The Buffalo Bills (8-6) embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys (10-4) at Highmark Stadium in Week 15.
During Buffalo’s 31-10 win, running back James Cook rushed the ball 25 times for a career-high 179 yards and a touchdown along with two receptions for 42 yards and a score. A heavily banged-up Bills defense kept Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott to just 134 passing yards and zero touchdowns.
Heading into Orchard Park, Dallas ranked first in the league in points per game (40.2) and second in yards per game (437.4). Prescott hadn’t thrown an interception in four straight games before he was picked off by Bills cornerback Christian Benford.
During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, December 19, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones discussed what went wrong in Buffalo. “We didn’t finish. Period,” Jones said, per The Buffalo News. However, his attempt to explain why Dallas struggles on the road (they are 7-0 at home), was panned by his own fan base.
“Weather, for instance,” Jones said. “When it’s wet and when it’s dry. You say the other team has to play when it’s wet, too. Yeah, they do, but I’m just giving you a difference. We have perfect conditions at home. We have the elements when we’re on the road… and it’s a tough time of year weather-wise.”
Blogging With Boys posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Don’t do this. Just accept the loss.” Even 105.3 The Fan host Shan Shariff countered, “But the 1st half was clear.”
One Cowboys fan responded, “Good teams shouldn’t have this problem, hopefully we don’t encounter it again this season.” Another person wrote, “He was right to an extent. I was at the game, and it was nasty, but that’s something both teams had to work thru. No excuse.”
Bills QB Josh Allen Mentioned the Cowboys’ Inability to Perform Outside of the Dome
GettyBills quarterback Josh Allen at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2023.
Not only did the Bills defeat one of the hottest teams in the league, but they won without the heroics of quarterback Josh Allen. While Allen typically needs to go full Superman to defeat a Super Bowl contender, the Bills as a team stepped up.
Allen completed just seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, along with a rushing score. With a 28-point lead, Bills head coach Sean McDermott let backup quarterback Kyle Allen finish out the game with over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Speaking to reporters after the game, “I felt like the kid who didn’t do anything in the class project but got an A,” Allen said. But if it means the team wins, “I’ll do this 10 times out of 10 times.”
As for why the Bills run game was so successful against the Cowboys, “I think just, again, we understand what position we’re in right now, and we got to win games,” Allen said. “It doesn’t matter how we get ’em done. And sometimes a team like that, again, they’re used to playing in a dome.
“They throw the ball quite a bit, and I think teams try to throw on their defense quite a bit. And I don’t know if anybody’s attacked the run as much as we did tonight. And again, we just trusted our guys up front and trust our backs to make plays and they did.”
Jerry Jones Mentioned the ‘Technical Edge’ Bills Mafia Gave the Home Team
GettyBills quarterback Josh Allen waves to fans at Highmark Stadium on December 17, 2023.
Heading into Week 15, Allen sent a strong message to Bills Mafia. “We’re in December. It’s not going to be the warmest of days-slash-nights. What a home field and a home crowd to an opposing offense is what we need,” Allen told reporters.
“We need Bills Mafia to be loud and to show up in numbers and be ready to root us on. We absolutely need them for this game especially. Any false start, any delay of game. Even just the energy and the flow of what’s going on. We feed off of Bills Mafia. That’s going to be a huge part of how we attack and win this game is going to be with the crowd.”
The message was received. Jones said during his radio appearance that the home crowd at Highmark Stadium gave the Bills a “technical edge.” While that can explain penalties, it doesn’t explain the defense’s 12 missed tackles.
“The underlying thing you saw was you just didn’t finish, on an individual basis, finish the play, finish the series, finish the game,” Jones admitted. “When that happens to you, you lay an egg, and we did.” While the Cowboys work to “specifically address what beat us in Buffalo for next Sunday,” the Bills are focused on their next matchup.
In Week 16, the Bills (8-6) face the Los Angeles Chargers (5-9) on Saturday, December 23. Sitting in 9th place in the AFC, a win over the Chargers gives Buffalo a 76% of making the postseason, according to The New York Times playoff stimulator. If they lose, their chances drop to 36%.
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Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Called Out for Excuse on Loss to Bills: ‘Don’t Do That’