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Cowboys' early pass rush can't prevent offense's, second-half collapse
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- Cowboys' early pass rush can't prevent offense's, second-half collapse
The Dallas Cowboys lost their fifth straight game to the Arizona Cardinals , and true to organizational form, it was an embarrassing display in a 33-30 collapse . Embarrassing is a word Cowboys fans have gotten used to using over the past three seasons, and it encapsulated yet another defeat.
From Jerry Jones, to Brian Schottenheimer, to Christian Parker, and down to the players, it was a gutless performance for a team that had a chance to build momentum for the season. The loss puts the Cowboys further behind in the NFC East race and the playoffs seem like a pipe dream to this group. Here's the good, the bad and the ugly from the Cowboys' unfathomable loss to the Cardinals in Week 8.
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The Good: The pass rush
For much of game, it was a solid outing from the defense. They caused two turnovers, got a goal line stand, and had a season high five sacks.
The pressure was led by Quinnen Williams, who had two of the takedowns, including one in overtime that could've set the team up for the win. Another sack came from linebacker Shemar James, and two veteran defenders got their first of the season.
James Houston was active and saw some meaningful snaps on defense, which led to a sack, while Von Miller got his first in a Cowboys uniform.
It wasn't enough to save the team, or the defensive performance, but the pass rush came to life in the loss.
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The Bad: The offense
Much of the blame for the collapse will fall on the heels of the defense, but the offense played a large role in the loss. The Cowboys could only muster 261 total yards, and their best players never came through.
Quarterback Dak Prescott threw for just 195 yards against one of the worst pass defenses in the league, CeeDee Lamb had a meager 56 yards receiving, and Javonte Williams had only 56 yards rushing. Just a week after their best performance in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles , the offensive line struggled to open holes or protect Prescott, who was sacked a season high four times.
And when the Cowboys needed their offense to come through, the part of the team that's supposed to be responsible for winning games, the unit folded. The Cardinals' offense picked up steam, and as the Dallas defense wilted, Schottenheimer's group failed to respond.
It was a late game collapse where the play caller came up short and played conservative instead of staying aggressive.
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On the offense's final series in regulation, the plan to play for a field goal was shortsighted. Instead of throwing on first down, or having his best wide receivers on the field for second down when they did attempt to pass, the Cowboys failed to put their best foot forward to seal a win. The result was a three-and-out, and a field goal that kept the Cardinals alive.
To start overtime, after finally getting a stop, the offense called for a run play on first down instead of passing or getting aggressive down the field. With a chance to win the game, the play calling was too passive.
Schottenheimer's been the coach and play caller for 1.5 years, and he still hasn't learned that he cannot trust his defense. It came back to haunt him, again.
The Ugly: Second half defense
After a good first half showing where they only allowed three points, Parker's pathetic defense arrived in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter alone, the Cowboys blew a 14-point lead and a 10-point lead with under four minutes to play.
They allowed 316 yards in the second half, including 143 rushing yards to backup running back Tyler Allgeier. The big play was a 63-yard touchdown run after the Cardinals replaced Jacoby Brissett with Gardner Minshew . The score sparked Arizona's offense, which looked unstoppable in the second half.
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Cardinals WR Michael Wilson had eight catches for 118 yards receiving, 96 of which came in the second half, and 61 yards came on the game-tying drive at the end of regulation. Somehow, with the game on the line, Wilson caught a 13-yard touchdown where he was wide open.
The tying drive for the Cardinals, without its starting RB, two of their top WRs, and a backup QB, went for 80 yards and took just 63 seconds. A truly embarrassing ending for a defense that began the game with such promise.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys' early pass rush can't prevent offense's, second-half collapse
