Jerry Jones after another stinker: ‘We will get on the right track offensively’
Jerry Jones put on a brave face.
The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager credited the winless Seattle Seahawks for playing like their season depended on it to beat his team 24-13 Sunday afternoon at Century Link Field.
“This team that we played had their backs against the wall. They’re outstandingly coached and they just kept us, from the get-go, off-balance,” Jones said, after the Cowboys dropped to 1-2. “Obviously, we’d like to do a lot of things differently and better than we did but this was a very important game to them and they showed it.”
In the 16-week NFL, of course, every game is important for every team. So make of that comment what you will as to whether the owner was taking a back-handed slap, perhaps inadvertently, at his team’s offensive ineptitude.
“We could never get our rhythm going offensively,” he said. “Finally, when we had to respond when we got behind, we obviously couldn’t do it. That’s disappointing.”
The Cowboys’ offense laid another first-half egg and by the time it had any momentum, the Seahawks owned a sturdy lead. Only one team in the league has scored fewer points than Dallas after three weeks.
Dak Prescott again struggled with some accuracy issues and finished with 168 yards on 19 of 34 passing with two interceptions, both by Seattle’s Earl Thomas. on deflected passes.
“It starts up front obviously with our ability to protect and give ourselves opportunities,” Cowboys’ coach Jason Garrett said. “You also have to make great decisions, throws and catches. We have not done a good job of that.”
Jones said the scoring issues through three weeks haven’t altered his view of offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.
“I think we’ve got the players and I do think we have the talent and I think we have the coaching that can get us on the right track offensively,” he said. “We will get on the right track offensively. I’ll assure you.”
Jones said there’s enough talent for the offense to have success.
“Everybody back in that room thought we could come up here even with Seattle coming home [for its home opener], we felt we could do better. We didn’t,” Jones said curtly. Dallas gained 303 total yards, a season high, including 177 yards in the fourth quarter after falling behind 24-6.
“I don’t see anybody in that room who will accept that we can’t do better offensively no matter what the conditions are, on the road or otherwise,” Jones said. “It was pretty obvious all day long we were disjointed and just couldn’t make it happen.”