Undisciplined Cowboys not ready for a lengthy postseason run
LLANO, Texas — For a playoff team, the Arizona Cardinals looked very beatable as they entered Sunday’s road game against Dallas. The Cardinals were trying to rebound from three consecutive losses, all by at least 6 points. They also were more injured than most NFL teams, missing two starting receivers, their starting left tackle, their leading rusher and three starters on defense.
By contrast, the Cowboys had reeled off four straight wins, the most recent being a 56-14 devastation of Washington. They were awash in splashy stats, leading their conference in scoring, points differential and takeaways, with Trevon Diggs atop the NFL with 11 interceptions and rookie Micah Parsons contributing 13 sacks and 20 tackles for loss.
But this is a season when momentum, apart from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, is constantly shifting. The stalwarts of the past decade, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Matt Stafford, cannot necessarily be counted on to protect the ball and deliver it to the end zone on a regular basis.
Kyler Murray, who flashed early in the season for the Cardinals, launching them to 7-0, sagged with 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 6 sacks during the recent 3-game losing streak.
But all he needed was a return to his favorite stadium, Arlington’s AT&T, where he’s 8-0 as a high schooler, collegian and pro.
The Cardinals were a 6 ½-point underdog, but Murray led them to a 25-22 victory over the Cowboys, passing for 263 yards, running for 44, throwing 2 TDs, 0 picks and being sacked only once by the suddenly non-swarming Dallas D.
“A lot of people here tonight watched him grow up in this building,” Cardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury observed. “For him to play like he did, it’s special.”
Murray said in the postgame revelry, “I don’t know how to describe it, it just brings back memories, and it just feels right.”
For Kingsbury, there are memories of JerryWorld he’d rather forget. As coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2018 he was standing in the AT&T interview room when a reporter asked him about a Twitter report that he’d been fired. Kingsbury had not been informed by the university.
But this time there are memories to savor, most notably some third quarter trickeration that proved decisive. On fourth-and-5 from the 19, the Cowboys anticipated a field goal, but Kingsbury sent out Murray, and Mike McCarthy was so confused he burned a timeout as Arizona returned to field-goal mode. Because of that, he had no timeouts left to challenge a ref’s mistake in the fourth quarter. DeMarcus Lawrence punched a ball from Chase Edmonds’ arms, and Dallas recovered the loose ball.
Replays showed it was a fumble, but it was ruled down by contact, and Arizona finished running out the final 4 minutes and 42 seconds of the game.
The Cowboys grumbled extensively about officiating. “The refs wouldn’t let us get a rhythm,” receiver Cee Dee Lamb said. But penalties are another category they lead, and most of the 10 assessed on Sunday looked valid. Offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Connor Williams, La’el Collins and Tyler Biadasz ruined four third-down plays with holdings and false starts.
Quarterback Dak Prescott appeared flustered by the penalties and also by tight end Dalton Schultz whiffing on an attempted block of Chandler Jones.
Prescott wasn’t very good, which usually has been the case ever since he strained a calf in Week 6. He averaged 4.8 yards on Sunday’s 38 passes. He’s just another erratic quarterback. He’s not the runner he was before last year’s shattered ankle and this year’s pulled calf. He did scramble for a 12-yard gain against Arizona, but Isaiah Simmons caught him from behind and punched the ball out for a lost fumble.
Leg injuries also have impacted running backs Zeke Elliott and Tony Pollard, who combined for 25 yards on 12 carries.
“We didn’t run the ball the way you’d anticipate, and that’s something we have to have,” McCarthy said. “It’s clearly our identity.”
I beg to differ, regardless of what the numbers say. They don’t have an identity, other than grabbing interceptions when jittery quarterbacks give them an opportunity. Sometimes the Cowboys run well, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they pass well, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they kick well, sometimes not. Greg Zuerlein missed a 43-yard field goal that ultimately was the margin of defeat.
It gets worse for them now with the latest injury blow: Michael Gallup, their best deep receiver, limped away on crutches with a torn ACL. The Cowboys are 11-5, and they’ve clinched the NFC East, but they’re undisciplined, at least on offense. They do not look ready for a playoff run.
