Dallas City News

The Dallas Cowboys have lost their third-straight game after falling to the Atlanta Falcons, 27-21. It was much of the same as we’ve seen all season. The offense underperformed and the defense couldn’t hold up. Some of the gaffes might look a little different, but it’s pretty much the same story. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys loss to the Falcons.

1. A good start

While the outcome wasn’t favorable, the game started okay for the Cowboys. They started on defense for the first time in forever and they even held the Falcons to a three-and-out on their first possession. Then, the offense started well by deciding to throw on first down quickly moving the ball into Falcons’ territory. The goodness didn’t last long, but for a brief moment, it gave fans a glimmer of hope.

2. An efficient Rico

There was a lot of drama at the running back position after learning that Ezekiel Elliott did not travel with the team and was made inactive for disciplinary reasons. Dalvin Cook was elevated for a second-straight game and the table was set for the veteran free agent to get a real chance. Little did we know that the player who benefited the most from this would be Rico Dowdle. The undrafted back finished the game with 12 carries for 75 yards for an efficiency of 6.3 yards per attempt. He also added another 36 yards receiving, including a juggled catch for a touchdown. Regardless of the circumstances, it was nice to see the Cowboys have a game with some good runs.

3. Diggs confusion

It hasn’t been a good week for the Cowboys All-Pro corner as he was caught up in some drama with a team reporter over an unfavorable tweet. Then, he’s been dealing with a calf injury that made his status for the game unknown. Well, he played, and it wasn’t a good game for Diggs, at least at certain points. After coming up hobbling, there was some confusion about where he was supposed to be, causing Mike McCarthy to call a timeout. However, even out of the timeout, Diggs seemed lost and got washed out of the play when Cousins found Darnell Mooney wide-open on a wheel route resulting in a 36-yard touchdown.

4. A little pressure

The Cowboys’ defense hasn’t gotten to the quarterback since losing Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Marshawn Kneeland. And this game wasn’t a whole lot different as Kirk Cousins had way too much time to operate. However, there were a couple of bright moments when veteran free agent signing Carl Lawson sacked Cousins twice. The first one resulted in a fumble recovered by Donovan Wilson, giving the Cowboys’ defense their first takeaway in a month.

5. The kicker is still good

When the Cowboys don’t do a lot of scoring there aren’t many things to get excited about, but Brandon Aubrey making long field goals will always be a thing. Aubrey was 2/2 on the day, including a 57-yarder in the third quarter. He is now 19/20 in his career on kicks 50 yards or more. That’s crazy good.

6. Special team goofs

It’s unclear what special teams coach John Fassel saw to have him give Bryan Anger the green light to throw the ball on a fake punt attempt, but man was that terrible. Gunner C.J. Goodwin wasn’t close to being open and the whole play looked forced. What an ugly play.

And even when the special teams did something good, they still found a way to mess it up. Returner KaVontae Turpin looked like he might be off to the races when he got loose down the sidelines, but despite having nobody even close to him, he still couldn’t keep his feet in bounds. A long return turned into nothing.

7. Pre-snap penalties

It’s incredibly frustrating to watch the Cowboys’ offense repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot with all these pre-snap penalties. Guys can’t help themselves from lining up in the wrong spot or jumping early. It’s just brutal to watch. Even when the offense had an opportunity to go for it on fourth-and-inches it was wiped away when they got flagged for 12 men in the huddle when Dalvin Cook couldn’t get off the field. It’s just a never-ending assortment of errors by the Cowboys’ offense.

8. More injuries

As if things couldn’t get any worse, the Cowboys lost their quarterback at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Any chance of making a comeback faded, although credit Cooper Rush for muddling his way through and making the game closer. And later CeeDee Lamb had to come out (he did return) with a shoulder injury.

The Cowboys were already without three All-Pro defensive starters in this game, but now they are dealing with injuries from two of their All-Pro offensive starters. That’s not good.

9. Deja vu

Suddenly the season has started to look eerily similar to the 2020 season. Back then the defense was a hot mess as the team struggled to adapt to a new defensive coordinator. Dak Prescott got hurt, although it’s nowhere as significant as it was that year. Even the special teams got in on the misery with stupid fake punt plays. And when the Cowboys tried that onside kick in an attempt to complete a comeback against Atlanta, it was hard not to think of that Biff Tannen “There’s something very familiar about this” meme. Like the 2020 season, fans feel defeated because we know the chances to be competitive this year are quickly flowing down the drain.

10. The end is near

It hasn’t been a good year for Mike McCarthy. The penalties, the blah play-calling, and the overall preparation of his team, it’s all so messy. Anytime he’s questioned about anything in the media, he’s always quick to deflect the blame elsewhere as if he has no control over what’s going on. With each new week, the Cowboys seasons continue to unravel and McCarthy can see the writing on the wall as frustration has set in.