Weeden’s short game was only option open to Cowboys

The allas Cowboys didn’t handcuff quarterback Brandon Weeden with the role of Captain Checkdown by limiting him to mostly underneath passes to backs and tight ends in Sunday’s 39-28 loss to Atlanta.

Weeden had the freedom to throw it outside and down the field if the opportunity presented itself, coach Jason Garrett said.

Those opportunities, apparently, were few and far between. He tried to go deep to Terrance Williams on the second play of the game, an incomplete pass play that drew a face mask penalty against Atlanta.

Weeden’s only other deep pass was a seam route to tight end Jason Witten in the third quarter that was thrown out of Witten’s reach.

“You have to understand what their style of defense is,” Garrett said about the Falcons. “They commit a lot of people to the line of scrimmage and then their corners play high. … Not many people make a lot of big plays [against them]. That’s the style of defense.

“There were some opportunities to throw the ball outside to the outside receivers that we didn’t take full advantage of. To say we should’ve thrown it down the field more, I don’t know that’s accurate.”

Weeden didn’t find Williams at all during the game. Outside of the play negated by the penalty, Williams was targeted only twice more, including a slant pass dropped by Williams near the end of the game.

Asked if the wide receivers won enough, Garrett said: “For the most part, we had some opportunities outside. You can always win by more. We weren’t efficient enough in the passing game as the game wore on.”

Lance Dunbar was the Cowboys’ top receiving threat, catching 10 passes for 100 yards. Witten finished with six catches for 65 yards. Cole Beasley was the only outside receiver with a catch in the game, hauling in four for 49.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Weeden’s short game was only option open to Cowboys."