Photo Courtesy: Jeffrey Beall
Unfortunately, what we saw was a very heartbreaking loss for the Dallas Cowboys. This is now their fourth consecutive loss, and they’re now in fourth place in the NFC East. Coming off their bye week, the Cowboys looked ready and focused, but mistakes again led to another defeat.
Thoughts on the Game
Offense: Matt Cassel made his first start at quarterback for the Cowboys going 17 for 27, throwing for 227 yards, with three interceptions and only one touchdown. Despite the three interceptions, the Cowboys still could have pulled off a win thanks to the defense that made several stops to give the offense a chance to score. The running game picked up with Darren McFadden getting 29 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. Joseph Randle left the game early with a back injury and did not return. The offense overall has improved significantly, but the three interceptions doomed them, especially the one that was returned for a touchdown. Dez Bryant, who was rumored to return for this game did not play. Keeping Dez out for this game was good as it’s best to wait until his injured foot is at 100% healed.
Defense: The defense looked well rested and focused. The defense played a very solid game keeping Eli Manning to only 170 yards passing, and prevented him from throwing a touchdown pass,. The Cowboys pass rushing defense attack has improved, but the rushing defense struggled and allowed over 130 rushing yards. The defense only got two sacks and failed to force a turnover. Turnovers are the biggest issue for this defense as they’ve forced less than five so far this season. Rod Marinelli is making progress with his defense as far as forcing opponents to punt. But the biggest goal is to fix the turnover problem.
Special Teams: Dan Bailey went 2 for 2 and is still perfect in field goals this season. Special teams made two crucial mistakes in this game. First one was that they allowed former Cowboy Dwayne Harris to return a kickoff 100-yards for a touchdown, which allowed the Giants to take the lead. The second one was when Cole Beasley muffed a punt and cost the Cowboys their shot to drive down the field and attempt to tie the game with a little over than a minute left. Cole Beasley should not be returning punts anymore. Lucky Whitehead should be given that role.
At a 2-4 record and in last place, this is a very tough and frustrating time for America’s team. Next week, the Seattle Seahawks will be in town. Dez Bryant may return for this game. It’ll be good if he returns so Matt Cassel will have a reliable receiver to throw to. Cowboys must be ready. The defense must force some turnovers. They’ll need to practice harder than they’ve practiced all season if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. Then they must beat Seattle.
