Getty Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy reacts after a play in an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys suffered a brutal 40-34 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars, with one defender being pulled from the game during a tough showing.
After leading 27-10 in the second half with just over 20 minutes of game time, Dallas gave up three passing touchdowns en route to an overtime loss. For Cowboys starting corner Kelvin Joseph, it was an especially disastrous performance.
Joseph was in coverage on the Jaguars’ two touchdown tosses late in the third quarter, allowing Jacksonville back into the game at 27-24. Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence went deep to receiver Zay Jones for the first score, then found Marvin Jones Jr. for the second.
.@TrevorLawrencee 59-yard TOUCHDOWN strike to @ZayJones11
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After getting scored on twice, Joseph was pulled in favor of Nahshon Wright, the second corner drafted by the Cowboys in the 2021 NFL draft. Wright didn’t exactly make any major plays, but he wasn’t giving up easy touchdowns like the one above.
While Cowboys QB Dak Prescott’s pick-six was the final blow, Dallas’ defense failing to keep a 17-point lead should be credited as much, if not more than any mistake made by the offense.
Kelvin Joseph Had Just Been Called Out by Jerry Jones
The timing of the poor performance against Jacksonville likely couldn’t come at a worse time for Joseph or the Cowboys. This was a game Dallas needed to win to keep pace in the playoffs race, but Joseph also needed to provide a response to his team’s owner.
On December 9, Jerry Jones spoke to 105.3 The Fan about the team, delivering a very pointed message to Joseph according to Yahoo’s Jori Epstein.
“Time for [Joseph] to become a man,” Jones said. “Accept a higher level of responsibility. He’s got more people depending on him. It’s time for some of the side stuff to ease its way out of his life.”
Cowboys need Kelvin Joseph to step up with 2 CBs out for season.
“Time for him to become a man,” Jerry Jones told @1053thefan. “Accept a higher level of responsibility. He’s got more people depending on him. It’s time for some of the side stuff to ease its way out of his life.”
Jones could be referencing Joseph’s rapping career as “Bossman Fat,” but either way, it’s clearly a demand for a former second-round pick to begin delivering on the promise he showed at Kentucky and LSU.
Now, Joseph is coming off his worse performance in a Cowboys uniform as the team deals with not having two of its top corners (Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis) for the rest of the season.
Wright Time for the Cowboys?
Failure for one can be an opportunity for another, but it’s unclear what the team will do going forward with Wright and Joseph. While Wright could be taking Joseph’s place, he has yet to make a proper impact with the defensive unit. In fact, he hasn’t earned many snaps at all.
Pro Football Reference states that Wright had played just 93 defensive snaps coming into the game against the Jaguars. He could be seeing a lot more to finish the season, should Dallas feel that Joseph can’t be trusted to start.
Understandably, Wright hasn’t registered many vital stats. He has 0 passes defended, 0 interceptions and just 8 solo tackles in 16 appearances since joining the Cowboys.
Now, Dallas has to decide if they need emergency help at the corner position or to roll the dice with Wright and Joseph.
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Cowboys Starter Benched After ‘Disastrous’ Performance Against Jaguars