ARLINGTON – The Dallas Cowboys flatly deny that they are unable to compete against good teams that are already in the Playoffs or that aspire to qualify for that instance and assure that they should only find rhythm and stop making mistakes to avoid defeats like the one they suffered against the Arizona Cardinals.
Reality says otherwise.
The Cardinals, the first team-winning rival the Texan team has faced since December, snapped the Cowboys’ four-game winning streak by taking a 25-22 win over 93,359 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
“We are not demotivated, but, ultimately, upset, because we did not come out with the victory,” lamented quarterback Dak Prescott. “I know the team we have. We just don’t deliver as a team, starting with myself. I have to improve. We all have to look in the mirror and find a way to win in a game like this. “
Prescott completed 24 of 38 passes for 223 yards and the three touchdown passes he threw are far from reflecting the inconsistency with which he played during the 60 minutes of the game against Arizona and in which he threw passes that could finish in points or first and 10 with receivers that were unmarked.
At times, Prescott was slow to decide whether to shoot or run with the ball, in addition to holding the ball too long and compromising the play.
His companions did not help either. CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, Dalton Schultz, Tony Pollard, and Ezekiel Elliott all dropped catchable passes and their offensive line was outshone by the speed of Arizona’s defense, which, combined with penalties from Dallas and a 43-minute field goal attempt yards missed by Greg Zuerlein after a 12-play drive that advanced 50 yards limited the Cowboys to just seven points in the first three quarters.
“We hold ourselves back. We commit punishments unnecessarily and we begin to get behind the chains, “accused Prescott. “We have to find a better rhythm from the beginning. Obviously, all those plays are reflected in the end. It is a tough defeat, but we have to be better ”.
The defense was not as dominant as it has been against teams already thinking about next season. Against the Cardinals, they didn’t steal as they had multiple times during their four-game winning streak.
The Cardinals attack, led by quarterback Kyler Murray, passed over the Cowboys’ defense on third downs by going seven of 16 and in a game point, they had converted five of eight of these conversions.
“(The defeat) taught us that there are things to clean. It’s one of those days where we beat ourselves, “said rookie linebacker Micah Parsons. “I know we can play better. We have to give the ball back to our offense. We have to avoid big plays, especially on third (down), but we are going to learn from all of this. “
The owner and general manager of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, assured that the starters will play next Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in the last game of the regular season in the search to secure the second seed in the NFC during the Postseason.
Dallas won the NFC East title last week.
“We had an excellent opportunity to go 12-4 and we lost on a lot of things,” acknowledged head coach Mike McCarthy. “You have to evaluate everything and we all know that we need to work on specific things.
“(The Cardinals) made some big plays and controlled possession time and we were unable to put up points and hold series in the first half. So you don’t win against a good team like the one we face today (Sunday) ”, declared the coach.
– .
