Questionable play calls lead to Dallas Cowboys’ undoing in loss to Washington
The Dallas Cowboys had a chance to take a big step towards salvaging their season and even seize a claim at first place in a Thanksgiving matchup against Washington. But they simply couldn’t get out of their own way and their NFC East rival feasted on their miscues in Washington’s 41-16 victory before 30,048 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Washington moved to 4-7 on the season and the Cowboys are back to last place in the division at 3-8 with the New York Giants (3-7) and the Philadelphia Eagles (3-6-1) set to play on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
The coupe de grace for the Cowboys came in the fourth quarter, facing a fourth-and-10 at their own 24, and trailing 20-16.
Coach Mike McCarthy and special teams coordinator John Fassel called a fake punt.
Cornerback Darian Thompson, the up back on the punt team, took the snap and handed it to receiver CeeDee Lamb coming around on a reverse. He was tackled for a 1-yard loss.
Washington running back Antonio Gibson took it to the house on the next play to put the game away.
McCarthy expressed no regrets about the fake punt. He said he was showing belief in his team and it was a good call, despite the position on the field and the game situation.
“You won’t get anywhere if you think about negatives all the time,” McCarthy said. “It was a solid play call. Good play design. Their gunner made a good play. You can’t convert them all. You don’t call them if you don’t believe them. I understood the situation when I made the call.”
Gibson (115 yards, 20 carries, 3TDs) added a 37-yard score with 3:31 left in the game. And the Cowboys following possession quarterback Andy Dalton was picked off by defensive end Montez Sweat, who returned the ball 15 yards for the game’s final touchdown.
But it was the fake punt call and another questionable play call that seemed to be the Cowboys’ undoing.
In the second quarter, a failed fourth-down conversion led to Washington taking the lead. Dalton threw incomplete to rookie CeeDee Lamb on a fourth-and-1 gamble from their own 34. The view both on in real-time and in replay looked as though the defender prevented Lamb from making the catch. Tack on a 15-yard unsportsmanlike call and Washington was already inside the red zone when they took over on downs.
McCarthy had no regrets about that call either, with the ball so deep on his own territory. He said it was a matchup they liked and that they play should have been converted.
Quarterback Alex Smith connected with tight end Logan Thomas on a 5-yard scoring toss, putting Washington up 17-10. The Cowboys made it 17-13 at halftime time on a 32-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein.
But disaster struck again for the Cowboys on the opening drive of the third quarter when running back Ezekiel Elliott lost his NFL-leading fifth fumble of the season. Washington got a field goal out of it, making the score 20-13.
And even as the Cowboys did something good to get back in the game they were unable to fully capitalize.
A 43-yard interception return by linebacker Jaylon Smith gave the Cowboys a first down at the 4, but that was essentially wasted as the Cowboys lost three yards on three plays and had to settle for a field goal.
It was that kind of day and, so far, has been that kind of season for the Cowboys, who were hoping to build on last Sunday’s 31-28 victory against the Minnesota Vikings and now still haven’t won back-to-back games this season.
“We were in this game,” Dalton said. “It got out of hand at the end. We were in a good place. We had everything in front of us. We weren’t able to get it done in the second half. That is frustrating. We can’t let the game end the way it did.”
Dalton completed 25 of 35 passes for 215 yards in game. He had a 54-yard touchdown pass to Amari Cooper in the first half to go along with the late interception.
The season is not over for the Cowboys because the division is so bad, but they have now been swept by Washington in two games by scores of 25-3 and 41-16. “I think everyone understands the state of our division,” McCarthy said. “We are going to reboot.”
Thursday’s game was the 10th Thanksgiving Day meeting between the two teams, and the Cowboys had been 8-1 in the series.
The Cowboys are scheduled to play at the Baltimore Ravens next Thursday. The Ravens were supposed to play Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers but that game was postponed until Sunday due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the organization. It could be postponed again, which may impact the Cowboys game.
The Cowboys admittedly entered the Washington game with heavy hearts following the death of strength coach Markus Paul, 54, on Wednesday.
The Cowboys did a video tribute and moment of silence for Paul before the game. They were a decal with his initials on the back of their helmets.
The players stood up and shared their memories of Paul during a team meeting Wednesday night but it clearly affected them against Washington.
“It was tragic,” said Cooper, who caught six passes for 112 yards and a touchdown Thursday. “We have to cope with it and still try to focus as much as we can while still dealing with something in our personal lives.
I don’t think distracted is the right word. We suffered a tremendous loss. I wouldn’t put it into words. I don’t know how to describe it. We tried to do the best we could to fight through it mentally.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2020 at 7:09 PM.
