Home field advantage was lost.
Defensive tenacity is gone.
There was a lack of offensive power.
And when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones turned 82 on Sunday, his birthday became another milestone marking 27 straight seasons on the football calendar. Both in the immediate term – an embarrassing 47-9 home loss to the Detroit Lions – and in the long term by reminding us that Jones' Cowboys haven't won anything of Super Bowl consequence since he turned 50, and the only pads Dak Prescott wore , there were diapers.
Let this be your reference point as these Cowboys head into their bye week. In defense he was mired in injuries, in attack he had no identity. Led by a head coach who's on fire, he's stuck at 3-3 and staring into the distant taillights of the NFC's most competent teams.
NFC East? Washington Commanders (4-2) look better.
The entire NFC North is probably better from start to finish.
Atlanta Falcons from the NFC South (4-2)? Probably better. Even the San Francisco 49ers – also 3-3 like the Cowboys and having their own problems – are miles ahead of us.
Before Sunday, the Cowboys had lost four in a row at AT&T Stadium, including defeats to the Lions, the New Orleans Saints in Week 2 and the Green Bay Packers last season in the playoffs. The offensive line is a mess. The offensive scheme is unbalanced and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer looks lost trying to replace his predecessor, Dan Quinn. Even AT&T Stadium's social media department has some truly cringe-worthy moments, at one point posting a photo of the home fans along with their attendance numbers on X on Sunday, but obliterating the result of the match because it got out of control. This, of course, caught the attention of the Lions social media account, which then gave it a big shout-out.
In the midst of all this, Jones is not only getting older, but also apparent out of touch, with a strangely undefined plan of action that seems to be tied to the belief that things will simply get better with time. That could… be enough to propel Dallas toward the postseason and make head coach Mike McCarthy's expiring contract the only thing everyone will really be talking about all the time.
After Sunday's loss, Jones told reporters he didn't have many answers other than hoping the bye week would provide a chance for change.
“It was very disturbing and very humiliating… We have a lot of work to do. I'm glad the bye week is coming up,” Jones said. “It will give everyone a chance to go out and practice what allows them to be more successful in a match like this. It was a shock. I thought we would do a lot of things better in this game and I think we can do it. We just didn't do them there today. I don't have many answers (to) “what are you going to do about it” – let's get to work. We'll take advantage of the young guys we have on the team, the amount of reps they're getting, the experience they're getting. We will try to make sure this helps us put ourselves in the position we need to win some games.
Here's the whole truth about this bye week: the schedule comes out of it like a piece of cake.
The Cowboys' three wins so far have come at the expense of a Cleveland Browns team that is 1-5 and rising, a 2-4 New York Giants team and a 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers team that is still learning how to shoot with Justin Fields. at the quarterback's. Coming out of goodbye? In Weeks 8-12, they get a 49ers team that's getting healthier, a Falcons team that's finally getting used to the Kirk Cousins offense, an Eagles team that's getting healthier, a Houston Texans team that's one of the best in the NFL (and could have Nico Collins back) and a Commanders series that is feisty and gaining more and more confidence by the week.
On the other hand, it's unclear when Cowboys offensive linemen Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence will return to action this episode, or what cornerback DaRon Bland will look like when he returns from a stress fracture in his foot. There's also no promise on the horizon that wideouts will suddenly become more than just CeeDee Lamb and a rotating cast of extras. Backstage? Dallas needs to learn how to establish leads to function well in the ongoing game, and there is certainly no way around it.
There is a real possibility that Dallas will be able to contend for its season in late November. All of this will be in the spotlight from week to week, along with the big question of whether Jerry will shake up the coaching staff by firing McCarthy. This is exactly what was predicted back in July when McCarthy entered the season in the final year of his contract. Even then, this song seemed inevitable, regardless of the album. If the Cowboys were playing at full capacity, the question would be what McCarthy had to do to get a contract extension after the season. If the Cowboys were faltering, the question was whether McCarthy would be fired in a last-ditch attempt to save the season.
This is what Jerry Jones created for himself. So he shouldn't have been surprised when, after the worst home defeat in 34 years of managing the team, he was asked whether he was considering changing the coach.
“I'm not considering it,” Jones told reporters, bristling at the suggestion. – Just to be clear, I'm not considering it.
Well, he better get used to answering that question because this is a team he built, led by players he extended and a head coach he didn't. After the wedding, they are in a mediocre mess and begin a week-long break that may be the last break to mend some cracks.
Happy 82nd birthday, Jerry. This is a gift you gave yourself.
