Raise your hand if you had the Dallas Cowboys sitting at 3-6 and four games behind the Philadelphia Eagles through the first 10 weeks of the season. It has not been pretty … especially the past four weeks.
Dallas has lost four consecutive games for the first time since 2020. That was Mike McCarthy’s first season. Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending injury in a Week 5 win against the New York Giants. The Cowboys lost their next four games, scoring just 10, 3, 9 and 19 points with Andy Dalton, Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert starting games at quarterback.
The last time the Cowboys lost five or more games in a row? That was 2015 when they went 4-12 under Jason Garrett. They lost seven consecutive games that season and four quarterbacks started games for them: Matt Cassel (1-6), Tony Romo (3-1), Kellen Moore (0-2) and Brandon Weeden (0-3).
The next two games will be especially tough — Dallas plays Houston next Monday and then travels to D.C. to take on the Commanders.
CeeDee Lamb’s look caught on camera Sunday at AT&T Stadium said it all.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 10, 2024
What we’re saying about the Cowboys
Machota: Jerry Jones’ frustration growing, but don’t expect stadium of coaching changes
Yousuf: Cooper Rush and Trey Lance aren’t solving Cowboys’ offensive mess
Week 10 roundtable: Who’s more disappointing — Jets or Cowboys?
Mike Sando’s Pick Six: Cowboys’ home futility
Austin Mock’s playoff predictions: Time to plan for the future
Harsh reality for rookie
Rookie cornerback Caelen Carson was one of the most consistent and impressive performers throughout training camp, whether it was in joint practices or against the Dallas Cowboys’ own offense. He displayed the ability to not only be a quality cornerback in coverage but also made big plays by forcing turnovers.
None of that has translated to the regular season.
In Carson’s defense, the plan was never to throw him into the fire the way he has been this season. Carson, primarily an outside cornerback, was supposed to be an understudy as Trevon Diggs held down one side of the field and DaRon Bland locked down the other. Jourdan Lewis served as the staple in the slot. With Bland’s injury late in training camp sidelining him so far this season, Carson was forced into a position where the Cowboys needed him and he wore a target on his back. Diggs and Lewis both have established reputations in pass coverage. Carson is green. When you play against a smart, veteran quarterback who has a strong group of skill players around him — as was the case Sunday against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles — there’s a high risk of getting exposed.
That Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown connection is special 🤌 pic.twitter.com/tpDI59pzfg
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 10, 2024
Carson was the clear weak link on a defensive unit that actually had a good enough performance in the first half against the Eagles to keep the game close.
Carson has struggled all season, so it wasn’t anything new, but the degree to which Hurts seemed to be hunting Carson in the matchup game forced the Cowboys to eventually replace Carson with Israel Mukuamu. Although Carson had a strong training camp, it’s important to remember that he was a fifth-round pick. That doesn’t mean he won’t grow into a solid role in the NFL but it is a reminder that there are parts of his game that need to be refined and developed. It’s hard when that process is taking place on the primary late afternoon slot.
Run game, good and bad
The streak goes on for another week.
Including the playoffs, the Cowboys have now gone 24 consecutive games without boasting a 100-yard rusher. Rico Dowdle has been showing encouraging signs when he gets the opportunity. That was the case again Sunday. Dowdle had 12 carries for 53 yards for a 4.4 yards per carry average. He even popped off a 19-yard run. The game didn’t get out of hand until the second half and the Cowboys abandoned the run game. Ten of Dowdle’s 12 carries came in the first half.
On the flip side, Ezekiel Elliott returned after being inactive last week in Atlanta. The Cowboys made a disciplinary choice to hold Elliott out of that game because of his tardiness to meetings. Elliott carried the ball four times in the first half and the results were ugly. Midway through the second quarter, the Cowboys fed the ball to Elliott on first-and-goal from the 6-yard line. Elliott tried to smash the ball into the end zone but instead fumbled and the Eagles recovered. At the time, the Cowboys were down 7-3. They were knocking on the door of a 10-7 lead, which would have allowed a feisty Cowboys defense to play that way even more.
Oh no… Zeke fumbles the ball into the end zone and the Eagles recover.
(via @nfl) pic.twitter.com/2Qjj4UHoVy
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 10, 2024
The Cowboys forced a fumble on the ensuing possession and got the ball again in the exact same spot. On first down — the first offensive play following Elliott’s fumble — the Cowboys fed him the rock, again. Elliott picked up three yards but overall, the Cowboys ended up settling for a field goal three plays later. In two red zone trips inside the 10-yard line, the Cowboys scored a grand total of three points.
One bright spot
Very few Cowboys players have met or exceeded expectations during this awful first half of the season. One of them is unquestionably DeMarvion Overshown. The second-year linebacker has been one of the defense’s top playmakers, which he again showcased Sunday.
Whether it was stopping Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley at the line of scrimmage or sacking Hurts for 13- and 8-yard losses, Overshown was setting the tone for Dallas’ defense early.
D-Mo came flyin’ 💨
📺: #PHIvsDAL on CBS
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LvklCbYJ1e pic.twitter.com/NvwzccB7xQ— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 10, 2024
He gave the team a little bit of a scare in the third quarter when he exited with a knee injury, but he was able to return. Overshown missed his entire rookie season because of a torn ACL he suffered last year in the preseason. He appears to be a strong building block for the future.
“He’s got a true warrior spirit,” Cowboys DE Micah Parsons said of Overshown. “I think eventually I might want to hop back and play linebacker just so I can play with him. I love the energy he brings. He’s such a special, I don’t want to say kid because he plays like a grown man. He’s somebody I wish that I play with for a long time.”
Does he see some Micah Parsons in him?
“I see greater things,” Parsons said. “I hope he’s greater than me.”
Another QB option?
The Cowboys’ quarterback play was so bad Sunday that at least one fan was hoping to see a familiar face return to the game. Former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was calling the game on CBS. Early in the fourth quarter, with Dallas trailing 31-6, a Cowboys fan was shown on the broadcast holding up a sign that said: “Romo Go In!”
Dallas has spoken and they want TONY ROMO BACK 😂 pic.twitter.com/zA67mziPYU
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 10, 2024
Romo laughed and jokingly pretended to get loosened up in the booth.
“I’d last about two drives,” Romo said.
While a healthy Romo in his 30s would have fared much better than Cooper Rush or Trey Lance, it would’ve been asking a lot for a 44-year-old Romo to stay healthy behind Dallas’ current offensive line. However, at the very least, it would’ve been more entertaining than anything we saw from the Cowboys’ offense Sunday … and maybe for the rest of the season.
(Photo of Ezekiel Elliott: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
