era. This was next level terrible from the offensive line, and their run blocking wasn’t much better. Somehow, Zack Martin was the worst offender in this game, giving up a team-high seven pressures. He had given up eight pressures so far this year, and he gave up seven in just one game. It’s never a good sign when even Martin is getting pushed around. Grade: F Run defense It’s hard to rag on this defense too much, given how thin they are everywhere, so we’ll be brief here. The run defense was aggressively bad, generating next to no resistance against the Lions’ two-headed attack. Both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery averaged over five yards a carry, which is never a good sign. Grade: F Pass rush Again, this pass rush unit was decimated, but Jared Goff had forever and a day to throw in this one. He was sacked twice but otherwise had clean pockets with relative frequency. Only Osa Odighizwa and Linval Joseph registered multiple pressures in this one. When does Micah Parsons return again? Grade: F Pass coverage When the quarterback has as much time as Goff did in this game, the coverage is going to look bad. Even so, the Cowboys got beat bad quite a few times, frequently letting Amon-Ra St. Brown get wide open. Just two of Goff’s 25 pass attempts were thrown into tight windows. That’s bad. Grade: F Special teams Brandon Aubrey remains amazing, and he was the only Cowboy who scored at all in this game. KaVontae Turpin had several big returns, including a 79-yarder that single-handedly set up one of Aubrey’s field goals. Special teams was the only group that played well in this one. The only thing keeping this unit from an A+ is one of Bryan Anger’s two punts that only went 38 yards. Not that it mattered with how determined the defense was to let the Lions score from anywhere on the field. Grade: A Coaching There’s no nice way to put this, but the Cowboys coaching staff was completely and totally outclassed in this one. How does your team get beat this bad at home? The come down from a gritty win over the Steelers was unexpectedly steep, and
Good, Bad, Ugly: Awful pass protection, falling for trick plays, red zone nightmares among Cowboys lowlights in Week 6
When the entire construct of the article is a look at “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of a given football game, one is contractually obligated to find some silver lining to represent the good. In the Cowboys’ Week 6 game versus Detroit, though, it was exceptionally hard to find. And after a 47-9 mauling, any positive takeaway whatsoever cannot help but be dramatically overshadowed by the bad and the ugly, of which there was an overabundance. The parties most responsible for Dallas’s epic faceplant of a performance are truly too numerous to mention. But once again, this breakdown will live up to its stated mission by highlighting just a few of the trends that are currently the biggest problem areas for a team that absolutely no one believes is as good as their .500 record. From a patchwork defensive crew that got blown through like tissue paper to a pass-protection unit that was practically a row of broken turnstiles and a red-zone offense that’s statistically even worse then you probably think, Sunday’s effort ranks among the most lopsidedly terrible in Cowboys franchise history. So here’s a look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly from Sunday… but certainly not in that exact order. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Bad: Defensive deficiencies on full display The Cowboys defense was missing multiple standout players on Sunday, and boy, did it show. Mike Zimmer’s crew gave up nearly 500 yards of total offense, allowed Detroit to gain an average of 7.5 yards per play, and watched the Lions score on their first nine drives that didn’t end in a kneeldown. Receivers were left wide open all day, linemen were repeatedly blown backward, and terrible tackling was everywhere. The less-than-half-hearted attempt by Trevon Diggs to arm-swipe at David Montgomery as he avoided contact was the one that got the most attention, but there were literally dozens of examples throughout the game of Cowboys defenders who were on the field looking as though they wanted to be anywhere else. Ugly: Putrid pass protection Perhaps the most shocking stat of Week 6’s complete embarrassment was Dak Prescott taking just four sacks, despite it seeming like he was under extreme duress on every single dropback. (It was technically 48.6% of them, according to NFL Pro.) First-round draft pick Tyler Guyton was a surprise DNP, Zack Martin graded out with a horrendous 28.3 per PFF (and a 0.0 in pass blocking), and the rest of the O-line was O-verwhelmed by the Lions defensive front. Yes, Prescott turned in poor numbers- 51% completion percentage, 178 yards, two interceptions- but much of that can be attributed to so many of his passes coming while hurried, off-balance, off his back foot, or without full follow-through. Good: Lucky breaks on first drive Given the way the game ended, it’s crazy to think that Dallas actually led for a brief moment early. But really, even that was only because of a few lucky breaks. After winning the coin toss and electing to receive, Prescott’s first pass of the game was tipped- and nearly intercepted- before landing in the hands of Rico Dowdle for a 15-yard pickup. Just three plays later, the Cowboys were nearing the red zone and seemed destined for a touchdown. But Prescott’s third-down pass into the end zone, intended for Jake Ferguson, was picked off. Only a late penalty flag- a holding call against Detroit linebacker Alex Anzalone- nullified the turnover. With a fresh set of downs, the Cowboys did next to nothing and had to settle for a Brandon Aubrey field goal. The 3-0 lead was very short-lived and quickly forgotten, but for those first three and a half minutes of play, it was nice to see the breaks go Dallas’s way. Little else did. Bad: Worst-case scenarios in red zone The Cowboys were a pathetic 0-for-3 in the red zone on Sunday, continuing a painful season-long trend. Of the 10 offensive plays they ran inside Detroit’s 20-yard-line, they amassed just eight total yards and threw two interceptions. It’s one thing to be ineffective in the red zone- the Cowboys rank 30th among the league’s 32 teams through six weeks- but what’s even worse than coming away from the red zone empty-handed is giving the ball away once you’re there. Of the Cowboys’ 16 trips inside the red zone in 2024, they have almost as many turnovers (five) as they do touchdowns (six). Ugly: Getting suckered by exotic plays The Lions and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson made a 47-9 blowout loss even more humiliating for the Cowboys by dusting off every schoolyard gadget play they could think of over the course of four quarters. They used a tackle-eligible formation (à la last year’s controversial two-point try) on 11 plays, including the first and last plays they ran from scrimmage. They lined up 330-pound Dan Skipper as a wide receiver. They nearly completed a touchdown pass to 318-pound Taylor Decker. They ran a hook-and-lateral to 335-pound Penei Sewell that was negated only by a penalty. And they hit on a 52-yard flea-flicker that saw four different Lions touch the ball on three pitches before Goff connected with Sam LaPorta for a 52-yard strike that more or less served as a dagger… just 18 minutes into the game. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Detroit was “having fun at our expense.” The rest of the season may be sparse on fun for Cowboys fans. Good: Turpin’s success on kickoff returns Obviously, its not great when the opponent scores a ton of points. But the upside to 10 Lions kickoffs Sunday is that KaVontae Turpin got plenty of chances. The return specialist had four kick returns on the afternoon for an impressive 194 yards. His best effort came late in the first half when he brought out the ball (from nine yards deep!) and raced 79 yards to set up the Cowboys for another Aubrey field goal. Per Next Gen Stats, Turpin reached a top speed of 21.64 miles per hour on
5 plays that doomed the Cowboys in loss to the Lions
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Even though the entire game was never close, Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys loss came down to a handful of critical moments. Well, that was awful. For the third straight time this season, the Cowboys got blown out at home. They’re now 0-4 in AT&T Stadium in the calendar year after going undefeated during the 2023 regular season. The Lions won 47-9, but things were pretty much over before the second quarter was even halfway done. These five plays were a big part of how that happened. CeeDee Lamb gets his endzone jump ball, can’t make the catch Through five games this year, the Cowboys offense has been consistent about one thing: they move the ball well between the 20’s but fizzle out in the red zone. That happened again in this game, but it’s unsustainable against a Lions offense that can score the way they did on Sunday. The Cowboys started with the ball and quickly went down the field, with Dak Prescott throwing on all but two plays on the drive. On second-and-long just inside the red zone, Prescott launched a jump ball to CeeDee Lamb in the back corner of the endzone. Lamb was closely guarded by Carlton Davis, and the receiver was unable to rise up and go for the ball. Just a week ago, lip-readers around the world united to uncover that Lamb had asked Prescott for a jump ball on the endzone interception Prescott threw. On the opening drive this week, Prescott delivered said jump ball, but Lamb was unable to beat his man and go up big at the catch point. Instead of getting a touchdown – or at least drawing a pass interference penalty – the Cowboys were set up with third and long, which led to them settling for a field goal. Tim Patrick bullies Amani Oruwariye for huge catch It’s hard to imagine in retrospect after giving up 47 points, but the Dallas defense was very close to forcing a three-and-out to start this game. After the Cowboys went up 3-0, Detroit got the ball. A good run was followed by an incomplete pass, setting up third and five. That’s when Jared Goff, who had all day long to throw, launched a prayer to Tim Patrick. Amani Oruwariye, a former Lions cornerback, was in coverage on Patrick and got outmuscled in coverage. Patrick skied up for the ball, perhaps showing Lamb how it’s done, and came down with the ball for a 42-yard gain. Not only was this a huge, explosive play, but it extended the Lions’ opening drive. If the Cowboys get any pass rush, or Oruwariye breaks up the pass, the Lions are three-and-out and punting the ball away. Instead, they got a fresh set of downs just outside the red zone and, two plays later, celebrated in the endzone. Dak Prescott gets picked in the endzone Following the Lions’ touchdown drive, Dallas trailed 7-3. They came out on offense again and replicated the same success they had on the first drive, with Prescott quickly driving them down the field. They reached a third down inside the 10-yard line when calamity struck. As Prescott dropped back to pass, he had Lamb running a corner route and Jalen Tolbert floating into the flat. Prescott looked Tolbert’s way and, when Brian Branch started to come down on Tolbert, he fired the ball to Lamb in the corner of the endzone. Branch then showed off his elite change of direction and managed to pick off the ball, ending yet another red zone trip for the Cowboys. There was plenty to criticize on this play: the call, the throw, the lack of effort from Lamb to at least knock the ball down. It was a perfect encapsulation of how disjointed this offense has been in the red zone, and it cost them points in a game where they’d need every point they could get. Jake Ferguson can’t haul in big pass The red zone interception only resulted in a field goal, and the Cowboys were still in the game with a 10-3 deficit. All they needed to do was score a touchdown and things would be even again. On second down of their next possession, Dallas ran a play-action bootleg concept with CeeDee Lamb designed to come open in the flat. As Prescott rolled out to his right, the defender easily picked up Lamb, and a free rusher was coming in Prescott’s face with nobody open. Prescott then launched the ball across his body and 20 yards downfield towards Jake Ferguson, who actually got his hands on the ball but couldn’t secure it through contact. Officially this play was recorded as a drop for Ferguson, though it would have been a difficult catch to make. Still, it’s the kind of play they needed, and Prescott did well to deliver the ball in a tough spot. If Ferguson makes the catch, it’s a first down and they flip the field. As it turned out, Dallas came up short on the next play, third down, and had to punt the ball. Lions dial up trick play that breaks big That punt carried with it the feeling that the Cowboys were getting knee deep into the danger zone. One more score from the Lions and things could very well be over before halftime even hit. Two quick plays gained a first down for the Lions right around midfield. That’s when offensive coordinator Ben Johnson delivered a knockout punch trick play, calling for a double-reverse flea-flicker than saw Goff hit Sam LaPorta wide open down the sideline for a 52-yard touchdown. With that, the Lions went up 17-3 and completely broke any last remaining shred of confidence the Cowboys may have had. Dallas would net three yards on their final three drives before halftime while Detroit scored 10 more points before heading to the locker room. This trick play was the shot that broke the levee, and everything afterwards was just window
Cowboys news: Mike McCarthy believes the struggles will pay off later in the season
Barry Reeger-Imagn Images All the Dallas Cowboys news that’s fit to print. McCarthy: Cowboys ‘relish’ chance to bounce back from blowout – Todd Archer, ESPN Mike McCarthy still believes in this roster, ’relishes’ chance to atone. A day after the most decisive home loss since 1988, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy attempted to take a big picture view. The Cowboys suffered the fourth largest home loss in franchise history in Sunday’s 47-9 defeat against the Detroit Lions to fall to 3-3 overall. The decisiveness of the loss and how poorly the Cowboys played could be enough to affect the mental state of the team, but McCarthy still believes in the roster. “At the end of the day if we totally don’t believe it’s about us, it’ll always be about us and play to who we are, what we do, how we do it, then we’re not going to get to where we want to go,” McCarthy said. “And I believe we will. I think this is an opportunity that we relish. I know I relish it. And I think they do too. “So this is a place that a lot of good can come out of it. Been here before. And I think this is a really good opportunity for our leadership. I think it’s an excellent opportunity for our young guys to continue to play. It’s an excellent opportunity for those guys to build off some of the things they have done well. Because this will pay forward. In my experience it always has. When you play young players this much and play this many different players this much, I think the long game definitely has a chance to be very bright.” Why coaching decisions are the Cowboys’ biggest red flags from loss to Lions – LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys Mike McCarthy’s plans this season haven’t been working out. Per Mina Kimes, Dak Prescott had the highest tight-window rate in 2022. Fast forward to this season, and it’s been a theme all season that the Cowboys’ offense is littered with tight-window throws that force Prescott to place the ball in risky situations. Some of that can be attributed to the need for more talent in wide receivers. Still, the coaches can do more to alleviate that for Prescott. Take Detroit for a direct model in juxtaposition. Watching how the Lions’ offense operates with creativity, pre-snap motion, and isolating receivers in mismatches, only magnifies the Cowboys need for easier situations to move the ball. At one point, Amon-Ra St. Brown had to be covered by linebacker DeMarvion Overshown after Detroit cleared out their receivers, which afforded St. Brown a clear path across the field. Dallas must incorporate more misdirection or even pick plays to get the players open. Since they don’t do this anywhere as much as they should, the Cowboys are forced to play methodically and nearly perfectly on every down to avoid a third and long. Meanwhile, Detroit unveiled the playbook that seemed almost a personal vendetta for the Cowboys’ controversial win against them last season. The Lions featured their offensive linemen in two of their three trick plays despite having a substantial lead on the Cowboys. In short, the Lions were having more fun than the Cowboys, and it showed thanks to their play-caller/play-designer alleviating the burden off their respective star quarterback and receiver versus Dallas thrusting everything at Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and expecting them to fly the team out of an early tailspin. The same accusations that head coach Mike McCarthy had been under fire for in Green Bay are starting to emerge with Dallas. You know the ones: Stale, unimaginative, bland. You can use the exact synonyms to describe the Cowboy’s broken offense. Now, if you want to underline that the offense has personnel problems, we agree. However, what cannot be understood is utilizing Ezekiel Elliott as much as he was after Rico Dowdle’s game last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Elliott did admit to reporters his frustration with his lack of participation in the offense. Yet, his getting a prominent role on the offense’s second series of the game didn’t help. Elliott carried the ball four times for six yards (1.5 yards per attempt) on that drive. His last carry on that drive went for one yard and put Dallas in second and long, where they threw a red zone interception two plays later. The offense doesn’t have many playmakers, but catering meaningful carries to a player, a shell of his former self, falls on both the coaches and the player. Bill Belichick speculation runs rampant after Cowboys’ historic loss vs. Lions – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat With an extra week to process the worst loss of the Jerry Jones era in Dallas, everything and anything is on the table for the 3-3 Cowboys. Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is likely to top many lists and the speculation started no more than two hours after Sunday’s loss. According to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz, Belichick is widely viewed around the league as the frontrunner to land the Cowboys’ job if they make a coaching change after the season. Schultz spoke to multiple sources who affirm that Belichick has a “great relationship” with the Jones family. This isn’t “new” information, but it’s notable nonetheless. Belichick was considered a prime candidate for the Cowboys’ job last offseason following the blowout playoff loss to the Packers. It felt inevitable that McCarthy would be fired, but Jones made the stunning decision to bring the HC back for the final year of his contract. Fortunately for Jones, Belichick was not hired during the 2024 coaching carousel. The six-time Super Bowl champion secured a second interview with the Atlanta Falcons, but they chose to hire then-Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris instead. The case for Cowboys keeping Mike McCarthy the rest of 2024 – Reid Hanson, The Cowboys Wire Is it possible things could get even worse if an interim coach replaces McCarthy this season?
Lessons Learned: Prescott’s struggling vision an issue in Cowboys’ 47-9 loss to Lions
Jones didn’t extend McCarthy beyond his contract that’s in its final year and the head coach doesn’t look long for Dallas. McCarthy’s offense looked stagnant and stale against the Lions, and what was once a top-tier unit, has now become a boring shell of itself. Just a week after starting running back Rico Dowdle broke out and looked like the obvious No. 1 RB for the Cowboys, the team came out and gave veteran RB Ezekiel Elliott more carries than Dowdle. This comes reportedly after Elliott talked about his role with the coaching staff prior to the game. Prescott -to-Lamb remains the best option on offense, but it’s also a connection that continues to have miscommunication. On one attempt, Prescott threw to a spot where he thought Lamb would be and the WR ran a different route. There was also a throw where Prescott passed to an area where two players were in the same spot. An occurance that has happened several times over the last few seasons. Zimmer’s defense had no answers either. The Cowboys gave up 492 total yards, 47 points, and didn’t force a punt. Where were the adjustments? When did the Cowboys try something different to get better results,because what they’ve done through six games isn’t working. The loss to the Lions was further proof of this coaching staff not being able to get much done to enhance their chances of winning.
NFL Power Rankings Week 7: Cowboys in bottom 10, Texans, Lions chase No. 1 spot
32 Cleveland Browns ( 1-5 ) | Last Week: 32 Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) warms up before an NFL football matchup Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Browns defeated the Jaguars 18-13. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] 31 Jacksonville Jaguars ( 1-5 ) | Last Week: 31 Dec 11, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws the ball during the first quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean-USA TODAY Sports 30 Carolina Panthers ( 1-5 ) | Last Week: 30 Sep 24, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14) passes before being hit by Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports 29 New England Patriots ( 1-5 ) | Last Week: 29 Sep 19, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) gets sacked hard by New York Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood (44) in the 4th quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images 28 Tennesee Titans ( 1-4 ) | Last Week: 28 Dec 31, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA;Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) under center motions against the Houston Texans in the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports 27 New York Giants ( 2-4 ) | Last Week: 27 New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8), is shown on the ground after being sacked by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (not shown) in the first quarter. Sunday, September 10, 2023 26 Las Vegas Raiders ( 2-4 ) | Last Week: 26 Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams (17) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images 25 Los Angeles Rams ( 1-4 ) | Last Week: 25 Sep 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) looks to pass in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images 24 Denver Broncos ( 3-3 ) | Last Week: 24 Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) prepares to pass in the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images 23 Arizona Cardinals ( 2-4 ) | Last Week: 21 Oct 11, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before his game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports 22 Dallas Cowboys ( 3-3 ) | Last Week: 11 CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks to pass the ball in the first quarter of the game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) 21 New York Jets ( 2-4 ) | Last Week: 20 New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws against the Tennessee Titans during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. 20 Miami Dolphins ( 2-3 ) | Last Week: 19 Dec 25, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) stands on the field during the second half against the Green Bay Packers at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports 19 Cincinnati Bengals ( 2-4 ) | Last Week: 23 Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) takes the field for warm ups prior to a Week 2 NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. 18 New Orleans Saints ( 2-4 ) | Last Week: 17 Sep 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) takes a pitch from quarterback Derek Carr (4) in the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images 17 Indianapolis Colts ( 3-3 ) | Last Week: 22 Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) rushes in for a touchdown Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, during a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston 16 Philadelphia Eagles ( 3-2 ) | Last Week: 18 Nov 5, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts after a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports 15 Seattle Seahawks ( 3-3 ) | Last Week: 12 Jan 14, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) makes a throw in the second quarter of a wild card game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports 14 Los Angeles Chargers ( 3-2 ) | Last Week: 15 Sep 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) behind center Bradley Bozeman (75) during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images 13 Pittsburgh Steelers ( 4-2 ) | Last Week: 14 Sep 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images 12 San Francisco 49ers ( 3-3 ) | Last Week: 16 Jan 22, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws during the first quarter of a NFC divisional round game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports 11 Chicago Bears ( 4-2 ) | Last Week: 13 Sep 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) after turning the ball over on downs against the Chicago Bears in the third quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images 10 Buffalo Bills ( 4-2 ) | Last Week: 9 ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 17:
Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions day after thoughts: Hope feels far away right now
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images We have some thoughts on Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys game after a day to think about it all. We have all experienced devastating Dallas Cowboys losses. Pick your favorite. Maybe the game that came to mind for you right away was when Dez caught it. Perhaps it was the Tony Romo bobble. You may be thinking about the 1994 NFC Championship Game. Odds are high that it was a playoff loss and we all are well aware that there have been many of those to choose from over the last 30 years (almost). When you think about regular season losses they obviously do not hit the same, but the finales from 2011-2013 are up there. Obviously 44-6 holds a horribly special place in history. Even then though, those games were effective playoff games with the losses that came from them cementing a season officially ending. It is extremely difficult to find one of the most disappointing losses in Cowboys franchise history that incited so much devastation to have happened in the month of October. There is simply too much football left to be played for a punch to land so squarely before Halloween even comes. But it kind of feels like we are here now. Sure, the Cowboys are still well alive in a technical and literal sense with regards to this season and the playoff chase. Maybe someday we will laugh about how we all overreacted on October 14th, 2024. We can only hope (in more than one way). Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions felt like a different kind of thing to process for the Cowboys, but we will do our best anyway. This is our Day After Thoughts discussion where we let a night’s rest and many cups of coffee power how we feel about the action that we just saw. We will get into three thoughts specifically. It gets old to blame the front office, but this falls squarely and mostly on them The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of problems right now. Pick one. Any of them. The list is long. But it can be true that players are not living up to expectation, that coaches are failing to raise the overall standard, and that all of it was built on a shaky foundation by the “work” that the front office did over the course of the offseason. Yes. It can all be true. The front office very infamously and very notoriously did nothing substantial to help the team over the offseason by way of roster moves. What’s more is that they delayed paying their superstars, players who play very expensive positions, to quite literally the eleventh hour and as a result paid significantly more (in all likelihood based on NFL trends) than if they had been proactive on these fronts. To make matters worse they seemingly gaslit fans at every turn about the potential of things and created an environment that is incredibly untenable. You can have your issues with Mike McCarthy, we all do, but sending him into a contract year was asking for drama to circle the organization around every loss. It wasn’t a stable decision. The sins of the offseason cannot be undone in one fell swoop, especially in the fall months. At this point the bed has been made. It remains very frustrating. There is no denying that this team needs something to change if they want to seriously contend With all of that being said, a serious change could go a long way. Dak Prescott noted after the game how similar to 2018 this start has felt for the team. That group fell to 3-4 before their bye week and odds are this one will get there when they emerge from theirs given that the next game is on the road against the big, bad San Francisco 49ers. It was at that moment six years ago when Dallas sent a future first-round pick to the then-Oakland Raiders in exchange for Amari Cooper. Cooper jolted the offense and the Philadelphia Eagles collapsed and everything lined up for the Cowboys to not only win the NFC East but a playoff game for the first time in the Dak Prescott era as well. Cooper saved that season to put things mildly, and obviously we have seen how all of that turned out. But the time is certainly now for an infusion of help somewhere, wide receiver is certainly an option, before it is too late. Trying to go at this whole thing with the roster as it lies would be hard to justify, but perhaps that is what the Cowboys are going to do. With the team at the bye week it would stand to reason that now would be the time to reflect and make a move. We will see if they have any intention of doing so. It does not feel like an exaggeration to say that hope is at a real low relative to recent history We are finishing how we started and noting that the emotions, vibes, whatever you want to call them, are rather bad for the Cowboys right now. The Detroit Lions are the talk of the town and sitting at the center of the NFL these days. They are the latest team to have paraded through AT&T Stadium and celebrated just about from start to finish at the home team’s expense. The Cowboys often get compared to teams like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers, Duke, Alabama, all because of the massive fan bases that those teams have. Where the Cowboys are different is that each of those teams has climbed their respective mountain sometime within the last 15ish years. Those fans watch people root against their team all of the time, but they have also touched the other end of the spectrum. If you are a Cowboys fan of around 40 years or younger, you have only gotten the negative side of this whole deal. And things like
Monday Night Football odds, pick and live discussion: Bills at Jets
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images Who wins tonight… Buffalo or New York? The Buffalo Bills play the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. FanDuel has the Bills as 1.5-point favorites over the Jets. Final score prediction: Bills 23 – Jets 16. Check out FanDuel for all of your NFL betting needs. This is an open thread for game chat.
Cowboys open as 6-point home underdog, will likely lose to bye week
Cowboys open as 6-point home underdog, will likely lose to bye week K.D. Drummond If you’re supremely frustrated by the 2024 Dallas Cowboys, raise your hand. Wait, it would probably be easier to count whomever isn’t frustrated to raise theirs. Okay, thanks for self-identifying… all three of you. Security please escort these patrons out of the stadium. Oh, even they sold their tickets to Lions’ fans? There’s no way a fan of the Cowboys isn’t upset or embarrassed by the product Jerry Jones has put on the field this season. Anyone looking, okay, anyone shielding the sun out of their eyes while looking at the performance of the team in AT&T Stadium cringes with shame at what has become of the best home team in the NFL over the last two seasons. The Dallas Cowboys are not fit for primetime, late-afternoon windows, and their worthiness to be put on live television at noon is under scrutiny. Is tape-delay sports viewing still a thing? And it’s wild to say that about a team not currently in position for a top-10 draft pick, but that’s where things are for the 3-3 Cowboys. So what can come about during the team’s bye week that will stem the misery? The first thing that can be pointed to is there’s a chance reinforcements will be on the way. Not “We’re getting to 12-5 reinforcements” mind you, but more “We could sniff .500” reinforcements. Micah Parsons has missed two weeks with a high-ankle sprain and may be able to return for the next game against the San Francisco 49ers. DaRon Bland and Caelen Carson appeared close to playing against the Lions, so hopefully the boundary corners are going to be available. Eric Kendricks’ back injury came up this week and hopefully it’s not a long-term concern. And although they likely won’t play against the 49ers, DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland should be back by mid-November if things progress as hoped. But injuries aren’t the only problem in Dallas. There are coaching issues up and down and those may not be quick fixes. While it’s unlikely Jerry Jones fires Mike McCarthy this week, perhaps there are some staff shakeups on the way, or at least reassignment of duties. Mike Solari’s tenure, which we predicted wouldn’t be fruitful, has been an abject failure. The team benched their first-round pick, left tackle Tyler Guyton this week. Every veteran has regressed this season, including future Hall of Famer Zack Martin, and the youngsters haven’t progressed. Perhaps there’s some handing off of duties between McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer this week. Yes, McCarthy swore he’d never give up playcalling again after his last few years in Green Bay, but something has to change about the way Dallas deploys their offense. On the defensive side of things, the Mike Zimmer experiment has been an abject failure. Perhaps it’s time to give assistant head coach Al Harris an opportunity at the big chair and build his profile. Even if it’s a lost season, giving Harris a chance to prove his worth could lead to him getting in the head coach search next season and perhaps lead to a compensatory pick coming back to Dallas. Yes, that’s the line of thinking that now needs to be adopted as Dallas isn’t going to be challenging for a championship this year. Along those lines, the bye week is the perfect opportunity for the front office to start sending out feelers for trades. No, not to bring people in, but to ship players out. More on that in a future article. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
Cowboys vs. Lions stock report: Dak Prescott, Mike McCarthy, Jerry Jones all down
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Our stock report following Sunday’s Dallas Cowboys loss is out and it is very, very bad. We have said things like this before. My goal is not to be a prisoner of the moment. But for the life of me, it is hard to recall a time where being a Dallas Cowboys fan felt like this (gestures wildly at everything). The situation has reached critical mass, DEFCON 1, whatever you want to call it. Sirens are going off and we are so numb to it that we may as well be hitting the snooze button on our alarms. Sunday’s beatdown at the hands of the Detroit Lions was literally the worst loss that the Cowboys have experienced both at AT&T Stadium and in the Jerry Jones ownership era. It was so bad and humiliating that the official X/Twitter account for the building blurred the score out when sharing the attendance figure for the game. To make matters worse, it was revealed on Monday morning that this is the second game/beatdown in a row where they have done that. Here is our stock report. It is shorter than usual because we have focused on the primary culprits of blame and we are going in descending order of most blame to least (to be clear the least amount is still a lot). Let’s go, or whatever. Stock Down: Jerry Jones There is nothing to say here that we have not all shared before. But it obviously starts with the owner, president, general manager – add whatever other title that you want. If you agree with the intro that this is the most down bad (for lack of a more proper term) that we have been as Cowboys fans in some time, Jerry Jones is the person with the most fingerprints across the product. I mean… should we be surprised that the team that built a stadium with a blatant design flaw, the team that wouldn’t let Overshown wear #0 cause it’s Rowdy’s number, the team that brought Zeke back as RB1, the team that traded a 4th round pick for a 3rd string QB they don’t use,… pic.twitter.com/KUR63rbLkD — Ben Rogers (@BenRogers) October 14, 2024 The sun was an issue once again on Sunday afternoon as Ben Rogers (and many others noted). To be clear this is a very stupid and silly thing to complain about. But it persists as an impediment to the home team having success and is, as has been documented many times, an avoidable problem. Yet here we are. On Sunday night we got word from Jones that Mike McCarthy will not be fired anytime soon. This is a talking point in Week 6! McCarthy is certainly at fault in many ways, more on him in a bit, but that these questions are circling now is directly the result of the design that Jerry had for this operation. By not firing or extending McCarthy in the offseason he set up a situation born and bred for toxicity. Those were tough options, but as the person in charge he had to be the one to figure out a way to navigate through it. He didn’t. He stirred the pot. Dragged out contracts. Gaslit the fans. And now we all have to sit, watch and try to tolerate this mess on a weekly basis. So many people are wondering how we got here when Jerry dragged us. Stock Down: Dak Prescott There are a lot of issues going on at the moment, but as QB1 you have to find a way. This type of logic and expectation may be unfair and ridiculous, but that is what comes with the territory. Dak did the Cowboys no favors last week in Pittsburgh but capitalized on a final opportunity to win the game. That was objectively a nice turnaround. Sunday offered only bad. We can note certain issues that he is dealing with and recognize them as real (the lack of playmakers, etc), but Prescott has to play better as well. His two interceptions were both horrible throws where he was pressing, something that has been common in the home blowouts this year. Following the loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Prescott challenged fans to “jump off” if they were seriously doubting the team. Recall that he also noted during training camp that fans needed to get over the playoff loss and that they as players likely took it harder because they play for the team. I’m a Dak fan and have defended him a lot, but those things and moments all sound great in the first act of the movie before the team in question goes in a miracle run. Without that finishing element it all just sounds empty and hollow and frustrating. Stock Down: Mike McCarthy Like with his quarterback, Mike McCarthy has also been asked to swim upstream or else. He is in a tough spot. But he is not helping himself. This is a team that seemed to check out and did so in the most disorganized way possible. McCarthy is failing as both a head coach and a play-caller at the moment. It is difficult to find something that he is doing well. Beyond the fact that McCarthy’s team hasn’t really showed up for the season, he seems to not have as well. Consider that he kicked a field goal while down 34-6 at one point. Seriously. This happened! People will say that it was 4th and 12… but the score was 34-6! What’s more is even if you somehow want to believe that order can be restored here, the Cowboys were clearly losing this game very early on (relatively speaking). Practically speaking you could have just accepted that, acknowledged that you are 3-3 and lived to fight another day. McCarthy chose not to do this. He insisted on playing for pride (lol) or whatever you want to call it and kept starters in as the humiliation continued on. In the third quarter
