Dallas Cowboys fail to make statement against Kansas City Chiefs as offense sputters
In the latest edition of “Let’s Look on the Bright Side,” the Dallas Cowboys still have a nice pretty record.
At 7-3, they are one of five teams in the NFC with just three losses or fewer. And they still have a stranglehold on the NFC East.
But all that glitters ain’t gold, nor is this team ready for February football.
And if Sunday’s performance against the Kansas City Chiefs is any indication, the Cowboys still have a long way to go before closing the gap on that 26-year Super Bowl hiatus.
In a game that even coach Mike McCarthy termed as a measuring stick for his team because of the Chiefs status as a back-to-back Super Bowl participant and champion in 2019, the Cowboys failed miserably in trying to pass muster in a 19-9 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
“It’s a long season. We need to be better. That’s our outlook,” said Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy. “Next time, we’ll be better in this type of environment. We don’t feel any less about who we are as a football team, let’s be clear.”
One week after fashioning the finest and most complete performance in years with a 43-3 victory against the Atlanta Falcons, the Cowboys had an effort that was among the most disappointing in years, considering the stage and the stakes.
To be a champion, you have to find a way to beat good teams on the road.
The Chiefs (7-4) won their fourth straight game and looking like a Super Bowl contender again.
Quarterback Dak Prescott, the league’s No. 1 ranked quarterback, and the Cowboys No. 1 ranked offense in terms of yards and points failed to produce.
Not having Amari Cooper, the team’s top receiver, who missed the first of two games during a mandatory 10-day quarantine because he is unvaccinated against COVID-19, was a huge factor. Another was the absence of left tackle Tyron Smith, who missed his fourth straight game with an ankle injury.
But Prescott was off target, the receivers dropped passes and the offensive line was dominated up front by the Chiefs defense. He completed 28-of-42 passes for 216 yards with two interceptions and had a quarterback rating of 57.9, the fourth-worst of his career.
Prescott said he was upset but not discouraged about the Cowboys’ outlook for the season.
”We had a great opportunity to come out and play against a team that has been in the Super Bowl the last couple of years. And prove it to ourselves, prove it to one another what we are capable of,” Prescott said. “It sucks. But we are a confident group. The offense didn’t get the job done. It starts with me. We are a resilient group that will get better. There are no worries and no discouragements for what our future holds.”
The Cowboys defense played well enough two win after giving up two touchdowns and a field goal on the Chiefs first three drives.
The final eight drives for the Chiefs, not including a kneel downs at the end of the half and the end of the game, produced four punts, a field goal, a missed field goal, an interception and a fumble.
“I like the defense played,” McCarthy said. “I thought we started slow. I think it just took us awhile to settle in. They were playing faster than we were at the beginning of the game. But I thought the defense once we settled in I thought we did very well. I think we had five three and outs during a stretch in the second and third quarter. Thought they did a lot of good things.”
That they held the Chiefs to just three points for the better part of three quarters spoke volumes as well how they limited Mahomes and his explosive offense.
Mahomes went 23-of-37 for 260 yards and with an interception. He also lost a fumble.
It just go not help from the Cowboys offense.
A prime example of the team’s struggles on offense came late in the second quarter with Cowboys down 16-3.
The Cowboys got the ball with 2:39 left with an opportunity to go into halftime with some momentum but Prescott was sacked twice and they were forced to punt.
Two plays later, however, rookie linebacker Micah Parsons recorded a sack and fumble on Mahomes.
But instead of capitalizing on the turnover, Prescott was intercepted in the end zone by Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward on a pass attempt to CeeDee Lamb.
It was just an example of the Cowboys offense not measuring up all day.
It didn’t help that Lamb suffered a concussion on the play and didn’t return for the second half.
The Cowboys got another opportunity to make something happen when safety Jayron Kearse intercepted Mahomes on the opening drive of the third quarter and returned it to the Chiefs’ 36.
The Cowboys got as close as the 12 but were forced to settle for a 38-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein, making the score 16-6.
It was 19-6 when the Cowboys came up short early in the fourth quarter on a trip deep in Chiefs territory and got only a 48-yard field goal from Zuerlein to show for it.
The Cowboys defense, however, continued to keep the Cowboys within striking distance.
A missed 51-yard field goal by Harrison Butker gave the Cowboys ball back, down 19-9 with 9:43 left. But Prescott and offense had nothing left after the quarterback was dropped sacked for a fifth time on the day and the Chiefs forced the Cowboys to punt.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones led the way with 3.5 sacks, including a split of that final sack of Prescott.
The Cowboys have three days to regroup before Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day game against the Las Vegas Raiders (5-5).
They could be without Cooper and Lamb. Cooper is already certain to miss one more game on the COVID protocol and Lamb will have to overcome some protocols of his own in the short week after sustaining a concussion.
Said receiver Cedrick Wilson on the possibility of the Cowboys playing on Thanksgiving without Lamb as well:
“Whatever the coaches call, and I’m ready whenever those guys can’t go. Sad to see CeeDee go down like that, and the shock with Coop, but I have to get in there for my team. Whatever they roll, I’m going in there, and I have to execute.”
And that’s looking on the bright side.
This story was originally published November 21, 2021 at 6:29 PM.
