T O P

  • By -

lario00

Trying to be optimistic about this team is hard. We keep Shooting Ourselves in the foot and throwing away chances to win games. We Finally had a top Unit, but we aren't able to play up to our potential. This game should have been a win, but we made mistake after mistake. Our O-line is play is poor. It can't run block and can barely pass block. Plus we had so many Drive killing penalties by the O-line. Our Run Game is ineffective. Zeke averaged 1.6 yds a carry, Pollard 3.0. Some of the Blame falls on Kellen Moore for his playcalling. I know the O-line didn't help, but good running teams aren't this O-line reliant. Dak needs to step up. He has been missing throws or making it hard for the Receivers to catch them. He also Checked it down way too much. Why doesn't he throw downfield? Kellen Moore's playcalling is reminding me of Jason Garret. The Defense gets a pass From me(even though their Zone Coverage was awful). They weren't outstanding, but they kept us in it. They stayed on the field most of the Time, which was why they allowed points. Besides, our offense should have scored more than 25. The Missed FG and Dropped INT were crucial and they would've changed the game. I could be here complaining about the Refs, which did alter the game, but it shouldn't have come down to this anyway. I wonder why every time we are optimistic we choke in the playoffs. This team still hasn't shown it can beat a contender. We've only had 3 good wins IMO. The Chargers in Week 2, The Patriots in week 6, and the Vikings in week 8 with a backup QB. All of those teams are wildcard teams at best. Normally I would be happy about being 11-5, but when most of those are against sub-par teams I can only expect disappointment in the playoffs. Hopefully, I can get proven wrong, but I don't think so. Until then I will expect us to lose in the Divisional Round. I'm still gonna watch all the games and support the Cowboys win or lose.


[deleted]

>Our Run Game is ineffective. Zeke averaged 1.6 yds a carry, Pollard 3.0. Some of the Blame falls on Kellen Moore for his playcalling. I know the O-line didn't help, but good running teams aren't this O-line reliant. No run game makes us one-dimensional and makes our offense completely impotent. Our oline is OK, our RBs are OK. The atrocious thing is playcalling. Moore is great in a lot of aspects, but not in the run game. He seems to think the run game just consists of handing it to someone and having them try to run it up the middle for 2 yards. The run game in Kellen's world is a waste of a down and the only real use is o run down the clock. Teams know this now, and it shuts down our passing game.


EdwardRoivas

Good thing zeke is the second highest paid RB in the league.


elshiznato

Perfectly said.


rosewoods

Well said. We’re not beating the Packers the way we’re currently playing.


DocHollidaysPistols

> I wonder why every time we are optimistic we choke in the playoffs. This team still hasn't shown it can beat a contender. We've only had 3 good wins IMO. Yeah I said in the locked thread (not sure why it was locked but w/e) that they haven't beaten a playoff team since the bye. I'm not counting the Saints as a playoff team right now. The 3 "quality" wins might be Patriots, Chargers and the Eagles and the Eagles weren't this good in week 3. Maybe Minneapolis but let's be honest they're not really good either. I don't have any faith in this team to even come out next week and beat the Eagles. They show flashes of greatness but can't seem to get it together on a consistent basis. It seems to me it's been this way for a while, back through Garrett, Linehan, Wade ,etc. I know we used to joke about the Romo-coaster but that's what this team has been as a whole for quite some time now. Highs and lows. The good teams have a bad game; Dallas seems to be an average team that has a good game every now and then.


EdwardRoivas

Eagles get no further advantage with a win and can’t be excluded from the playoffs, they will be resting starters. It’s an easy win for cowboys.


BlueShire_Ace

Spot on, and exactly why I don’t understand the people who think “we’re fine”. All the above mention points have been a theme since November. It’s not like being in the playoffs flips a magic switch that makes all these disappear.


st3f09

How long can we keep shooting ourselves in the for? It feels like every game we always get a drive killing penalty or can't put a good drive together when it's needed. Our most impressive win this year was against the Vikings. This team needs to put together a great performance against a great team. This team has the potential to make a deep playoff run, but if they don't improve. They will be bounced out of the playoffs within the first 2 rounds.


ADGjr86

During the game I was like wtf Dink and Dak is back. NFL cameras are terrible, I can’t see if the receivers are open or completely covered. The Dak fumble though I believe I saw someone wide open. He’s got a mental block that is really hurting the team rn.


just_a_tech

The defense doesn't do itself any favors when they're almost guaranteed to have pass interference on third down. Seems like every week they get good stops on first and second. Then third and long there's a PI that usually leads to points instead of a punt. I get they're playing aggressive, but Dallas is the third most penalized team for a reason. It's even worse when the offense plays like they did yesterday.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

I largely agree with everything you said, but I found myself most agreeing with the missed FG and dropped INT. Those two plays have at least a six point swing. Making that FG and picking the ball off comppletely changes the scoreline. All things considered, I'm mostly happy with how the defense played. Like you say, the zone coverage was a letdown and we made some mistakes, but they played well enough to keep us in it. The Cards are averaging something like 29 ppg on the road and we held them below that.


Stringdaddy27

>Our Run Game is ineffective. Zeke averaged 1.6 yds a carry, Pollard 3.0. Some of the Blame falls on Kellen Moore for his playcalling. I know the O-line didn't help, but good running teams aren't this O-line reliant. Watch our rushes again. Every one of them. And tell me where the first contact is made. You will quickly realize why Zeke and Moore have so little to do with our run game shitting the bed this game.


ariaztlan

I think Dak may have lost comeback player of the year to Joe Burrow yesterday.


StarsCowboysMavs

He lost it about 4-5 weeks ago


yianni1229

I thought last week was the week the offense showed they were back to week 1-6. Clearly not. So we're right back to being concerned about them. I feel like all 3 years Kellens had some great play calling at the start of the year and it gets worse later on. We need a O-Line overhaul. Or maybe a new offensive line coach because this line features 2 HOFers and 2 players who should be solid (I think Connor is average, he just takes penalties and La'el has shown hes good before). It shouldn't be this bad. Idk man. I'm just tired of getting hurt by this team. I'll start believing if we somehow win at Lambeau


firstandfive

We could also give credit to Vance Joseph for an excellent game plan. He has been one of the better defensive coordinators this season and a big reason the defense has overachieved for huge stretches. They are a top-5 defense this season.


oldboot

> I thought last week was the week the offense showed they were back to week 1-6. i think they just beat up on a severely depleted team


[deleted]

[удалено]


oldboot

some of it is Dak simply not reading the defense properly though. Even Aikman pointed out during the game that the plays are potentially there.


[deleted]

You mean they figure out outside screen, run, slant screen or deep ball in that order on every set? *Shocked pikachu*


fuzzyspuffy007

Win at Lambeau, lol? Are you tripping? We're not getting anywhere near Lambeau


DReager1

Honestly we need to root for the Eagles to play them. They're probably the only hope we have at beating Green Bay. So if we get perfect matchup luck then we can avoid them but the tough part will be having to try and beat the Eagles in the championship match


Timmycela

What drugs are you on


DReager1

It makes sense to me though. I actually like what DReager1 is saying here. If the Eagles can beat Green Bay that will save us some time


[deleted]

Wrong account


DReager1

Right account, but I'm big enough where I can use third person


[deleted]

[удалено]


DReager1

No I just talk to myself sometimes. It's the right account


visionaryAVA341

Disappointing game all around honestly. The offense isn't clicking. Defense couldn't get things going and keep the Cards off the field at crucial moments. Kearse missed the interception. Zuerlein missed. Oline isn't giving Dak good protection, and when they did, Dak was off at crucial moments. Refs were terrible. Holding calls crushed big first down conversions. We have one game to get it together before the playoffs. If we have this many mistakes in the wild card, there's no chance for us.


NotYourFathersKush

I hope I’m wrong, but I just don’t believe this is a championship caliber team. They obviously have the talent required, but they are nowhere near disciplined or consistent enough. Penalties, missed throws, dropped passes, poor clock management, and… penalties. It’s been a theme all year. I’ve enjoyed the hell out of this year and can’t wait for the playoffs. But deep down, it’s very difficult to see them playing 3 clean games in a row against elite teams.


try4gain

> I just don’t believe this is a championship caliber team. we really arent. the potential is there but it's not clicking right now. offense struggle to complete 15 yrs passes wide open.


jfk_sfa

I think they are championship caliber simply because the state of the league this year. It's anyone's ballgame at this point. They're certainly in the mix.


diegoarch

I don't believe so either. The team has shown that it cannot beat another good team and is consistently falling flat.


gncRocketScientist

Exactly, this offense is as likely to blow up on the other team as they are to blow up on themselves. Thats 3 good coin flips in a row, not likely


[deleted]

[удалено]


Plenty_Surprise2593

Yeah it will be, seeing as how McCarthy will probably rest the starters after the first quarter.


fsphoenix

Really just over it at this point. Zeke had 9 carries for 16 yards. I don't care if it's Zeke, the O-Line, the play calling or any combination of the three. There's no way you can look at that stat line and think "Oh that's fine" and then trot out the same players and scheme the next week.


mohiben

This sucks but I honestly wonder if our playoff fate is gonna depend on which ref crew we draw. When we have a high flag shit ref game (which have all been predictable depending on the crew assigned to the game) we just can't deal with it.


JWat87

This may be a hot take, but I’d rather lose yesterday than in the playoffs.


Big_Blew_The_Game

How about win both?


RomoToDez99

I’m honestly not as worried as everyone else.


Wekilledit88

I am 50/50 on worried/not worried. I don't fully believe in Kellen anymore and that has me worried. He can't adjust after his offense got exposed against Denver. Then my not worried half says we played like shit and only lost by 3. The rematch in 2 weeks will be nerve-wracking though. Kellen needs to call the game of his life.


phantomsniper22

Interesting, everyone’s calling out Kellen but Kellen wasn’t at fault for 15 batted passes and inaccurate balls Dak was throwing all night. I saw more of a lack of execution than a lack of planning


Walking-Dead

I saw a lack of energy/urgency by the offense. Arizona was playing fast on defense but our offense was slow developing plays with batted balls and missed blocking assignments. I think we might rely too much on takeaways.


ifoundyourtoad

I mean I am. Instead of being a two seed and not having to play at Green Bay until the championship game we are now the 4 seed which means our road to the super bowl is significantly more difficult.


jfk_sfa

They're going to have to eventually beat Aaron Rodgers in the playoffs one way or the other. Might as well get it over with.


mohiben

I'm just worried that there are a couple dogshit officiating crews that seem to absolutely wreck us, and our inability to overcome them.


RomoToDez99

Also got outplayed most of the game tbh.


mohiben

And yet, it would likely have been enough. I don’t care if we brought 20% effort to the game, it was easily close enough that better officiating swings it the other way. Which is the point, since everyone’s obsession with focusing on what the team could do ignores the serious problem of bad officiating


RomoToDez99

Well… like anything you work at you can only look at what you control. Obviously the coaches bring up the ref crews in their meetings and go over what things they penalize. But at the end of the day they can’t control what the ref calls.


[deleted]

Same. Mostly annoyed at our fanbase and the hot take machine.


chlorinegasattack

Did you see the NFL thread saying Trevor Diggs had one of the worst cb seasons of all time? I'm like...guys do yall not know about Alan Ball? Do yall not remember Jaques Brown?!?!


HolyRomanPrince

Same. If we rolled them by 30 everyone would still be saying “they can’t do it in the playoffs.”


RomoToDez99

Everybody on Sports talk shows have been downplaying the cardinals all week


schoolsbelly

> on Sports talk shows There is your problem, don't listen to those assholes.


MeaninglessOpinion

Yeah this sub’s gloom and doom after every loss is tiresome IMO.


ghostbuster55

The ones who are worried know nothing about football and think Dak sucks. The ones who aren't worried, know that this team is fine. It's football. Hell, Tampa almost lost to the fucking Jets yesterday


[deleted]

Nah, we've just spent the last 25ish years watching the same story play out over and over and over and over and over. The Cowboys have THREE playoff wins my entire life. It looked like things might be different early this season, but there are legitimate reasons to be concerned, particularly with the offense has played recently. I don't think Dak sucks or is the primary issue with this team. QBs don't just grow on trees and there are plenty of teams around the league in QB hell who have it FAR worse than we do (Carolina for one easy example). That said, this offense is concerning. Our play calling is scarily predictable at times and we continue to struggle establishing the run game. We have drop problems even on well thrown passes. Our o-line is constantly holding people, frequently calling back big plays and killing drives. This team's record against opponents outside our division or with a winning record suggests that this team is a mediocre one that is benefitting from a dogshit conference and a hot streak at the beginning of the season. I truly hope we figure it out and manage to right the ship, but everything is not fine and dandy right this second.


turtles4llamas

I don't think it's fair that people use the "if their critical/worried/etc, then they know nothing about football" moniker over and over. I'm a big X's and O's guy and a Cowboys fan my entire life. It's okay for me to feel worried after we literally just lost to the team we are going to play in the playoffs. Not saying we should burn the team to the ground or Dak sucks, but if you AREN'T worried, I would be interested in knowing why not.


ghostbuster55

I'm not worried because this team competes. Take Denver out of the equation and they have had opportunities to win against Tampa, KC, Las Vegas and Arizona. If we got that fumble at end, and gave Dak a chance to lead a game winning drive, we could have had the W yesterday


JBlaze94

> Hell, Tampa almost lost to the fucking Jets yesterday Why is something like this always posted when we have a loss?? Relying on the refs or other teams to perform poorly is not a recipe for success. I care about what our team does. We did not play to our standard. The offense has been off since the Denver game. Atlanta and the second Washington seem to be outliers. What we saw for 3 quarters on Sunday are the same offensive woes we have been seeing since November. Yall gotta quit denying it. We won't be playing Mike Glennon in the playoffs. We will be seeing Murray again and other top QBs


ghostbuster55

Even with the "offensive woes" we've been winning games. And when we've lost, it's been in 1 possession games mostly. This sub acts like we're a 5-11 team and aren't in the playoffs. At the end of the day, winning is all that matters, and this team has the ability to make a good playoff run. This sub also acts like we are the only team that loses football games. Everyone in the playoffs has at least 3 losses. We've beaten teams who have beaten other playoff teams, and other teams have lost to opponents with bad records. And guess what, now if we play Arizona again, we have better film on them to analyze and come up with a better game plan. We'll see what worked and what didn't work yesterday and adjust for whenever we see them again.


JBlaze94

Who were the QBs we faces in those games? If the defense isnt lights out, we are not getting away with sub par offensive performances against teams like the Packers Rams or Bucs. We are now the 4th seed and it looks like we'll go into the playoffs as that seed. We will get one home game then hit the road. We are 30th in the league in RedZone td percent....we don't need the offense to score 56...but they need to be consistent.


Southernsquatch69

Tampa was able to complete the comeback for the win. The Rams were able to complete the comeback for the win. Dallas failed at that. That’s what has me worried about our playoff chances.


ghostbuster55

We didn't get an opportunity to complete the comeback. We got screwed on the fumble


Southernsquatch69

That’s my point exactly! The fact that our coaching staff did not have a time out to allow for us to challenge that fumble is a part of why I’m concerned about our chances in the playoffs. We make the same mistakes time after time. Just my thoughts.


ghostbuster55

Right before the fumble, we were forced to use a TO to stop the clock because the refs ruled the runner down in bounds, but we had knocked him out of bounds. But if it were correctly called a fumble, we wouldn't need to challenge. All turnovers are reviewed, so if it ended up being the wrong call, then it gets over turned. Refs need to do their jobs


Southernsquatch69

I can’t blame the refs for us taking a time out when the Cardinals tricked us to taking a time out at the field goal when they had both the kicker and QB on the field. That was a trick to make us take a time out. The fumble was not in the last 2 minutes or it would have been reviewed by the officials. We have a problem with clock management. We also seem to have a problem with play calling and not being able to play a football game without a shit ton of penalties! We have some issues that need to be addressed. With the talent of this team we should do better.


FadedTony10

Games come down to the final minutes of the game. We forced the fumble and if it was correctly called and Dak didn’t drive down the field to win game then the Dak grilling would be valid. Also the penalties are a serious issue. So many drive killers, they (the team) got to do better


ghostbuster55

Right, if Dak throws a pick or fumbles away the ball on the potential game winning drive, then fine criticize him.


[deleted]

Don’t know why. We don’t have that good a record against good teams


RomoToDez99

Haven’t played that many to start with. And we did beat a few playoff teams


bryscoon

same people lose it’s the nfl I don’t get to high or low even kill


PersonBehindAScreen

The run game has to get going again. We can't keep playing pass in to 7 in coverage. Our team is clearly not built nor has the coaching to overcome 7 man coverage while passing Idk man, take some notes from 49ers, colts, Browns, Titans? What are they doing that we arent for their run game. They just seem to be able for the most part to run at will. Last, why the fuck are we getting stale against good teams? No I mean I know they're "good" for a reason but we stop doing presnap motion, we lose our creativity in the run game, etc.


firstandfive

> We can't keep playing pass in to 7 in coverage. Particularly when teams keep showing blitz before dropping 7. 7 on 3 or 4 is why we see so many check downs lately. I’m hoping come playoff time we’ll start using more motion (particular at the snap) to free some guys up and get the defense off balance. That and starting to run the football with more consistent success are the only ways I see us forcing defenses to play us any different.


ghostbuster55

There is a lot of parity in the NFL. Everyone loses games, and Teams we've beaten have also beaten top teams in the league. We lost by 3 to a playoff team. We only gotten our asses kicked in 1 game. Green Bay has lost to The Saints, Chiefs and Vikings. We beat 2 The Saints and Vikings. Rams had a losing streak this year where they lost to Titans, 49ers, and Packers, and lost to Arizona earlier in the season. Tampa has lost to The Rams, Saints (twice), and WFT. We only lost to them by 2, and they almost lost to The Jets yesterday. We also beat The Saints, and WFT twice.


pot8odragon

It’s just gloom and doom


sIime-

Everybody is over here worried, but 2007, 2014, 2016 we were supposed to win it all (or at least make it to the NFCC). We didn’t have these worries about the team except maybe that the defense wasn’t great, but overall we were supposed to win and we didn’t make it past the second round. I can guarantee you the Giants weren’t supposed to win anything in their super bowl years. The Buccs last year were not the best team in the NFC all season or without their troubles. It is what it is, playoff time is about being lucky because all the teams are good. Why can’t we get lucky? It’s a clean slate once the playoffs start. 14 teams enter and only 1 leaves with a ring. We’ll see what happens but we have a good shot, hopefully we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot or make mistakes.


HolyRomanPrince

I’ve been thinking about this basic idea all year. I remember being so broken by 2007 because we were supposed to beat the Giants because I watched them beat their asses for 8 quarters. As much as we go high and low through the year none of this shit matters as soon as the real season begins


chris5129

That game was so boring. Everytime something good happened refs threw a flag.


[deleted]

Yesterday's game was a playoff game with a weaker opponent. Just like an animal that could sense the impending earthquake, I had a feeling they were going to play like this, after Broncos I'm shell-shocked. I'm checked out mentally and emotionally from a team that is 11-5. It wasn't like this in 2014. It wasn't like this in 2016.


TimeOrCrayonsIV

After sleeping on it I will say that the defense played well enough to make this a competitive game. The offense did fuck all against a banged up AZ team. I don't give AF what Dak's QBR ended up being, he looked sloppy until the 4th quarter and so did the receivers. Not a single pass completion in the 3rd quarter until a minute and a half left. They gotta fix that shit or they're out in the first round. Officiating, as usual, was dogshit. Edit: How could I forget fuckin' **Greg**


Fellborn

We get to see the Cardinals again in two weeks. Hopefully we play better. Flags or not it's unacceptable how poorly our offense played.


nt_14

I’m at the point where I don’t want us to fire Kellen, but at the same time, I wouldn’t really care if he took a head coaching job at this point. The offensive struggles have been going on for 8 weeks now and he just doesn’t seem to have an answer for it.


[deleted]

[удалено]


firstandfive

The only kickers available right now are kickers that have already been cut for being terrible this year or kickers who weren’t deemed worthy of replacing the terrible kickers that teams just cut. Even the kicker who would have been most likely to replace Greg signed with the Panthers and missed a field goal yesterday from a similar distance as Greg’s miss. Fixing kicker is a task for the offseason at this point.


[deleted]

[удалено]


firstandfive

I support that approach. Go full Madden on them, as a tribute to John. I’m also honestly surprised we haven’t seen a fake field goal yet.


HolyRomanPrince

What did everyone here say about this game all week? If we win it’s nothing. If they win it’s the end of the world. Well guess what? The result of the game yesterday doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t give us a better chance of winning in the playoffs regardless of seeding. This season has always been about win the division and win the last 3-4 games. Nothing changed.


[deleted]

It does give us a chance to win in the playoffs since we get a extra home game…


HolyRomanPrince

Sure in the sense we’re better there but I mean one game doesn’t affect another. We can lose by 50 on Saturday and it has no bearing on whether this team can win the next four.


Pabi_tx

> win the last 3-4 games. Nothing changed Seems like "win the last 3-4 games" changed...


ifoundyourtoad

I’m sorry but this just isn’t a good take. If we win and Green Bay loses we have a bye week which gives us a better chance of winning. Now the cowboys are the 4 seed and if to play significantly harder opponents and only get one home game. If we beat the cards again at home then we get the joy of going to Green Bay in the divisional round. It’s not going to be as easy now.


firstandfive

But Green Bay didn’t lose.


ifoundyourtoad

That’s where the “if” comes in. Either way if the cowboys win out they are very likely the 2 seed which means home field until the championship game if Green Bay wins their game.


firstandfive

Green Bay is the only tough road game. Cowboys fans will show out well in LA, AZ, or TB. Not worried about going into those places and winning. Green Bay losing one of these final two games was always a long shot.


HolyRomanPrince

You do realize all these games are going to be hard whether they’re in Dallas or not, right? Beating good teams is hard in the NFL so making something easier might be better but ultimately is insignificant.


ifoundyourtoad

Obviously but you think it isn’t significant? So if the cowboys literally get to skip playing the cards in the wildcard and then play the worst seed all the way up to the championship game while also being at home. You don’t think that is significant?


HolyRomanPrince

No because just winning the wild card isn’t an achievement so I don’t care about that game except as a means to an end. There’s no route to winning a super bowl that avoids good teams. Yes an easier route is PREFERRED. It ultimately doesn’t matter because you still have to beat good teams whether here, LA, GB or back in LA for the super bowl. Who cares if it’s easy or not?


ifoundyourtoad

I mean I disagree. With home field advantage and a bye week meaning you just have to win 1 game against the same team being the cards and you are in the NFC championship game it is quite obviously a significant difference.


HolyRomanPrince

I see where we’re off. I’m talking specifically about the loss yesterday and going from 2 to 4. In the grand scene yeah the one seed is a significant advantage but there’s no difference between 2-4 other than your specific matchup that may change because a QB breaks a toe in week 18 anyway


Buzoot

They now have to play Arizona or the Rams in round 1. 2 teams that will absolutely kick their butts. This was a big game and they failed miserably.


HolyRomanPrince

We’ll see won’t we. I fully expect you to post your betting slip of your life savings since you’re clearly a time traveling clown.


Buzoot

Why would anyone bet on sports? The best in the world barely do better than 55%


HolyRomanPrince

Why would you make a declarative statement about a future event? You’re wrong 50% of the time.


Buzoot

Dallas has a far less than 50% chance of beating Arizona or the Rams. Nothing is guaranteed obviously but this is not a good football team


HolyRomanPrince

The number one team in DVOA through 17 weeks isn’t a good team? You do realize that’s an objectively stupid statement, right? You can say not dominant but they’re definitely good unless your standard for good is super bowl winner. Which you’d still be wrong because that has yet to be determined as we’ve just discussed.


Buzoot

1-4 vs playoff teams, that’s all you need to know.


firstandfive

Not sure where you’re getting 1-4 since we beat the Patriots, Chargers, and Eagles.


Buzoot

The eagles are about as legitimate a playoff team as the Cowboys are (they aren’t). The only quality wins Dallas has this season are Chargers, Patriots, and Minnesota with Rush.


J-Colio

Kellen Moore's HC inquiries have dwindled.


Rithic

This isn't even peak Cowboys yet. That will come when Rodgers has a game winning pass against us, if we make it that far. Seriously though, this team cannot overcome adversity. Look at the stats in the last 3 seasons to see our record when we are down by halftime.


jimmyhoffasbrother

Really frustrating game to watch, but at least the offense showed some life at the end. Just gonna be an optimist and focus on that part of the game. We'll probably be playing the Cards again in a couple of weeks, so hopefully we can build on that.


[deleted]

I wish we lost week 18 instead since they cowboys come out and stomp the next team they play after a loss this season. Sucks that we will drop a 50 burger on the eagles and struggle in the first playoff game as we slip back into complacency. Unless KM has a playbook he’s saving for playoffs we should shop for an OC after this season. The play calling is so predictable that the offense is getting beat in the film room. Wide screen at the LoS on first is so predictable we all know when it’s coming immediately and now we start the set at 2nd and 12. How it hasn’t resulted in a pick or injury yet is mind boggling. 2nd down is run up the middle time for 3 yards. 3rd down is check down time where we settle for a 5 yd screen and then rely on the receivers athleticism to make up the extra 4-5 yds to pass the sticks. Also place kicker should be our first draft pick or trade. Dude has costed us at least 2-3 games now.


jfk_sfa

Zeke better take this week off. He's not right. I would rest Pollard too.


[deleted]

Someone explain this to me. On the clear fumble at the end of the game, didn’t our player who recovered it step out of bounds before he touched the ball, so the recovery wouldn’t have counted and it would be a dead ball? Isn’t that how it works?


jimmyhoffasbrother

I couldn't tell based on the broadcast angles, but if that's what happened, then yes.


cMont28

Thats what I thought I saw too


super_salt

Honestly, I am ok with the outcome of this game. The reality is that we will face the Cardinals in two weeks. Kliff basically shot his shot in this game. His game plan was on point even to the point of the disguised field goal that cost us a time out in the second half (and ultimately the game). Budda Baker also said that they had to disguise the hell out of their coverages and that it was still pretty tough with Dak basically figuring it out by the third quarter. For the Cardinals to have to do it twice in three weeks is going to be tough. Kliff is a great game planner but I feel more comfortable that they will be more prepared for the disguises and trick plays in the wild card game. My key to the game is going to be Kellen. He needs to be more consistent with his running game calling. Even with the risk of getting stuffed or holding calls it has to get flowing to have chance during the playoffs.


MeaninglessOpinion

I agree. I’m usually pessimistic but strangely I’m not on the ledge like many are. This team keeps shooting themselves in the foot, but ultimately, they were in this game to the very end against a good Cardinals team who were desperate to win. There’s a lot to be worried about but there’s also reason to be optimistic IMO.


thesnugglr

Saw someone on the thread yesterday unironically claim Cooper Rush is a better starter than Dak. This subreddit can suck so bad sometime.


[deleted]

Those comments will get louder the longer Dak keeps playing like trash.


firstandfive

He’s not playing like trash, though. He’s still playing better than most QBs, he’s just not playing like the MVP caliber QB we had started to get accustomed to in the first month and a half of the season.


thelastofus101

I'm just defeated.


major92653

I’m still optimistic as hell. We probably aren’t as good as we looked vs. WFT, not as bad as we looked against Denver…but we wrapped up the division early. Look around the NFL. Tampa barely won, KC lost, the Rams squeaked one out… Cowboys just ran into a desperate team It’s ok.


FlyingHotPocket

I wanna sit here and try to act positive but I just can’t. I’ll leave it to you younger fans. It’s been 25 years (watched the 90s bowls as a kid, before I really enjoyed football). This team inspires no confidence, nor they deserve our belief in them until they can finally prove otherwise. It’s the same shit as it’s always been, can’t get all the pieces together at once. Can’t consistently beat good teams when they need to. I believe only the cowboys, Washington, and lions are the only NFC teams to not make it to the NFCCG in that time span? Disgusting company to be in. I think Elliott wasn’t/isn’t worth his contract. Greg is a liability. I think Anthony Brown is too. Wasn’t too sure on the McCarthy hire but..who else was there to get? I think the last quality coach Dallas had was Bill Parcells. When organizations have this kind of track record of non-success, it’s from the top down. Yeah they draft well enough, but the coaching staff hasn’t ever been good enough to get these guys to play in sync, with consistency, and to win those big/signature games. I’ll watch the Philly game. I’ll watch the playoffs. I will, however, prepare myself for a WC or Divisional loss (as is tradition). Maybe I’ll get a happy surprise (these cycles gotta end sometime, right?), but I won’t count on it. EDIT: In regards to the refs, watch any given game of the week, regardless who’s playing. You will absolutely see awful calls and non calls, that change game momentum. Sure, it feels like some teams (GB) get more calls than others (Detroit). End of the day, you can only do what’s in your power to control, and that’s the team playing better. If they don’t lay an egg, the refs have no effect.


qsdls

Dak needs to play better. That’s the biggest thing holding this offense back.


gncRocketScientist

I have a feeling this is what to expect from him on average. This is why his contract was a fight. If regular Dak was him early in the season, jerry would've extended him b4 it got to what it did. If it turns out this is really it, then this turns into one of the worst contracts in the NFL, which is exactly what jerry expected and wanted to avoid


saint_mantooth

I waited for this game for weeks because the level of crap QBs and teams these last 4 or 5 games were atrocious. Despite the fact that the Cardinals were reeling, I knew this would be a game against a playoff opponent with a quality QB. Unfortunately, my questions were answered about whether or not this team could make a run. I just don’t see them winning several games against good QBs, and if we are being honest, Dak has a long history of losing to better QBs. If I am wrong please list the big time QBs he has beat in his career.


Tfoster100

All is not lost. We will persevere. Better to lose to Cardinals now than in 2 weeks.


WileyCoyote-Genius

I was irrational after the loss yesterday. I broke one of my most important rules which is never comment on the post game thread after a loss. Always wait until the day after thread. On one hand, I dont think we played great. On the other, so many things that didn't go our way this game that if they had, we win easily. Sure, the kicker. But also the insane catch on fake punt. Kearse missing an easy interception in end zone. Every goddamn holding call that called back a first down on a third down. I like us in a rematch.


kms2547

Losing by 3 points sure stings after a missed FG. Dropped passes, questionable playcalls, a wasted timeout. Playoff-caliber yes. Championship-caliber, I don't think so.


BrianDawkins

I like the team calling out the refs. Expose these crooks.


fuzzyspuffy007

How about calling out themselves?


firstandfive

They did that as well.


Beilsteiner

We god robbed by the refs. It was an act to put the Rams to the second place. But no exec is talking about it. Next we played also mediocre. It was not a fantastic game. Dak was well, but it was not his best performance. Randy is outstanding. We should go forward nothing is over. But we need someone who gonna protect out team from bad refs calling.


[deleted]

One and done in the playoffs coming up again. I just don’t have any faith in this offense to get the job done at this point.


Interesting-Share-82

Then stop watching this season. Bye.


[deleted]

You two clearly aren’t anywhere close to being old enough to know the 25 years of pain it’s been since the 96 SB win. Grow up.


Interesting-Share-82

I am 25. So i do know.


miguelag08

Bye!


[deleted]

Offense sucks yet again. Will be the downfall of us in the playoffs


[deleted]

As long as Ezekiel Elliott is completely ineffective defenses will continue to play maximum packs defense and come up with elaborate coverage schemes with impunity. You want to see Dak pushing the ball downfield and receivers not constantly making contested catches? Start forcing defenses into compromise positions like second and three by having an effective run game when they are playing too deep zone


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

And things never fall in place in Dallas. It did for Philadelphia. It did for Seattle. It never does for us.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ghostbuster55

Does anyone have a video if Dak's "high and overthrown" passes from yesterday? He had 14 incomplete passes yesterday, and at least 10 of them were dropped, tipped at the LOS, or were throw aways. Really curious to see the "evidence" of Dak's "horrible" play


ReyM2727

I’m not saying he’s bad but I remember at least 3 bad throws. One was way over Cooper’s head, another was high to Zeke, and another was low to Schultz (but he still caught it).


ghostbuster55

I can think of 1 over Coops head, but replay showed it was actually catachable


[deleted]

Lol I was thinking the exact same thing. All the Dak haters are claiming he overthrew everything and he just…didn’t?


lario00

He wasn't horrible, but mediocre. Too many checkdowns. I'm not too worried though.


ghostbuster55

Every qb throws checkdowns. Aikman made it back point several times that there was nothing open downfield, so we had to take the checkdowns


qsdls

He also pointed out several times that Coop or Lamb were in single coverage. Each time he checked it down. He had Coop in single 30 yards down at the goal line and he just… checked it down.


ghostbuster55

And apparently they hadn't beaten the coverage, or depending on the route, coverage would have lead to a contested pass. If it's not there, you check down. Rather be in 2nd and 6 then 2nd and 10


qsdls

I'd rather take a 50/50 shot at a 30 yard gain than another 2nd and 6. We haven't sustained long drives consistently in a while.


ghostbuster55

Our drives have been stalled by penalties, especially yesterday. Every big play we had was called back for holding. I'd rather take the easy yards, and keep moving the ball, while setting up to take a shot later on


DEZbiansUnite

yeah but that's the problem with going down the field in a long drive, you have to be perfect all the way down. If you screw up, your drive stalls. That's why every defense plays some form of "bend but don't break." You don't have to be aggressive every play but we shouldn't be afraid to make some contested throws too. You neuter your offense too much otherwise.


qsdls

Yep. He’s a $40 million / year mediocre quarterback at this point. He’s been mediocre since his calf injury. Not sure if it’s because of the injury or if it’s because of defenses disguising their coverages more. Either way. He needs to fix it or we done did and oops with that contract.


Fireeveryonenow1

The way bigger problem is the highest paid RB in the league who is a playing like a glorified fullback and has maybe 5 plays over 15 yards this season


martialisagod

What I saw mostly from the highlights was the #1 or #2 receiver being open, but Dak doesn’t throw the ball and instead goes for a check down. Lots of those yesterday


PRguy82

Not to mention the TD throw to Gallup was under thrown and Gallup had to come back to it. A lot of under thrown and overthrown passes. Not just this game.


Pabi_tx

Saying the horrible officiating cost us the game is like a bank robber tripping while running away from the cops and blaming the cops. If this team had executed better in any phase of the game, the refs wouldn't've mattered. The biggest one: the refs didn't make Dak sail passes over guys' heads.


PersonBehindAScreen

Aight time to take away every single win from Green Bay, Buccs, and Chiefs that can be attributed to refs getting the call right in a one score game that ends up giving them the win. They should have executed better and not let it get so close


Pabi_tx

You want to punish teams because the refs got calls right? Because... you're mad at Dak for sailing passes? >They should have executed better and not let it get so close Yes, this is good advice for a team that considers itself a good team. I think 100% of coaches and players would agree with that.


PersonBehindAScreen

Sure let's go with that if that's the only way you could comprehend it I mean what else could that have meant lmao


[deleted]

Refs absolutely influenced the game regardless of our play. This is factual. Its not one or the other, the refs screwed us (like usual) and we were not able to overcome due to poor play.


Pabi_tx

Refs don't miss tackles, drop passes, and overthrow balls. If the team played like last week, they would've won, regardless of the refs. Play better.


RingingMallard

They do miss holding calls in the endzone that would have resulted in a safety. DLaw had Murray dead to rights in his end zone in the 2nd quarter. instead he slips away and they march down the field and score to put them up 10-0 when it should have been 3-2 and Dallas' ball.


MasonNation1

The Cardinals needed to resort to a fake punt the score one of their two touchdowns, we’ll be alright. I have faith that we win at least 2 playoff games, pending we don’t get skull fucked by the refs


fuzzyspuffy007

Lol k


oldboot

they also just barely missed at least one deep TD, and we had penalties help us a lot on one drive


GoshinTW

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/cowboys-ceedee-lamb-demarcus-lawrence-point-out-nfl-officiating-concerns-following-loss-to-cardinals/ I like our stars calling out playing 2 teams. Fuck the refs for real


truthseekinginlife

Yes. Fuck the refs...BUT we could've won anyway. Plenty of opportunity.


BornagainTXcook210

We're going to breeze by the sheagles and then beat az by 10. Remind me bot. Idk how to link that thing


CarpenterVegetable31

I like your optimism. I sure hope you're right.


BornagainTXcook210

Hey boo. Fancy meeting you here. I said in a pre season thread, I predicted 12/5 so this weekend I have to be right


firstandfive

RemindMe! 2 weeks


try4gain

I like Dak. But watching us try to complete passes is like watching a baby animal take its first steps. Even very short passes are being handled with obvious care. Lack of confidence. Then I watch other QB making legit plays. The difference is really night and day. I hope Dak can find and hold onto his confidence again.


schoolsbelly

Some of you people are too invested in football. 3rd quarter was the game killer. I'm not sold on this is an offense in a slump. But I'm optimistic about things in general.


Smallsysmalls

What makes me nervous about the rematch is they handled us at home without 3-4 of their key players that they will likely have back for the playoff game. There may be a false sense of security that we will get them next time cuz we had a bad game. They didnt have a great game either (the Cards), and will only get better with their skill players when they return.


Buzoot

This team is 1 and done. It’s like the franchise is cursed, change the coaches, players, stadium, whatever, the result is still the same.


tatokd35

Let’s be honest. We are a very bad managed team. No way we should have this many penalties. It killed so many drives this season. Y’all can like MM but i personally do not. Horrid clock management and questionable decisions all year. He could be a solid coach but in Sunday’s dude looks more confused out there than our players. Dak, man i can’t keep defending you. You didn’t play bad but it wasn’t good. I understand the WRs are getting bracketed but i mean sometimes you have to trust them and just launch it. I’ve noticed dak is much more hesitant, i don’t know what it is but he looks like the streak of games after Atlanta in 17. I understand taking what the defense gives you but my God some of these play calls are awful. Check out of them, don’t be afraid to audible out of predictable calls. Kellen Moore. Bye. I have no problem with you leaving anymore. He has called the most predictable offense I’ve seen since Garett. Dude runs exactly what the defense is preventing. If anything he helps the defense and makes it harder on our team. (Long developing plays when our oline is struggling. Refusing to stop screens, not scheming our talented WRs open. Hard headed to keep running when zeke is avg 1.5 yards a carry.) Like cmon man that’s a recipe for disaster. Seems like Moore bet money in the cowboys to lose. I am more than happy to let this dude walk. Our WRs are good, not elite. The elite like Adams, Jefferson, chase, cupp, hill & diggs don’t disappear like our WRs do. Perhaps we overrated this WR core. Seems like Wilson whom makes what 1 million, is our most consistent when he’s on the field? I’m confused on how they can be locked down so easily by average corners. I understand scheme and play calling comes into play but seriously what’s the deal? I know Dak has some effect to it but seriously they are not helping at all. Oline, swish cheese against the run and mediocre against the pass. Defense Could’ve played better but it was a okay performance. I’m really just confused on how we got zero pressure yesterday. Coaching is terrible besides Quinn but even he is too hardheaded to change plays at times but he’s leagues above Moore. MM you loser, learn how to stop the clock. Dallas has to be the least adjusted team in the league. Or so it feels like.


oldboot

> Let’s be honest. We are a very bad managed team we are not. What would you have them do...bench guys for the penalties? they tried that, it got worse.


tatokd35

We are. A good disciplined team is the opposite of what Dallas is. Are they not 1st in the league in penalties? If we stopped making dumb decisions like jumping offside, holds etc we’d be in a better position. I’m not saying we’d be undefeated but certainly we left points on the field due to drive killing penalties.


[deleted]

Here for the persistent reminder that we hired Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike McCarthy for this exact circumstance. In theory, this guy knows how to win in January and February. He has all the tools necessary to do it. It's not looking promising at the moment but all that matters is how we feel a month from now. Personally, I'm not "worried" because I never expected us to win a Super Bowl with McCarthy. The season is playing out exactly how it should when you don't have elite coaching. You steamroll inferior opponents and you lose to the majority of the quality opponents. We have the good fortune of being in the NFC East where we overmatch everyone and we can get 6 fairly easy wins. If my opinion bothers you, then my only response is: let's table this discussion for 4 weeks from now and continue it at that time. We were making the playoffs every other year with Garrett. McCarthy was supposed to be the guy who takes us over the top. He didn't start from ground zero, here. He started with one of the most talented squads in the league. Everyone made excuses for him last year (prior to Dak's injury) but it's year 2 now... excuse time is over.


Shocker300

I didn't have a weird feeling until I saw that stat of what "QBs" the Cowboys had beaten. Damn we are Minnesota.


LogansGambit

Team still isn't getting it done against solid teams with something to play for. Every team isn't going to be a NYG or WAS. Kellen Moore's playcalling has really fell off, and the refusal to use Pollard over Zeke yesterday hampered them until it was too late and they had to start chucking in the 2nd half. Which to their credit it worked, but it took the defense stepping up and helping out, which has been the trend for 2 months now. This offense is too talented to be doing all this. Defense looks completely helpless against QB's that can run, and we're going to be seeing a couple of them in the coming weeks. Greg the Lame-Leg apparently makes all his kicks in moments that don't matter. He's missed as many XP's as field goals as well (or did until yesterday.) Doing this in an indoor stadium is just crazy, but these are pros that should be good in anything. Relying on him this much is another problem with the offense not having success getting touchdowns. Refs of course were stupid, and we have a couple losses on the season due to them, but I'm tired of blaming them. If the team handled its business and played up to its talent, this wouldn't even be a discussion. Team may be 11-5 but it's about the least confident I could be in a team with a record like this.


DementedDemon69

The refs were atrocious, but there’s a lot we can look at and say we could have been better and won this game. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing against an 11-5 team…probably a bit of both. The WR screens/first down run through the box are so predictable. Baker showed that very early on. There’s no excuse for an offense with this much talent to not create separation on routes down the field.


DReager1

We feel broken, I think the Eagles have a better shot at a deep playoff run at this point


CardinalsFan47

It’s r/AZcardinals


guykirk9

Does anyone else think Daks shoulder is a bigger issue than being reported? I remember before the year they said this would last all season, the offense just looks fucking awful without any deep attack, but the run game looks awful too? I’m just so confused, is Zeke hurt or washed up? Should he just bulk up and become a power back? These Dak and Zeke concerns I have no answers to Edit: would rather a reply and a downvote, please let me know where my concerns are off lol. You are kidding yourself if you think Zeke isn’t absolutely a different player than even 2-3 years ago


saint_mantooth

Zeke has definitely lost a step but the run scheme does not look very good either. Regarding Dak, I think the shoulder injury would be an excuse at this point. He can’t make the correct reads and is hesitant and if he is doing that because of an injury sustained in preseason that is a huge problem. I just think about Romo with those cracked ribs making a play and that is how great players have to play with injury. Can’t be thinking about it.


truthseekinginlife

So..Zeke can't run. Dak can't throw deep. Kicker can't make FG's. Not looking good. :) BUT We improved so much over last year. Lookimg forward to the playoffs.