Cowboys’ loss sends big message
NEW ORLEANS – This was the kind of outing that puts it in perspective.
The Dallas Cowboys couldn’t beat a team that couldn’t score a touchdown.
Couldn’t beat the New Orleans Saints without Drew Brees.
Couldn’t live up to the increasing hype about being a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
How embarrassing.
In falling at the Superdome 12-10 on Sunday night, the Cowboys served up a primetime message that just might put their often-obnoxious fan base in check. In other words, it’s about time to pump the brakes on any Super Bowl-or-bust bandwagon business.
Hey, maybe the Cowboys (3-1) will still stand tall in late January and early February after all. Jerry’s team, with that emerging defense, has enough pieces to put it together and make a run.
But their Monday morning hangover comes with a hard-knock lesson that needs to be addressed: Championship teams don’t squander opportunities like the Cowboys did under the bright lights.
They had a chance to kick the Saints when they were down – Brees is projected to miss at least another month while recovering from thumb surgery.
The Cowboys had a litmus test and flunked with flying colors, wasting an impressive effort from their defense. Late last season, the Cowboys shut down the Saints (and Brees) in scoring an upset on their home turf. But this time, the Saints defense put a similar number on the Cowboys’ prolific offense to return the upset favor.
“We didn’t come out and play winning football at all,” Ezekiel Elliott told reporters.
“Our defense played their (butt) off,” Elliott added. “They kept us in the game. They gave us a chance and we just didn’t hold up on the offensive end. We can’t let our guys down like that.”
Elliott, the NFL’S reigning rushing champ, was reduced pedestrian production by the suddenly stout Saints defense. He averaged 1.9 yards per carry in rushing for grand total of 35. He even lost a fumble – albeit one with a questionable ruling – that doused momentum before halftime.
Good that Elliott pointed the finger at himself, too, as he lamented the long night for Dallas’ offense. But Dak Prescott didn’t bring his A-game, either, failing to throw or run for a touchdown for the first time all year with his season-low 73.2 passer rating. It was not the example to bring to the negotiating table as talks continue for a long-term extension. Jason Witten, the old soul running down the seam, fumbled, too, killing another drive. And where was Amari Cooper, who had 48 yards receiving? Often blanketed by Marshon Lattimore.
Maybe it was just a bad day at the office when it is so difficult for NFL teams – even the Patriots – to stay consistent from start to finish in any given season. Witten’s fumble, for instance, was just his ninth lost fumble in 16 years. Elliott’s rushing average was the worst of his career in a game with at least 10 carries. There were aberrations that suggest that it’s hardly panic time.
Then again, maybe the loss was an indication that the Cowboys – more than two decades since the franchise’s last Super Bowl glory – aren’t quite as complete as it may have seemed. At the very least, they have a fresh reminder of the competition they’ll face on the way to a (potential) deep playoff run.
Just look at the quality (or lack thereof) of the competition that seemingly fueled a frenzy with the fan base. In the first three weeks, the Cowboys beat the Eli Manning-led Giants, the woebegone Redskins and the essential expansion team that is the Dolphins.
Next up, Aaron Rodgers at Jerryworld, with the Packers QB coming off a 400-yard game. In the coming weeks and months, they will see the Eagles twice, the Bears’ defense, and both of last season’s Super Bowl teams, the Patriots and Rams. They might also have to return to the Superdome in January. Regardless, they just had a taste of playoff atmosphere.
It’s a long season. This was never going to be an undefeated campaign for the Cowboys. But to be a legitimate contender, they must prove capable of winning – not squandering – the type of gut-check game that went sideways in the Dome.