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Although the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) lost to the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) by just six points in Week 9, the game was not as close as the scoreboard indicated.
Here are just a few ways the Cowboys were outscored: Dallas went 3-for-13 on third down and 1-for-5 on fourth down; committed double the number of penalties than the Falcons; and had miscommunication and missed tackles on defense — while losing quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter with hamstring and hand injuries. Prescott’s day ended with 133 passing yards and a touchdown on 18 of 24 passing yards.
Prescott stood watching on the sideline late in the fourth quarter and appeared to turn to backup quarterback Trey Lance and say, “We’re fucking bad.”
McCarthy even spiked his tablet after watching Lamb’s botched fourth-down jet sweep, where the block in front went completely wrong.
His counterpart, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, tore apart Mike Zimmer’s Cowboys defense with 222 yards passing and three passing touchdowns by completing 19 of his 24 throws. Midway through the second quarter, Cousins immediately noticed the miscommunication between Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs and his fellow Dallas defenders on fourth-and-3 in the second quarter, which led to him making contact with Atlanta receiver Darnell Mooney for a 36-yard, walk-in touchdown on a wheel route. Diggs spoke at length earlier this week about how he and his fellow Cowboys defensemen are still “getting used” to Zimmer’s scheme. That was clearly visible in that play. Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson also threw for 145 yards from scrimmage on Sunday, with 86 yards rushing on 19 carries, while catching all seven of his targets for 59 yards.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he “has some things in the mix” ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline Tuesday afternoon to make upgrades along the margins to improve his roster. However, it likely won’t be enough to solve the multitude of issues the Cowboys have in 2024.
