Cowboys remain in Elliott-less funk, suffer third straight blowout loss

The Dallas Cowboys’ offense is broken and no one has any idea how to fix it.

Well, at least no one in the United States.

With star running back Ezekiel Elliott holed up in Cabo serving the third week of a six-game suspension, the Cowboys’ offense is running on empty and the team’s ability to compete has diminished at every turn.

Thursday’s embarrassing 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was such an abject failure that the direction of the team should be questioned from the players on the field to the coaching staff all the way up to the front office.

“Our performance was not up to par,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Certainly, not enough to match them. We’ve got to get our eyes forward, learn from it as quickly as we can and move forward. We’ve to to get it right. That’s my job, that’s our job as a coaching staff.

“We haven’t done enough on either side of the ball, in the kicking game, to allow us to compete towards the end of the ballgame the last 30 minutes.”

It’s one thing for the Atlanta Falcons, the defending NFC champions, and the Philadelphia Eagles, the team with the league’s best record, to thump the Cowboys in 27-7 and 37-9 shellackings the previous two weeks, respectively.

But the Chargers entered Thursday’s game with a 4-6 mark.

This was the game the Cowboys were supposed to get back on track and hopefully revive their fledgling playoff hopes.

But the Cowboys, now 5-6 and needing a miracle to get back in the wild-card chase, were non-competitive from start to finish in what became their third consecutive blowout loss — a stretch in which they have been outscored 72-6 in the second half.

It marked the first time in franchise history the Cowboys scored 10 or fewer points in three consecutive games and the first time since 2004 they lost three straight by 20 or more points. They finished 6-10 that season.

The Cowboys were so disappointing that owner Jerry Jones spoke to the team afterward in an effort to boost their confidence. He said he is not considering coaching changes, though he did acknowledge that the performance of the team without Elliott has been shocking and eye-opening.

“That is disappointing,” Jones said of his team’s performance. “At the end of the day, we just need some wins. As I said last week, the arithmetic is ticking. Our arrow is not going up. It’s actually going down right now in terms of being able to put the whole package together to win ballgames.

“We have got to stop that slide, stop this spiral. Both from the standpoint of the scoring; both from the standpoint of the second half; both from the standpoint of the teams. That’s a challenge. We just have to go do it. We got to do it with what we’ve got. I have got to look in the mirror. Everybody else is going to.”

Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers had his way with the Cowboys’ overmatched and overworked defense, completing 27 of 33 passes for 434 yards and three touchdowns.

But the Cowboys’ success is largely dependent on their offense. And quarterback Dak Prescott posted his third consecutive poor performance since the departure of Elliott, completing 20 of 27 passes for 179 yards with two interceptions, including one that was returned 90 yards for a touchdown by cornerback Desmond King.

Prescott said this is the toughest and most frustrating stretch of his football career.

“We’re in a funk, or whatever you want to call it,” Prescott said. “It’s not fun to be in. I take more responsibility in a loss like this, when the offense is in a funk. I’ve got to figure out what to do. I’ve got to be better, make better throws.”

The Cowboys hoped the return of left tackle Tyron Smith, who missed the past two games with a groin injury, would make a difference for Prescott and the offense. He was sacked 12 times the previous two games.

But it was to no avail. Prescott was sacked twice against the Chargers and didn’t have a lot of time to throw. When he did, it was mostly check-downs.

The Cowboys opened the game by extending a streak of drives without a touchdown to 26. They trailed 3-0 at halftime and 16-0 at the end of three quarters.

Making matters worse, a 34-yard touchdown run by Prescott that would have made the score 9-7 in the third quarter was nullified by a Smith holding penalty.

The Cowboys finally got on the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of a pass interference penalty and an 18-yard pass to Dez Bryant to set up a 2-yard run by Rod Smith.

But typical of Prescott’s day, he missed a wide-open Terrance Williams on the two-point conversion.

It was 16-6 with 12:48 to go.

But the sign of life was only a blip on the radar.

The Cowboys flat-lined on the ensuing possession as the tired and exposed defense allowed Keenan Allen to score on a 42-yard touchdown catch. Allen dodged five would-be tacklers on his way to the end zone as the defense simply fell apart and allowed 515 total yards — its most since 2013.

And the coup de grace came when King jumped in front of a Prescott pass intended for Cole Beasley and returned it 90 yards to make it 28-6. It was the third interception by Prescott that has been returned for a touchdown this season.

The Chargers followed with another interception. Prescott has been intercepted five times in the past two games.

It’s easy to blame Prescott, but the offense overall has shown little imagination and no play-making ability.

Rather than wondering if the Cowboys can remain in playoff contention until Elliott returns for the Dec. 24 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, there is a legitimate question if the Cowboys will win again this season.

A week after saying everything was still in front of them, Prescott acknowledged that the Cowboys are largely playing for pride.

“It’s where you’ve got to dig deep and find that self-pride, and that will and that want,” Prescott said. “It’s how much you care for each other, this team and the game of football. At this point, we’re 5-6 and what’s behind us is behind us. We’ve got to go individually and collectively, and let the rest take care of itself.

“We’re all frustrated, and we’re going to be frustrated. I’d be [upset] if somebody in there isn’t. We’re not going to lose confidence in ourselves. We’ve just got to get off our own feet and be better.”

And if that’s the case and the Cowboys don’t get it turned around, it’s a logical next step to question if Jones might consider a coaching change — even though he says that’s not an option.

What’s also true is Jones’ standard quote: “Just cause I said it doesn’t make it so.”

“No. No, absolutely not. And I mean it, no,” Jones said when asked about possible staff changes. “ ... Candidly, I’m really not shaken. I’m disappointed, but there’s no shake here.

“What I’m reluctant to do here is say a affirmative thing about our staff, and look like that endorsement. I don’t want to look like they’re getting the proverbial endorsement. That’s not what’s happening, the vote of confidence. I want to say it the best way I can. That’s not what I’m saying. I feel good about our staff, I’m not equivocating about it, and this isn’t the negative vote of confidence at all. I feel good about it.”

This story was originally published November 23, 2017 at 6:44 PM with the headline "Cowboys remain in Elliott-less funk, suffer third straight blowout loss."