DALLAS -- Mike McCarthy was still talking to Fox Sports' Pam Oliver, telling the audience the one thing Dallas could not afford in the second half was getting behind the chains, when the whistle blew and referee Scott Novak cited tackle Terence Steele for a false start.
Yes, I know those interviews are recorded, but I'm talking about what the TV crowd saw, and it wasn't pretty Sunday. The Cowboys' entire 2024 season feels like a false start. And after a 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Dallas is 3-5, trailing Washington by 3 1/2 games. I'm checking the math to see if the Cowboys can be eliminated from the NFC East title before they play their first game against Dan Quinn's Commanders on Nov. 24.
(Actually, Dallas can only be 5 1/2 out with seven to play. Consider this club alive at your own risk).
The first play of the third quarter Sunday was emblematic of Dallas' entire season in the third quarter. Is there a worse NFL team coming out of the locker room after halftime? A KaVontae Turpin punt return against Cleveland, which feels like four months ago but was only eight weeks back, remains the Cowboys' only touchdown in the third quarter this season. Dak and CeeDee and friends are still searching for that first trip to the end zone in the third quarter, the Cowboys being outscored 68-22 in the third period.
This was made even worse by Prescott not playing beyond the third quarter -- he left the game with a hamstring injury that he appeared to suffer throwing a pass but, this being the first time Dak has run the ball at all this season, I wouldn't discount that playing a role. CeeDee was in and out of the game in the fourth quarter after appearing to hurt his right shoulder on several occasions.
Earlier this season, the Cowboys won a road game in New York while losing Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, the most costly of defeats. Neither has made it back more than a month later. I don't know whether Prescott's or Lamb's injuries have a chance to linger or recur, but a team this far behind Washington and Philadelphia -- with the Eagles coming to town Sunday -- can hardly afford more bad news coming in defeat.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he was "concerned" about Dak's hamstring injury. When you're pondering injuries and what they mean or what they have done to this team, keep in mind that the club is 3-5 with a healthy Dak. And while the Parsons and Lawrence losses were crippling along the defensive line, both played against New Orleans when the Saints scored touchdowns on their first six possessions. Both played a week later when Baltimore had put 21 on the AT&T Stadium scoreboard by halftime.
The Steele penalty was just the beginning of Dallas' third-quarter problems. After a three-and-out punt on that possession, the Falcons' Kirk Cousins fired his third touchdown pass of the afternoon for a 21-10 lead. Dallas had a fourth-and-1 in Atlanta territory and was going for it, but the club was called for "12 men on the field" when Dalvin Cook didn't realize Lamb was lining up at tailback for the play. The Cowboys punted once more.
Prescott would leave the game at the end of three quarters with the Cowboys trailing 21-13. While he accomplished his first goal of staying away from turnovers, Prescott had just 133 yards passing on 24 attempts. The Cowboys' defense made enough stops in the fourth quarter that Cooper Rush actually went 13 for 25 just in the fourth quarter, but it was for a paltry 115 yards, and the touchdown came too late to matter. The Cowboys threw 50 passes Sunday and yet ended up with 241 yards passing when you factor in the three sacks. That's 4.5 yards per pass on 53 pass plays -- basically a reasonable rushing average but not a passing number that will keep this team alive past November.
The Cowboys are a communications nightmare. The secondary appeared completely confused on Cousins' second TD pass, Trevon Diggs getting caught up in traffic and Darnell Mooney running wide and free for a 36-yard touchdown. On offense, the false starts are a weekly death knell.
And on this particular day, Dallas was especially awful on fourth-down conversions. Teams don't even try to make first downs on fourth down unless they feel like the odds are in their favor. The Cowboys went 0 for 4 before finally converting a fourth on their final drive.
"We know we have five losses,'' McCarthy said. "We clearly understand where that puts us as far as what it will take.''
Three-and-a-half games behind Washington and three games behind the Eagles. A team that shoots itself in the foot with presnap penalties suddenly has no margin for error, not to mention an injured quarterback. If they weren't already past all the wreckage they can survive, the Cowboys reached that point Sunday in Atlanta.
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