Ouch.
The Dallas Cowboys fell 28-20 to the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football. There’s enough bad Cowboys content in that game to write Pulitzer Prize-winning novels about, but simply put, there’s not enough time for it.
This was meant to be a good start to a new year, but instead it’s a massive blemish on the resume.
What went wrong? Well, there are more than three, but here are three significant, disappointing developments from Sunday’s loss to the Giants.
Graduation On Hold for Dallas Cowboys Defense
DC Christian Parker said this about his defense on Thursday:
Well, it’s time to go back to school.
The rushing defense was a sight for sore eyes. Cam Skattebo alone rushed for 81 yards on 18 carries—good for 4.5 yards a pop. In total, New York ran 37 times for 165 yards, once again amounting to 4.5 yards a carry. Jaxson Dart nearly ran for five yards a carry—a scary omen for a team hosting Jayden Daniels next week.
Speaking of Dart, he probably had the game of his career on Sunday. 23/29 (79%) for 230 and three passing touchdowns. No turnovers, either. Dart saw absolutely no resistance when dropping back to pass and somehow even less when he left the pocket.
If the defense has one positive, it’s that they took the ball away once. Outside of that, they’re not ready for their diplomas.
Offense, Wake Up!
The Dallas Cowboys’ offense didn’t lose this game. However, that doesn’t excuse their relatively inadequate play.
Dak Prescott didn’t play poorly, but he was off his normal MVP-contender level on Sunday. His interception before half, in particular? One of his worst decisions as a Cowboy—maybe even as a football player—and it gave the Giants seven points.
That interception also happened because George Pickens dropped a pass that Prescott put right in his box. Pickens is and will remain worth every penny, but Sunday was rough. Not only did he have two big drops, but he was also hardly in the game outside of that, finishing with only three catches and 28 yards.
Javonte Williams was the bright spot, as he found the end zone twice. However, on his second trip, he directly cost his team a point by collecting a 15-yard penalty for celebrating into the end zone. Showing passion and having fun is imperative, but don’t do that when you’re down 14 points.
Again, not bad overall, but if the other team scores 28 points, “not bad” won’t cut it.
This Is Still a Big Issue, Too
“This” refers to the penalties, for those curious.
Nine penalties for 90 yards. Some were egregious too—Jaishawn Barham had the most egregious encroachment penalty the NFL might see all year here:
That’s on a 3rd and 1 to try to get off the field. Giving away free first downs and holding penalties—that’s exactly how you lose football games.
It’s Week 1, and it’s bleak. The Cowboys have time to fix these issues, but they need to. Preferably, it happens quickly, too.
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