Jerry Jones not in feel-good mood after Cowboys’ blowout loss: ‘We missed Dak’ Prescott
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is admittedly not in a feel-good mood after witnessing the 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals Monday at AT&T Stadium.
It was a night on which Jones said the Cowboys were simply outplayed in all areas of the game.
And it left Jones openly acknowledging that the team missed quarterback Dak Prescott, who is out for the remainder of the season with a fractured ankle.
Many of the things that plagued the Cowboys Monday night have been season-long problems, particularly the turnovers and poor defense. Prescott had been able to rally the team and turn those large first-half deficits into competitive second-quarter nail-biters.
But that was not the case with Andy Dalton at the helm as the Cowboys suffered their worst loss since a 39-9 setback to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. The Cowboys committed four turnovers, two fumbles by running back Ezekiel Elliott and two interceptions from Dalton, who completed 34 of 54 passes for 266 yards.
“We missed Dak,” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “Yes, we missed Dak. That was a glaring difference out there last night. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. On the other hand, we can get the most out of our team, and it could be enough with Andy Dalton. We didn’t [Monday] night. And he contributed to the turnovers early.”
Jones said he is okay with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan even though his unit gave up at least 34 points for the fifth straight game and is on pace to set a new club record and potentially challenge the NFL record for points allowed in a season.
He is also not inclined to heap any blame on head coach Mike McCarthy, who he believes can figure out a solution. “He has great football fundamental basics,” Jones said. “I am not concerned about him analyzing and knowing how to address the problem.”
Jones also refused to blame the talent, although the Cowboys are now without six starters for the season in Prescott, tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, tight end Blake Jarwin and defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Trysten Hill.
And that was before they lost All-Pro guard Zack Martin in the first quarter against the Cardinals due to a concussion.
Add it all up and Jones isn’t taking any solace in still being in first place in the NFC East with a 2-4 mark.
“I’m not in the feel-good mood, frankly, that we’ve got manna from heaven being in the East,” Jones said. “When you’re not playing any better than we are, it’s hard [to] get excited about, ‘We may be slow, but we’re better than you’ syndrome.”
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 9:37 AM.
