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Cowboys guaranteed losing season with blowout loss
1h
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- For the first time since 2010, the Dallas Cowboys will finish a season with a losing record.
With their 28-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Cowboys fell to 4-9. While there are mathematical possibilities of a playoff appearance because of the horrible condition of the NFC East, the Cowboys' 2015 season effectively ended where the 2014 season ended.
Except this time they had no controversial ending.
This time they just got whipped.
Blame a defense that could not stop Eddie Lacy and could not take the ball away if you want, but the bulk of the blame has to go to an offense that has scored one or fewer touchdowns in seven of 13 games this season.
The Cowboys’ only touchdown drive Sunday went for 80 yards, but they ran the ball on every play.
After making the score 14-7 on Robert Turbin’s touchdown run in the third quarter, the Cowboys had three drives to tie the score and picked up one first down.
The Cowboys’ passing game is simply woeful. Matt Cassel (13-of-29, 114 yards) was held to fewer than 200 yards passing for the third time in six starts. It’s not as if the Packers’ pass defense is among the NFL’s best. It entered Sunday ranked 20th. His longest completion went for 19 yards and that came on the final futile drive of the game.
The Cowboys have had 68 drives with Cassel at quarterback and have scored eight touchdowns.
Quiet return: Dez Bryant’s return to Lambeau Field was nothing like his appearance here in January when he had a catch overturned on fourth-and-2 late in the fourth quarter. Bryant had a 28-yard catch in the second quarter overturned -- correctly -- and he dropped two passes. He also had a pass in the end zone go off his hands for an interception. Bryant finished with one catch for 9 yards.
What were they thinking? The Cowboys stuck with their big nickel defense (three safeties) for a good portion of the game and they were gashed by Lacy, who finished with 124 yards on 24 carries after he had 5 yards on four carries in his “benching” the previous week against Detroit. The Packers finished the game with 233 rushing yards. It was the most rushing yards allowed by the Cowboys since Philadelphia ran for 256 yards against them on Thanksgiving last season.
One reason to get excited: The Cowboys are three games closer to a top-five pick in next spring’s draft with a 4-9 record. So there’s that.
One reason to panic: How bad can reserve QB Kellen Moore be that he can’t get on the field if the offense is as bad as it is? Coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys have Moore active for a reason. If he can’t play now, then when will he ever play?
Short-yardage woes: On first-and-goal from the Green Bay 1 on their first series, the Cowboys went with their jumbo package with extra tackle Charles Brown and lost 2 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, the Cowboys faced third-and-1 and Turbin was stopped for no gain. The Cowboys are now 7-of-18 in third-and-1 situations this year.
1h
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
GREEN BAY, Wis. -- For the first time since 2010, the Dallas Cowboys will finish a season with a losing record.
With their 28-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Cowboys fell to 4-9. While there are mathematical possibilities of a playoff appearance because of the horrible condition of the NFC East, the Cowboys' 2015 season effectively ended where the 2014 season ended.
Except this time they had no controversial ending.
This time they just got whipped.
Blame a defense that could not stop Eddie Lacy and could not take the ball away if you want, but the bulk of the blame has to go to an offense that has scored one or fewer touchdowns in seven of 13 games this season.
The Cowboys’ only touchdown drive Sunday went for 80 yards, but they ran the ball on every play.
After making the score 14-7 on Robert Turbin’s touchdown run in the third quarter, the Cowboys had three drives to tie the score and picked up one first down.
The Cowboys’ passing game is simply woeful. Matt Cassel (13-of-29, 114 yards) was held to fewer than 200 yards passing for the third time in six starts. It’s not as if the Packers’ pass defense is among the NFL’s best. It entered Sunday ranked 20th. His longest completion went for 19 yards and that came on the final futile drive of the game.
The Cowboys have had 68 drives with Cassel at quarterback and have scored eight touchdowns.
Quiet return: Dez Bryant’s return to Lambeau Field was nothing like his appearance here in January when he had a catch overturned on fourth-and-2 late in the fourth quarter. Bryant had a 28-yard catch in the second quarter overturned -- correctly -- and he dropped two passes. He also had a pass in the end zone go off his hands for an interception. Bryant finished with one catch for 9 yards.
What were they thinking? The Cowboys stuck with their big nickel defense (three safeties) for a good portion of the game and they were gashed by Lacy, who finished with 124 yards on 24 carries after he had 5 yards on four carries in his “benching” the previous week against Detroit. The Packers finished the game with 233 rushing yards. It was the most rushing yards allowed by the Cowboys since Philadelphia ran for 256 yards against them on Thanksgiving last season.
One reason to get excited: The Cowboys are three games closer to a top-five pick in next spring’s draft with a 4-9 record. So there’s that.
One reason to panic: How bad can reserve QB Kellen Moore be that he can’t get on the field if the offense is as bad as it is? Coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys have Moore active for a reason. If he can’t play now, then when will he ever play?
Short-yardage woes: On first-and-goal from the Green Bay 1 on their first series, the Cowboys went with their jumbo package with extra tackle Charles Brown and lost 2 yards. On the first play of the second quarter, the Cowboys faced third-and-1 and Turbin was stopped for no gain. The Cowboys are now 7-of-18 in third-and-1 situations this year.