Photo by Elsa/Getty Images The latest news from around the division. Eagles Nick Sirianni “Sorry And Disappointed” For Postgame Behavior – Ed Kracz, Sport Illustrated Philadelphia’s head coach was seen yelling at people in that stands in the fourth quarter. The head coach wore a hangdog look. He appeared sad. Subdued. Definitely contrite. Like a high school student who had just come from the principal’s office after starting a food fight in the cafeteria earlier in the day. Or maybe it was due to a scolding received by owner Jeffrey Lurie or even Sirianni’s wife, Brett, for bringing their three kids to a press conference following his bad behavior toward fans behind the team’s bench after the Eagles beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Sirianni, though, said he had not talked to Lurie, who is most definitely in town. The owner was seen in the postgame locker room. It’s hard to believe Lurie wouldn’t have said something to his coach, telling him to dial it down. These fans he got into it with behind the bench were presumably Eagles fans and they, after all, help keep the lights on and pay the bills. “Mr. Lurie and me talk every time after the game, every time,” said Sirianni. “I haven’t talked to him yet (Monday). I know how supportive Mr. Lurie has been through everything.” Everything includes a collapse late last season, finishing 1-6 after a 10-1 start. Everything includes a debacle two weeks ago in Tampa in a 33-16 loss that was not as close as the score might look. Everything also includes three straight playoff appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl. Sirianni seemed to know on Monday that he screwed up big time on Sunday. He said his attempt to bring energy and enthusiasm went off the rails. “I’m sorry and disappointed on how my energy was directed at the end of the game,” he said. “My energy should be all in on coaching, motivating, and celebrating with our guys and I need to have better wisdom and discernment on when to use that energy and that wasn’t the time.” Commanders DT Jonathan Allen out for season with torn pectoral muscle – Nick Shook, NFL.com Washington’s two-time Pro Bowler is done for the year after going down in Week 6 loss. A key piece of Washington’s defense is done for the season. Jonathan Allen is feared to have suffered a significant pectoral injury that will require season-ending surgery, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday, per sources. Commanders coach Dan Quinn confirmed later Monday that Allen suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign. “It’s a big blow for us,” Quinn told reporters. “Jon Allen’s obviously been a staple player here and the play style and the attitude… We’re really bummed for him as the man and the ballplayer. We’ll certainly miss him this season. He’ll likely get surgery in the days ahead.” Allen suffered the injury late in the third quarter of the Commanders’ Week 6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens and did not return. Rookie Jer’Zhan Newton — a second-round pick out of Illinois in April’s draft — replaced the two-time Pro Bowler, finishing with three tackles and one quarterback pressure. Allen has found the going tough in the last year or so, recording career-worst defensive grades in 2023 (59.7) and through six games in 2024 (53.5), per Pro Football Focus. Still, losing a first-round talent who carries the team’s third-largest cap number ($21.6 million) is discouraging, especially for a Washington team that has postseason aspirations for the first time in years, with much of the credit due to rookie signal-calling sensation Jayden Daniels. The Commanders will have to find a way to replace Allen, who forms one half of a valuable interior pairing with Daron Payne. They’ll likely lean on the likes of Newton and Phidarian Mathis in the short term, and should be expected to make an addition along the interior if they’re forced to place Allen on injured reserve. Giants continue to struggle with vertical passing game – John Fennelly, USA Today Explosive plays haven’t been very common in New York. New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is frustrated with his team’s inability to execute explosive plays, especially in the vertical passing game. “Our inability, I would say this game, to generate explosive plays, whether that’s through the run or through the air is not where I want it to be right now. So, we’ll keep doing it. Keep calling them. And we just got to keep on improving in that area,” he told reporters on Monday. The Giants scored just seven points against a struggling Cincinnati Bengals defense on Sunday night. There were plenty of misfires and a number of miscommunications both short and long as quarterback Daniel Jones tried to make something happen. Jones threw deep five times in the game, completing none. One time each to Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton and three times to speedster Jalin Hyatt. The lack of explosive plays can wear on an offense as Jones noted after the game Sunday night. “It makes it tough,” he said. “It makes it tough when you have to do that in this league. I think credit to their defense, their scheme and their plan is to prevent some of those plays, but we’ve got to execute and find a way to generate some of them.” Daboll was asked on Sunday night what his thoughts were on whiffing on all of the deep shots in the game. “Look, you’re not going to be an 80 percent completion rate when you throw deep balls. You’re going to hit some, you’re going to miss some,” he said. “Obviously, they help a great deal in terms of ending drives in points when you hit them. Whether that’s catch and run, like it was on the one we got called back, or a downfield shot to Wan’Dale on the crosser. Whatever it may be.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Last week was tough to re-watch. The Dallas Cowboys lost in embarrassing fashion on Sunday, a 47-9 trouncing courtesy of the Detroit Lions. A lot didn’t go right for the Cowboys on that day. The defense has been under fire for most of the season and with more players unavailable, some of their struggles were expected. What was not expected was the offense falling so flat. Not once did they find the end zone. It has Cowboys Nation asking many questions, and today we’ll look closer to see what we can learn after further review. Running on empty It’s hard to watch what the Cowboys have going on with the running game. Time and time again, it just looks like the running backs just throw themselves into the back of the blockers as there are very few running lanes to be found. The blockers cannot create creases and the running backs lack the agility and explosiveness to pop through the few holes they have. Mike McCarthy continues to have this heightened sense of comfort when it comes to the Cowboys rushing attack and expects it to improve if they can just get more opportunities. Surely, he can’t be watching the same hot mess we’re watching, can he? The Cowboys are dead last in the league in rushing yards and rushing yards per attempt with no signs of it getting better. You’d have a better chance of finding Waldo in this video clip than a lane to run in. Our running backs never stood a chance. And in the Cowboys’ offense, blocking the edge defender is “optional.” Honestly, I can’t remember the running game ever being this bad. pic.twitter.com/6taJVUlbrS — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 15, 2024 Error in judgement Without the threat of a rushing attack, all the pressure falls on Dak Prescott. Unfortunately, the Cowboys’ QB was not up to the task on Sunday. Prescott looked very uncomfortable in the pocket. He felt the pressure from the Lions’ defense and looked to get rid of the ball quickly. Many times, he’s just committed to his first read and let it rip. So much is made about Prescott’s tight-window throws, but he brings that on himself when he doesn’t even attempt to go through his progressions and throws to a covered receiver. Too many times Dak Prescott became fixated on his target and let it fly whether he was open or not. Sometimes he didn’t even go through his reads, and when he did, he panicked. Dak looked very uncomfortable against the Lions. pic.twitter.com/jjDQt9ZeEU — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 15, 2024 Lack of Dakuracy Prescott’s processing was just the tip of the iceberg for him on Sunday. There were times that Dak had guys open but just misfired on his throws. He didn’t have good footwork and would let passes go with an open stance, resulting in poor accuracy. He was off in all directions, throwing short, long, and behind his receivers. Just these slight ball placement mishaps were all the Lions needed to take advantage. Dak was misfiring quite a bit in this game. Underthrown passes, overthrown passes, and passes behind the receiver. His footwork was sloppy and he repeatedly lost awareness of the Lions’ defenders. pic.twitter.com/STZpD2JRSz — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 15, 2024 Offensive line was outmatched One reason Dak was so on edge in this game was because of all the pressure the Lions created. They did a fantastic job baffling the offensive line at the line of scrimmage. They would delay their rushes and have defenders flying around everywhere. The Cowboys’ offensive line struggled to pick up pass-rushing stunts and were overpowered at the point of attack. They gave veteran Zack Martin all sorts of fits as we can’t remember when he struggled this much in a game. The Cowboys’ offense repeatedly faced 3rd-and-long situations and the Lions’ defense showed no mercy. Props to Detroit’s defense for confusing the Cowboys’ offensive line. They were beating them inside and out. Zack Martin struggled in this one and the Cowboys’ one-dimensional offense was under duress most of the night. pic.twitter.com/XRUFp9pIdf — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 15, 2024 Funny money on the money play Even when the Cowboys had to dig deep for a good play, they just didn’t have it in them to come up with something good. A critical fourth down in their own territory resulted in a turnover on downs when the Cowboys came up empty on a very unimpressive play design that featured few options for Dak. It’s 4th-and-short in your own territory, you gotta have this to stay in the game, and this is the best play you can come up with? I’m embarrassed. pic.twitter.com/Sc34wdzuhC — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 15, 2024 It was laughable It’s one thing when the Lions come out and play well. Props to them. But it’s another thing when the offensive struggles are self-inflicted. At times, the passing game looked as if this was the first game Dak and Cee Lamb had played together. Passes went one way while receivers went somewhere else. The players aren’t doing their jobs and deserve blame, but one cannot help but wonder why the coaching staff doesn’t have them a little more organized. This shouldn’t be happening. I don’t even have words for this. pic.twitter.com/q48cAHou99 — Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 15, 2024

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

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

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?

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