‘We’ve got to get this fixed.’ Andy Dalton reacts to Dallas Cowboys’ ugly loss on MNF
The first start in Andy Dalton’s Dallas Cowboys’ tenure wasn’t one for the memory books.
The former TCU star quarterback was under attack for much of the Cowboys’ 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Monday night. He was sacked three times and pressure eight times. In short, he barely had time to drop back before a defensive lineman was in his face. The Cowboys’ depleted offensive line, which lost All-Pro right guard Zack Martin to a concussion in the first quarter, was as bad as you’d expect for the rest of the game.
Dalton, however, still threw for 266 yards on 34 of 54 passing with two interceptions and a touchdown. One of the interceptions came on a play in which receiver CeeDee Lamb was basically tackled during his route and never made it to the spot where Dalton was throwing.
Here’s an edited transcript of Dalton’s post-game press conference:
Dalton on the turnovers that have led to 84 point for opponents this season
We’re hurting ourselves with turnovers, and we’ve got to get this fixed. It has been the trend this year, especially early in games. That has affected how we’ve been able to play. We haven’t been able to run our full offense and run it how it should be run because we’re getting down in these games because we’re turning the ball over. I think it’s one of those things where we’ve got to get this fixed. The ball is the most important thing, and we can’t be handing it to the other team.
Dalton on how making his first start for the Cowboys
You want to start early and get into a rhythm. We had a couple three-and-outs and we put a good drive together. Unfortunately, we had a turnover there. I felt like we moved the ball and did some good things early on, but like I said, we kept handing it to them and it started in the second half with the same thing. There are some good things that we can take away, but there’s a lot of areas we need to improve. It’s one of those things where everybody has to look at themselves. I’ve got to be better and I’ve got to do a better job out there of giving our guys chances. We’ll look at this one and move on from it.
How does Dalton assess his play?
There are things that I could do better, and I know that. It’s one of those things where I’m always going to be my worst critic. I’m going to go watch the film and see what I can do to help this team. At the end of the day, everyone has to do the same thing. We have to look at ourselves and say, ‘What can I do to make me a better player that will help us win these games and give us a chance?’
Dalton on the key to fixing the turnovers and putting the defense in bad positions
We haven’t been able to overcome it. We’ve been putting our defense in bad situations, and teams have been getting points off these turnovers. When you do that, you’re going to make it hard on yourself to win these games. It’s one of those things that you can’t do if you want to be a good team and a good offense. We didn’t do that tonight.
Could the Cowboys’ injuries and 2-4 start create some confidence issues?
Injuries are going to happen in this game. That’s the unfortunate part of the game. Guys have to step up, regardless of who’s out there. There’s still an expectation to play well; there’s still an expectation to win and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Injuries happen in this game, but you can’t make any of that an excuse. You’ve got to trust the guy that’s out there, and guys have to perform.
Did Dalton talk to Dak Prescott before Monday’s game?
Yeah, I talked to him. For Dak, he was excited for me to get a chance to play. We’ve got a great relationship, and it’s just one of those things where he said to ‘just be yourself and go play.’ Unfortunately, we were unable to get it done today.
Does being in first place of the NFC East mean anything right now?
You can look at that, but we’ve got to be playing better. At the end of the day, that’s what matters for us. We’ve got to look at ourselves and say, ‘What can we do to [start] playing better in these games?’ At the end of the day, that’s what matters most. The record is what it is right now; the division is what it is right now. But there’s still a lot of football left to be played. For us, we’ve got to improve as a football team.
Did Dalton feel more pressure from the Cardinals’ defensive line after guard Zack Martin left the game?
They pressured a lot tonight. That was obviously part of their plan. For us, we had a good plan going in on how to handle their pressure and different things, but they did a good job tonight.
Did Dalton say anything to Ezekiel Elliott about his two fumbles?
You never want to turn over the ball. He understands that, and he knows that. Zeke is going to get this thing fixed.
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 7:03 AM.
