It would be hard to argue with the two words chosen by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in the wake of the 24-16 loss his team suffered on its home field, on a Thursday might primetime stage, against an undrafted rookie quarterback playing for a winless team. The Cowboys came into the game at 2-2, and with the Eagles in disarray and injuries whacking the Giants and Commanders, it seemed to a good moment to begin taking control of the NFC East. Instead, the Cowboys committed three turnovers and played defense as though they were wearing cement shoes.
It was ugly. The crowd booed. Shots of Jones in the owner’s box regularly showed him frustrated and and exasperated in his reactions.
In the tunnel under AT&T Stadium after the game, Jones told summed up his view: “Extraordinarily, extraordinarily disappointed.” But disappointed enough to start making changes?
Cowboys Failures All Around
That’s another question. But, really, it is hard to say where the disappointment should begin. The Cowboys could not hold onto the ball, not for the two tipped interceptions that the Buccaneers recorded–including the final one by Alex Anzalone, that ended the Cowboys’ attempt to tie the game–and not for what looked to be a pick-6 for cornerback DaRon Bland that rattled around his bread basket before he just plain dropped it.
The could not stop the ball, giving up 416 yards of offense, including an astounding 241 yards on 39 carries in the running game That’s 6.2 yards per carry. In all, 165 of those yards went to Bucky Irving, who appeared improssible to tackle, at least for anyone who had a star on his helmet.
“You really do need to get it done when it’s there to take.” Jones said. “They basically were really physical … That was surprising. They got a great victory here tonight. It was a tough loss for us. We missed a great opportunity to build something.”
Jerry Jones: Coaching Change ‘Premature’
But, it is only one game, no matter how deflating it might be. Jones said there would not be a change in play-calling for defensive coordinator Christian Parker, whose defense has somehow managed to get worse as the year has gone on. Jones continued to say he would be willing to make another trade in an effort to up the defensive talent level, since what the Cowboys put on the field was not cutting it.
Jones called any coaching staff changes, “premature.” For now.
Cowboys’ ‘Disappointed’ Jerry Jones Addresses Coaching Changes