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Sturm: Cowboys fail to earn anyone’s trust in a complete, naive meltdown
By Bob Sturm
5h ago
Goodness, that was some supreme foolishness.
If you want to play a season where you can clinch a playoff spot roughly a month early, despite playing without your starting quarterback for more than a month, we should acknowledge that there have been very few days like this. Granted, this football team is much better than previous Dallas Cowboys models that make everyone so doggone cynical about everything they see on the field.
But, if you want a textbook example of why nobody trusts these Cowboys to finally break down the walls of self-sabotage, then you cannot do this sort of thing every month or so.
It was bad enough to let Green Bay come back from 14 points down early in the fourth quarter in Week 10. After all, that was Aaron Rodgers and Lambeau Field. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised if the roadrunner outfoxes the coyote again. It is just like the other episodes, so we kinda had our guesses about how that one would end.
But, this one? This definitely felt worthy of a “trap game” label. The Cowboys are gearing up for the Eagles on Christmas Eve and playing a team that hasn’t been good in a long time. They were 3-8 a few weeks back and appeared to be fine playing for next season. You have seen that Trevor Lawrence is starting to play well and that should shock nobody who is familiar with Doug Pederson and his work with QBs.
But, this team is not ready to beat the Cowboys, right?
Especially with the Cowboys holding a 27-10 lead a few minutes after 2 p.m. CT on Sunday. They are up three scores on a team that is hesitant to allow its QB to face a full-frontal pass rush. Much of what he was throwing most of the day was what Dallas is starting to see every week — tons of quick-game and movement to slow down the pass rush. It is just not smart to let Lawrence get beat up and after all, the Jaguars were down 17 points. This game might be over if Dallas gets one more stop to end the third quarter.
Looking back, that is a funny and maddening thought.
Because by 2:05 p.m., the Jaguars were right back in the game because the Cowboys botched quarters coverage on a harmless first-down play-action rollout that targeted Kelvin Joseph with a double-move from Zay Jones. Malik Hooker appeared to be assigned to provide help, but got caught flat-footed in no man’s land and instead provided no help whatsoever. So, once Joseph falls for the double move, Jones is a good five yards behind everyone and Lawrence — the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick — puts the Jaguars right back in the game with a beautiful 59-yard play to Jones for a touchdown.
And, just that quickly, with one moment of carelessness, it’s a game again.
Given that the stadium is starting to rock and the Jaguars’ confidence is much higher these days now that Pederson has shown them how to win against the Raiders, Ravens and Titans in the past five weeks, it now falls to the Cowboys offense to quiet things back down again. They had done it all day. The Cowboys had scored on five of seven drives so far and were playing with their food. Sure, the Jaguars cut the lead to 10 points, but it is late in the third quarter and this is exactly the type of game this team wants to play. The Cowboys want to keep scoring at such a pace that the only way an opponent can deal with them is to pass repeatedly. That brings the Cowboys’ pass rush into play and that is when the sacks and takeaways happen. In other words, the Cowboys want the passing game to press the issue and force the tempo. And unfortunately, it bit them again in this one.
Perhaps the running game can start sawing wood on that next drive. We will never know because on first down, the Cowboys threw the ball and Arden Key beat Tyler Smith to sack Dak Prescott And, yes on second down, facing a second-and-18, the Cowboys decided to throw again and Prescott was on the run and tried to avoid yet another sack. The Jaguars chased after him hard and he sailed a pass that was picked off and returned.
We should call that play calling and QB play extremely naive. Dallas was up multiple scores and decided to show the Jaguars that they are all about shock and awe in that spot? The Jaguars were in need of the Cowboys doing them a big favor so Dallas obliged them with a sack and interception within two snaps? You realize the goal this season was to win at the line of scrimmage and make teams beg for mercy with physical football when you win the street fight, right?
“Naive” is an adjective that describes a person or action that is “showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment.” And the patch of time between the Cowboys’ 27-10 lead and the subsequent series of unfortunate events that put them down 31-27 at 2:27 p.m. seemed to describe all of that. They allowed the Jaguars to undo all of the good they had done in roughly 20 minutes of real time, partly because both of the Cowboys’ drives were wildly ineffective and compounded by their defense allowing nearly 200 yards in the blink of an eye.
In many ways, it was the Green Bay game all over again. In other ways, it was even worse.
And that is why people don’t trust this team. Because they can have nothing but open water in front of them and still find an iceberg that wasn’t even near them. Was it offensive coordinator Kellen Moore not recognizing the situation? Or Mike McCarthy, who preaches a running game to kill games? Or maybe defensive coordinator Dan Quinn allowed a naive coverage not thinking the Jaguars could beat the defense in one play? Or was it Prescott not realizing that turnovers are death?
Who is thinking this through? And how disrespectful does it get to blow two massive leads in the second half of two road games against teams that will be unlikely to smell the playoffs this year when the Cowboys had to cooperate at nearly every turn for the home team to come to life?
Just bewildering and frustrating at the same time.
But, wait because it gets even worse!
The Cowboys trailed by four points and with the game on the line they put themselves right back in front with a masterful drive that included the ground and pound sandwiched between two great moments from the passing game. The first was a drive-starter when CeeDee Lamb built on an already huge game with a 25-yard sprint through the defense to midfield. The second was a magnificent touchdown pass from Prescott to Noah Brown in the end zone on a third-and-6 when Dallas avoided a major fourth-down decision if it didn’t connect. Would you go for it or kick a field goal to cut the lead to one? It no longer applied because the Cowboys took back major control of the game with a long seven-minute drive to restore order and the lead, 34-31.
With only three minutes to go, it should only take one last stop to seal the game. That was the type of top-level clutch drive that should build major confidence in those who harbor doubt about Prescott’s ability to make plays with the chips down. And it is the second week in a row that he has done exactly that.
Yet, it would not be the game-winning drive, now, would it?
No. Because the Cowboys would get the ball two more times and neither would go well.
First, Jacksonville had its chance to answer with 3:02 to play and Lawrence kept making plays. His third-down conversion with the cool comfort of a veteran added more evidence that his future appeared to be very special. But, at midfield, with the drive going very well, he avoided a sure sack from Sam Williams and then ran into field goal range. His lesson learned is to perhaps get down and protect the ball because Jayron Kearse knocked it free and the fumble was the takeaway Dallas needed to win the game.
The offense made its play and the defense made its play, too. Game over, right?
This is where it would be appropriate to mention once again that word — naive. The Jaguars had their timeouts and looked to burn them all to get one last shot. Your decision, as the head coach and offensive coordinator, is whether you wish to kill this game on one big pass play or follow the script and make the Jaguars use every last resource by continuing to run the ball three times. Could the Cowboys move the chains and burn their timeouts? Well, then start up the bus. But, even if you don’t, you punt it deep and know that Jacksonville had no timeouts against your big, bad pass rush. Sure, the Jaguars had held up OK with the pass rush, but remember how this thing gets better late in the game due to exhaustion and a deep rotation combined with the necessity for a quarterback to stand tall in a collapsing pocket?
Instead, the Cowboys showed a lack of wisdom and passed downfield on a low-percentage deep-back shoulder fade to Brown that just missed. If the Cowboys converted, it is obviously incredibly impressive. But, if the Cowboys don’t make it, the Jaguars get to keep one precious timeout which surely will matter. As you know, it did matter and Lawrence is quality and the combination of those two reaped an incredible clutch throw to Jones for 18 yards to the Cowboys’ 31-yard line. After they banged that last timeout, the Jaguars had the chance to kick that game-tying field goal with no time left in regulation.
Full marks to Lawrence and that upward-trending offense, but they absolutely required Dallas’ cooperation of stupidity. Why would the Cowboys comply? Why would they — not long after the moment happened in Green Bay — be so reckless about killing off a road game like this?
I just don’t think I can understand this one. I love the “go for the jugular” intent, for sure. But, sometimes you don’t need to gather style points and instead follow the path to a traditional victory with the percentage increases. In this case, the opponent needed time and you had the power to take plenty of it away.
The Cowboys provided a path for the Jaguars to tie the game and allow the overtime to even exist. And, if there is no overtime, then there is no moment when Prescott hits Brown between the 8 and the 5 on his jersey and the ball bounces off his chest and hands right to Rayshawn Jenkins who can’t believe his good fortune. Jenkins hits the gas and heads for the game-winning, walk-off touchdown.
How many mistakes were made after 2 p.m.? Too many to count.
Meanwhile, Pederson, who literally has a statue in Philadelphia and probably should still be the coach there, helped cement the Eagles’ spot as the NFC East division champion and the top seed in the conference. He is a legend in that city and taking down the Cowboys one more time will not damage that legacy.
Is this the start of another late-season swoon? I know the answer is clear to the cynics. They don’t trust this group because this group has not earned the right to be trusted. Just when you think they might be a different and improved squad, they do something like this and it all goes backward again.
The Cowboys have played eight games since getting Prescott back and won six. In the other two, they had massive late leads and gave the game away. They will be in the playoffs with a chance to rewrite their story, but they have indicators that suggest it is the same story again.
This looks like a naive group and that seems to be a major problem.
The Cowboys should not have lost this game. That is why they continue to be doubted. Times like these remind us that it is their own fault.
By Bob Sturm
5h ago
Goodness, that was some supreme foolishness.
If you want to play a season where you can clinch a playoff spot roughly a month early, despite playing without your starting quarterback for more than a month, we should acknowledge that there have been very few days like this. Granted, this football team is much better than previous Dallas Cowboys models that make everyone so doggone cynical about everything they see on the field.
But, if you want a textbook example of why nobody trusts these Cowboys to finally break down the walls of self-sabotage, then you cannot do this sort of thing every month or so.
It was bad enough to let Green Bay come back from 14 points down early in the fourth quarter in Week 10. After all, that was Aaron Rodgers and Lambeau Field. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised if the roadrunner outfoxes the coyote again. It is just like the other episodes, so we kinda had our guesses about how that one would end.
But, this one? This definitely felt worthy of a “trap game” label. The Cowboys are gearing up for the Eagles on Christmas Eve and playing a team that hasn’t been good in a long time. They were 3-8 a few weeks back and appeared to be fine playing for next season. You have seen that Trevor Lawrence is starting to play well and that should shock nobody who is familiar with Doug Pederson and his work with QBs.
But, this team is not ready to beat the Cowboys, right?
Especially with the Cowboys holding a 27-10 lead a few minutes after 2 p.m. CT on Sunday. They are up three scores on a team that is hesitant to allow its QB to face a full-frontal pass rush. Much of what he was throwing most of the day was what Dallas is starting to see every week — tons of quick-game and movement to slow down the pass rush. It is just not smart to let Lawrence get beat up and after all, the Jaguars were down 17 points. This game might be over if Dallas gets one more stop to end the third quarter.
Looking back, that is a funny and maddening thought.
Because by 2:05 p.m., the Jaguars were right back in the game because the Cowboys botched quarters coverage on a harmless first-down play-action rollout that targeted Kelvin Joseph with a double-move from Zay Jones. Malik Hooker appeared to be assigned to provide help, but got caught flat-footed in no man’s land and instead provided no help whatsoever. So, once Joseph falls for the double move, Jones is a good five yards behind everyone and Lawrence — the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick — puts the Jaguars right back in the game with a beautiful 59-yard play to Jones for a touchdown.
And, just that quickly, with one moment of carelessness, it’s a game again.
Given that the stadium is starting to rock and the Jaguars’ confidence is much higher these days now that Pederson has shown them how to win against the Raiders, Ravens and Titans in the past five weeks, it now falls to the Cowboys offense to quiet things back down again. They had done it all day. The Cowboys had scored on five of seven drives so far and were playing with their food. Sure, the Jaguars cut the lead to 10 points, but it is late in the third quarter and this is exactly the type of game this team wants to play. The Cowboys want to keep scoring at such a pace that the only way an opponent can deal with them is to pass repeatedly. That brings the Cowboys’ pass rush into play and that is when the sacks and takeaways happen. In other words, the Cowboys want the passing game to press the issue and force the tempo. And unfortunately, it bit them again in this one.
Perhaps the running game can start sawing wood on that next drive. We will never know because on first down, the Cowboys threw the ball and Arden Key beat Tyler Smith to sack Dak Prescott And, yes on second down, facing a second-and-18, the Cowboys decided to throw again and Prescott was on the run and tried to avoid yet another sack. The Jaguars chased after him hard and he sailed a pass that was picked off and returned.
We should call that play calling and QB play extremely naive. Dallas was up multiple scores and decided to show the Jaguars that they are all about shock and awe in that spot? The Jaguars were in need of the Cowboys doing them a big favor so Dallas obliged them with a sack and interception within two snaps? You realize the goal this season was to win at the line of scrimmage and make teams beg for mercy with physical football when you win the street fight, right?
“Naive” is an adjective that describes a person or action that is “showing a lack of experience, wisdom, or judgment.” And the patch of time between the Cowboys’ 27-10 lead and the subsequent series of unfortunate events that put them down 31-27 at 2:27 p.m. seemed to describe all of that. They allowed the Jaguars to undo all of the good they had done in roughly 20 minutes of real time, partly because both of the Cowboys’ drives were wildly ineffective and compounded by their defense allowing nearly 200 yards in the blink of an eye.
In many ways, it was the Green Bay game all over again. In other ways, it was even worse.
And that is why people don’t trust this team. Because they can have nothing but open water in front of them and still find an iceberg that wasn’t even near them. Was it offensive coordinator Kellen Moore not recognizing the situation? Or Mike McCarthy, who preaches a running game to kill games? Or maybe defensive coordinator Dan Quinn allowed a naive coverage not thinking the Jaguars could beat the defense in one play? Or was it Prescott not realizing that turnovers are death?
Who is thinking this through? And how disrespectful does it get to blow two massive leads in the second half of two road games against teams that will be unlikely to smell the playoffs this year when the Cowboys had to cooperate at nearly every turn for the home team to come to life?
Just bewildering and frustrating at the same time.
But, wait because it gets even worse!
The Cowboys trailed by four points and with the game on the line they put themselves right back in front with a masterful drive that included the ground and pound sandwiched between two great moments from the passing game. The first was a drive-starter when CeeDee Lamb built on an already huge game with a 25-yard sprint through the defense to midfield. The second was a magnificent touchdown pass from Prescott to Noah Brown in the end zone on a third-and-6 when Dallas avoided a major fourth-down decision if it didn’t connect. Would you go for it or kick a field goal to cut the lead to one? It no longer applied because the Cowboys took back major control of the game with a long seven-minute drive to restore order and the lead, 34-31.
With only three minutes to go, it should only take one last stop to seal the game. That was the type of top-level clutch drive that should build major confidence in those who harbor doubt about Prescott’s ability to make plays with the chips down. And it is the second week in a row that he has done exactly that.
Yet, it would not be the game-winning drive, now, would it?
No. Because the Cowboys would get the ball two more times and neither would go well.
First, Jacksonville had its chance to answer with 3:02 to play and Lawrence kept making plays. His third-down conversion with the cool comfort of a veteran added more evidence that his future appeared to be very special. But, at midfield, with the drive going very well, he avoided a sure sack from Sam Williams and then ran into field goal range. His lesson learned is to perhaps get down and protect the ball because Jayron Kearse knocked it free and the fumble was the takeaway Dallas needed to win the game.
The offense made its play and the defense made its play, too. Game over, right?
This is where it would be appropriate to mention once again that word — naive. The Jaguars had their timeouts and looked to burn them all to get one last shot. Your decision, as the head coach and offensive coordinator, is whether you wish to kill this game on one big pass play or follow the script and make the Jaguars use every last resource by continuing to run the ball three times. Could the Cowboys move the chains and burn their timeouts? Well, then start up the bus. But, even if you don’t, you punt it deep and know that Jacksonville had no timeouts against your big, bad pass rush. Sure, the Jaguars had held up OK with the pass rush, but remember how this thing gets better late in the game due to exhaustion and a deep rotation combined with the necessity for a quarterback to stand tall in a collapsing pocket?
Instead, the Cowboys showed a lack of wisdom and passed downfield on a low-percentage deep-back shoulder fade to Brown that just missed. If the Cowboys converted, it is obviously incredibly impressive. But, if the Cowboys don’t make it, the Jaguars get to keep one precious timeout which surely will matter. As you know, it did matter and Lawrence is quality and the combination of those two reaped an incredible clutch throw to Jones for 18 yards to the Cowboys’ 31-yard line. After they banged that last timeout, the Jaguars had the chance to kick that game-tying field goal with no time left in regulation.
Full marks to Lawrence and that upward-trending offense, but they absolutely required Dallas’ cooperation of stupidity. Why would the Cowboys comply? Why would they — not long after the moment happened in Green Bay — be so reckless about killing off a road game like this?
I just don’t think I can understand this one. I love the “go for the jugular” intent, for sure. But, sometimes you don’t need to gather style points and instead follow the path to a traditional victory with the percentage increases. In this case, the opponent needed time and you had the power to take plenty of it away.
The Cowboys provided a path for the Jaguars to tie the game and allow the overtime to even exist. And, if there is no overtime, then there is no moment when Prescott hits Brown between the 8 and the 5 on his jersey and the ball bounces off his chest and hands right to Rayshawn Jenkins who can’t believe his good fortune. Jenkins hits the gas and heads for the game-winning, walk-off touchdown.
How many mistakes were made after 2 p.m.? Too many to count.
Meanwhile, Pederson, who literally has a statue in Philadelphia and probably should still be the coach there, helped cement the Eagles’ spot as the NFC East division champion and the top seed in the conference. He is a legend in that city and taking down the Cowboys one more time will not damage that legacy.
Is this the start of another late-season swoon? I know the answer is clear to the cynics. They don’t trust this group because this group has not earned the right to be trusted. Just when you think they might be a different and improved squad, they do something like this and it all goes backward again.
The Cowboys have played eight games since getting Prescott back and won six. In the other two, they had massive late leads and gave the game away. They will be in the playoffs with a chance to rewrite their story, but they have indicators that suggest it is the same story again.
This looks like a naive group and that seems to be a major problem.
The Cowboys should not have lost this game. That is why they continue to be doubted. Times like these remind us that it is their own fault.
