Instant Analysis: Lack of discipline, awareness lead Cowboys to embarrassing loss to Bills
The Dallas Cowboys were absolutely embarrassed on Sunday, out-toughed by the Buffalo Bills. But it was their own mistakes that knocked the road team out of contention in an ugly first half, not the opponent’s punching them in the mouth. Penalties that extended drives and stalled their own, and not being aware of their surroundings led to a 21-3 halftime deficit, their worst of the season.
And when the Cowboys weren’t able to score to close out the first half or start the second, it was pretty much all she wrote. The Cowboys entered the game with a five-game winning streak overall and 21 in a row on artificial turf, but none of that translated to a competent performance in Week 15. Instead the club that had been red hot has the same questions that have haunted them resurface. Can Dallas win on the road against good teams? It doesn’t seem like they know how, as they fell to the Bills 31-10.
Dallas’ clinched a playoff berth before they took the field Sunday, thanks to other results. However they have many more doubts now then they did before now that they are 10-4 and likely out of the rae for the NFC East title and the No. 1 seed in the conference.
It was over when . . .
. . . Sam Williams not only didn’t get the blocked punt, but was flagged for roughing the punter, giving Buffalo a new set of downs. After allowing a touchdown on the opening drive, and in embarrassing fashion, Dallas’ defense had stiffened. They forced a three-and-out on the following possession, and trailing 7-0, forced a quick punt from Buffalo’s 26.
Williams, who already has earned a reputation as a punt block terror, knifed in and had a strong chance for an easy block but leaped in the air. Getting off the ground allowed the punter to get the kick off around him, and Williams landed into him, earning the 15-yard penalty.
Now near midfield, the Bills turned to James Cook who caught a short pass for 24 yards, ran for eight and later caught a corner route for an 18-yard score. The 14-point margin sealed the deal midway through the first quarter.
The nail in the coffin was when . . .
. . . Dallas forced a fumble, recovered, and everyone acted like it didn’t happen.
Despite a referee standing around when Markquese Bell punched the ball out of Stefon Diggs arms and Donovan Wilson pounced on it, despite three Cowboys being right there, despite the Bills racing to the line to hurry up and get the snap off before a challenge flag was thrown, nobody on the Cowboys side seemed to notice something was amiss.
The stadium replay, it was later revealed, was tied to the FOX television replay, so no one in the stadium saw the play as it happened in front of the Bills’ sideline. But none of the Cowboys’ players made a stink of the situation to alert the coaching staff they needed to challenge the play.
On the next play, Jayron Kearse was called for a defenseless receiver personal foul, and soon after the Bills were in the end zone again with a 21-3 lead.
Key Stat: 18
That’s how many first-half points Dallas gave up as a result of drives extended by penalties.
On the opening drive of the game, Bills QB Josh Allen flopped his way to a personal foul when DeMarcus Lawrence put his forearm into Allen’s chest on a third-down incompletion from the six-yard line. Allen fell back, claiming he was hit in the face and was rewarded with the flag and a subsequent first and goal.
The Williams’ penalty on the blocked punt and the Kearse personal foul happened on the next two scoring drive. Kearse’s penalty was on second down, but it was on an obvious incompletion on 2nd-and-19 after a sack of Allen.
Who knows what happens elsewhere, but it could’ve easily have been a 3-3 slugfest instead of a blowout.
Quick Hits
This was the second game in three contests where the Dallas defense was obliterated by an opponent with their backs to the wall. In Week 13, the Seattle Seahawks gave them everything they could handle until the defense made stops in the fourth quarter. This game, the offense wasn’t able to match the opponents energy. Dan Quinn, for all the great things he’s done, has had a handful of doozies. Sandwiched around wrecking a top-5 offense means it’s all a mystery, still.
Prescott flirted the entire game with turnover-worthy throws until he finally threw an interception with the game out of reach. Unofficial count has them at five passes that easily could’ve been interceptions, with only one getting on the ledger. It was just a befuddling situation throughout the game.
Injuries are now a concern for the club. Right guard Zack Martin left the game in the first half with a quad injury that could be serious. The team was without nose tackle Johnathan Hankins and he was sorely missed as the Bills ran through them for over 200 yards on the ground. Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, Damone Clark and Donovan Wilson all left the game at some point but returned.
Dallas will likely need the Philadelphia Eagles to lose one of their two games against New York at this point, if they want to win the NFC East and get a home game in the playoffs. The loss to an AFC team isn’t big, but the Cowboys are likely going to lose Strength of Victory if it comes to that.
