2025 Season | Week 1 | Gameday Chatter Thread | Cowboys @ Eagles | 9/4/2025

[Smitty]

Last night is the epitome of your inability to see a team sport and judge the play of the entire team. You're so hyper forcused it's like you can't even see what's actually happening on the field.

QB is the most important position on the field bar none (sadly, because the NFL chose to make it that way by making passing so easy).

I'd argue it's just the opposite.

This is the only fan base that even attempts to argue that Dak is the QB you should want to get over the hump.

 

[Smitty]

Generally I agree, but he kept making throws last night and many of them kept being dropped.

If Lamb had the one single drop (pick any of the three) and the other two never happened, or maybe if only one more happened, I could easily see the argument because in general I get what you're saying about Dak not being dynamic consistently enough.

But last night the drops were egregious.

I'm not saying they weren't but at some point the failure to turn in an overcoming performnce, individually, is damning.

If he had a history of overcoming but then just didn't get it done last night I'd forgive.

Instead, this is who he is.

Unable to elevate the team around him.

At some point it's not good enough to say "Player X dropped it." To be good enough, Dak has to throw at least one more perfect pass that is converted. If he doesn't, it's on him. That might be an unfair standard but the standard is in comparison to others who win. So the standard has to be did he make enough plays to win, at some point.

He did not.

There is a logical end to that argument - if he put up 45 points, throws 6 touchdowns and no INTs, but the defense lets up 48, and a WR drops the winning touchdown pass on fourth down on the last drive, I let him off the hook. I'm not gonna go back and scour that he should have found a WR on a deep TD a play or two earlier.

That's not the case here. If we go back, there are guaranteed missed opportunities besides 2 second half drops. We didn't put up a single point in the second half. That is not insignificantly on Dak; just as much as it would be on an offensive coordinator. You gotta come up with something that generates more than zero or three second half points.

 

[Simpleton]

This is the only fan base that even attempts to argue that Dak is the QB you should want to get over the hump.

Does anybody actually argue this?

As soon as a realistic opportunity comes up to take a legitimate QB prospect I think most are hoping that happens.

You can acknowledge the fact that Dak is still a good to very good QB who can win you a bunch of games, while also wanting to look for his replacement for obvious reasons.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

QB is the most important position on the field bar none (sadly, because the NFL chose to make it that way by making passing so easy).

I'd argue it's just the opposite.

This is the only fan base that even attempts to argue that Dak is the QB you should want to get over the hump.

Are we? I'd say a lot of fan bases are very similar with QBs that have also not been able to "get over the hump." Lamar Jackson, will he ever get over the hump? And he is with probably the best run franchise in the NFL. Can't get more polar opposite than our joke front office. Josh Allen, will he ever get over the hump? Dude can't get past KC.

There are a lot of NFL QBs that can't get over the hump. QBs that are better than Dak Prescott. And yet a turd like Jalen Hurts can win a Superbowl. A guy who had maybe one impressive throw all night last night? QB is the most important position in the NFL. No question about it. But a lot of teams struggle with QB's that can't "get over the hump." And again, admittedly QBs that are better than Dak. And yet somehow a turd like Hurts can win a Superbowl.

Part of me almost wonders if there is an over emphasis in the NFL on the importance of QB. And maybe teams would be better off investing less in the QB and more in the team around them.

 

[Simpleton]

That's not the case here. If we go back, there are guaranteed missed opportunities besides 2 second half drops. We didn't put up a single point in the second half. That is not insignificantly on Dak as much as it would be on an offensive coordinator.

We only had 4 second half drives.

One ended on the Sanders fumble, the next ended on Lamb dropping a pass that hit him in the hands on 3rd down (would've been 1st and 10 on the Eagles 35), the third we just got stopped, and the 4th was the final drive with the two Lamb drops (one was a routine catch, the second was a difficult catch but one you expect an elite WR to make).

Not sure you can blame Dak for any of that unless you expect him to get us into scoring position on every drive regardless of what else is happening.

 

[Genghis Khan]

They weren't just three random drops at random points in the game, one was a huge 3rd down conversion late in the 3rd (or even early 4th) that would've given us a 1st down around the Eagles 35, instead we were punting. The other would've given us a 1st down around the Eagles 20 with 2 minutes left.

Yeah, those weren't run of the mill drops, they were enormous egregious game changing drops.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Not sure you can blame Dak for any of that unless you expect him to get us into scoring position on every drive regardless of what else is happening.

I guess you could say Dak didn't run for first downs. And maybe that's the flaw in his game. You can't drop a pass when your QB is just getting it on the ground.

 

[Bipo]

Dak was least of problems last night. He earned a good portion of his check. High praise from me.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I mean, we lost because our best player had the worst game of his career. Pretty much that simple.

If that keeps happening, we'll lose a lot more. But his track record says it won't keep happening and was just an anomaly.

 

[Simpleton]

One thing I found interesting was that it seemed like Damone Clark is ahead of Liufau on the depth chart, kind of disappointing because Clark didn't look great to me last night and was the prime person at fault for one of the Hurts 3rd down scrambles.

Juanyeh Thomas barely played any defensive snaps as far as I could tell, which was kind of surprising.

 

[Simpleton]

I mean, we lost because our best player had the worst game of his career. Pretty much that simple.

If that keeps happening, we'll lose a lot more. But his track record says it won't keep happening and was just an anomaly.

Plus a red zone turnover.

And we were still in good position to win until the very end.

That's reason for encouragement, even if we know the chances at going really deep in the playoffs are slim to none.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I mean, we lost because our best player had the worst game of his career. Pretty much that simple.

If that keeps happening, we'll lose a lot more. But his track record says it won't keep happening and was just an anomaly.

Its weird because I want to give Lamb props for literally torching the DBs. If he doesn't drop 3 to 4 balls, he has an insanely dominant game. But getting open doesn't really matter if the ball goes between your hands. I have no explanation but to chalk it up as everyone has a bad day.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

One thing I found interesting was that it seemed like Damone Clark is ahead of Liufau on the depth chart, kind of disappointing because Clark didn't look great to me last night and was the prime person at fault for one of the Hurts 3rd down scrambles.

Yes, why was that? Although at least Loofa was out there at the start of the second half.

I wonder if Clark is one of those guys who looks like he has it physically and practices well but for whatever reason can't take it to the game. Maybe this is Eberflus still learning his players.

 

[Genghis Khan]

but he was a hell of a lot better than I thought he’d be given as much time as he missed.

That's a good point. He hasn't played in an actual game in almost a year. I keep forgetting that.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

That's a good point. He hasn't played in an actual game in almost a year. I keep forgetting that.

As Simp said, this was very much like the Tampa opener a few years ago when he was coming off the exploding ankle and no one knew what to expect. We lost but he played great.

 

[Smitty]

We only had 4 second half drives.

One ended on the Sanders fumble, the next ended on Lamb dropping a pass that hit him in the hands on 3rd down (would've been 1st and 10 on the Eagles 35), the third we just got stopped, and the 4th was the final drive with the two Lamb drops (one was a routine catch, the second was a difficult catch but one you expect an elite WR to make).

Not sure you can blame Dak for any of that unless you expect him to get us into scoring position on every drive regardless of what else is happening.

As I said, there were definite missed opportunities at other spots. If this was the first time this happened, ok.

At some point you have to convert on some of these when you are being paid as he is or face criticism.

Without straining I can point to the underthrown pass to Ferguson that would have been a TD.

 

[Bipo]

 

[Cowboysrock55]

That's a good point. He hasn't played in an actual game in almost a year. I keep forgetting that.

I actually was concerned about his leg and his ability to move around. You never know how a guy is going to come back from an injury like that. But Dak looked more mobile than he has in a long time. At least within the pocket. He still isn't attempting to run for any yards.

In terms of health I think Dak looked 100% all there.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Josh Allen, will he ever get over the hump?

No.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Part of me almost wonders if there is an over emphasis in the NFL on the importance of QB. And maybe teams would be better off investing less in the QB and more in the team around them.

One of things the eagles have consistently done well is to make sure they have a very good (or better) RB.

That position is so undervalued right now it's ridiculous, because so many guys can be competent. But a top of the league RB is worth his weight in gold.

You'd think we'd have learned that when we had prime Zeke and prime Murray, but alas.