The Dallas Cowboys lost again. For those keeping track, that’s three straight. It wasn’t all that long ago when we were crossing our fingers that this team could fight its way back into playoff contention. Alas, those carrots are cooked. While the game teased us with the belief we might see something good, it eventually faded, and it was more of the same for this football team. Here are 10 thoughts on the Cowboys’ 34-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
1. It started as a shootout
In true Cowboys’ fashion, the game script started
out as one might expect. Nobody could stop anyone. The Cowboys marched down the field and scored, and the Chargers marched down the field and scored. Rinse and repeat. Both teams had over 200 yards of offense in the first half, and the punter never saw the field except to hold for extra points. The only difference is that the Chargers came away with three touchdowns and the Cowboys only had two touchdowns, one time settling for a field goal.
2. But it didn’t stay that way
As fast as things started, they didn’t stay that way. Sadly, the Cowboys’ offense was done scoring for the day. While they only punted once in the second half, twice they turned the ball over on downs, and one time they fumbled the ball away. The Chargers tacked on 10 more points in the second half, and that was enough to double up the Cowboys.
3. Defense is so bad
It’s just never going to get better for the Cowboys’ defense. Everything is terrible. Even when they string together a couple of decent plays, they just couldn’t hold it together on third down. The Chargers converted 7/11 on third down, including all four attempts in the first half. On the day, Los Angeles finished with 452 total yards of offense.
4. Herbert had his way
You had to believe that if J.J. McCarthy could look good against the defense, it wouldn’t be that hard for Justin Herbert. Despite dealing with an injury, the Chargers quarterback orchestrated an effective game, going 23/29 for 300 yards, two touchdowns, and no picks. He finished the game with a 132.8 passer rating. It marks the fourth-straight game an opposing quarterback has had a passer rating above 100 against the Cowboys.
5. Zero pass rush
One of the reasons that Herbert had things so easy is the Cowboys’ inability to generate any type of pass rush. Play after play, the Chargers’ quarterback had a clean pocket to work with, and whenever anything came from the edge, he’d just step up and deliver. And if there was nothing open, he took off running. Herbert rushed eight times, including once for 34 yards when he just ran for days. It’s really hard to stop opposing offenses when the defense cannot put any pressure on the quarterback.
6. Not Digg’n it
This game marked the return of former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs, and sadly, things didn’t get better. The veteran corner was targeted multiple times, and he just didn’t look comfortable in coverage. There were far too many instances when his receiver had created too much separation. Both he and rookie corner Shavon Revel Jr. had 15 tackles between them, and that’s never a good thing.
7. Pickens is back
There weren’t a lot of things to be happy about for the Cowboys, but it was nice to see George Pickens have a nice game. After two abysmal performances, Pickens had a seven-catch, 130-yard game, including a 38-yard touchdown. Like everything else from the offense, most of his damage came in the first half, but it was still good to see the team’s WR2 get himself back on track.
8. Smith at LT
The offense was without their starting left tackle, Tyler Guyton, for the fourth-straight game. Swing tackle, Nate Thomas, was also out, dealing with a shoulder injury, causing the Cowboys to resort to sliding All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith to slide outside. It was an interesting move as it’s often debated if moving him to left tackle would be a smarter play for the offense. With the Cowboys out of the playoffs, the coaching staff is tinkering with things as they look ahead to find the optimal arrangement of offensive linemen.
9. A Milton sighting
After the game slipped away from the Cowboys late in the fourth quarter, the coaches opted to let backup quarterback Joe Milton give it a go. But it was a quick go. The second-year quarterback only threw two passes (and completed them both), and that’s because on his third play, he took off running, but had the ball punched out of his arms. The Cowboys’ young backup turned the ball over, and that was the end of that.
10. Draft position improves
With the Cowboys eliminated from the playoffs, winning doesn’t do much for them, but losing improves their draft position. They now fall to 6-8-1 on the season, and with each loss, their draft capital improves. Not only that, but the Green Bay Packers lost on Saturday, dropping their record to 9-5-1. They now find themselves in a dogfight to secure a playoff spot. Should the Packers miss out on the playoffs, that means the first-round draft pick the Cowboys receive from them from the Micah Parsons trade becomes no worse than 18th overall. While it’s no consolation prize, gaining this extra draft capital will certainly be nice come April.
