Coming off their first win of the season against their in-state rivals, the Houston Texans, the Cowboys took a week off and soaked in the feeling of accomplishment for the first time this year. They dominated nearly every aspect of their battle with the Texans, and had 2 weeks to prepare for their next test, the Tennessee Titans. For the Cowboys, it was a fresh start to a season where expectations were through the roof. Silencing the critics and calming their nerves was exactly what was needed to turn a horrible start into a promising season going forward. Perhaps momentum was finally shifting in their favor and their march to greatness could commence. Or maybe, as everyone would soon learn, not everything was as it seemed.
There was a definite positive vibe heading into Sunday's matchup with the Titans. The Cowboys were coming off a great win and were feeling like the 'Boys we expected them to be. To make things better, Dallas was coming out of a bye week. The Cowboys are 5-0 in their previous 5 season when coming out of bye weeks. The extra time to rest, heal, and prepare seems to treat this group of players very well. But someone must have forgotten to send that memo to the Titans. Tennessee rolled into Dallas and punched the 'Boys square in the face. What transpired was yet another difficult defeat for the Cowboys, sending them to a putrid 1-3 start, which leaves them in the basement of the NFC East. For yet another week, the Cowboys suffered a heart-breaking loss, even though their stats clearly outshined those of the Titans. It was the key mistakes that brought Dallas to their knees on this day, and the perseverance of the Titans was the knock-out punch.
Offensively, the Cowboys came out rolling and never let off the gas pedal. Tony Romo had another monstrous outing, completing 31 of his 46 passing attempts, for an amazing 406 yards and 3 touchdowns. Miles Austin and Roy Williams definitely came to play and assist in Romo's dominance through the air. Austin hauled in 9 catches for 166 yards and a score, which is becoming the norm for their top wideout. Williams, who was coming off his best performance since joining Dallas, kept the momentum rolling. He caught 6 passes of his own, totaling 87 yards and a score. Jason Witten was even able to find his way into the end zone on this day. The passing attack was as potent as advertised.
The running game also seemed to step up. Though this week, it wasn't Marion Barber getting the biggest load. Instead, Felix Jones supplied the heavy workload, and rewarded the coaching staff and their confidence in him with his best performance yet. He touched the ball a career high 15 times, rushing for 109 yards. He averaged 7.3 yards per carry. His 100-yard performance was the first time a Cowboy has reached the 100-yard plateau in 18 weeks. It also proved that when given the chance, Felix can carry the load of a featured back, which many believe he should be anyway. Barber only had 6 carries in this game, totaling 19 yards. For Jason Garrett, it may be time to feature Felix and place Barber into a role more suitable to his talents, which would be as a goal line back, who can also carry the load in the 4th quarter as a closer, as well as getting the carries on tough 3rd and 4th down situations. Giving the ball to Felix on a more consistent basis will not only give the Cowboys the chance to eat away the clock, but also give them that big play ability their running game has been lacking for years.
Let's not be fooled, however. As dominant as the offense was, it was the mistakes that helped lead to this loss. And in any loss, the bad will always outshine the good, which it did on this day. Even though Romo threw for over 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, his performance may be overshadowed by the 3 interceptions he threw, including his final pick, on the last drive of the game. The Cowboys got the ball back with 45 seconds remaining in the game and a chance to possibly tie the game, forcing overtime. But as quickly as they got the ball, they handed it over even quicker. On the first play, Romo tossed his third interception, ending the hopes of a comeback, and sending them to their third loss of the season.
But not all blame can be placed on Romo. In fact, he should be one of the last people with a finger in his face. Yes, he made a few mistakes, but had the Cowboys, as a whole, played at a higher quality, his mistakes would not have effected the game in the capacity that it did. And his final interception to seal their loss could have been avoided. So who gets the blame, if not Romo?
1) For starters, the offensive line was as dreadful as they have been all season. Heading into this contest, the line had protected their quarterback better than any other team to this point in the year. Romo had only been sacked 1 time in his previous 128 attempts prior to this game. But on Sunday, the line seemed to disinegrate, which led the Titans racking up 6 sacks. The protection was awful, falling apart at the seams, and it eventually led to Leonard Davis being benched for his inadequate performance.
2) The defense was atrocious. The Cowboys had prepared for 2 weeks to contain Chris Johnson and hault the run, which would force Vince Young to pass the ball. This gameplan failed miserably. By the time the final whistle blew, Johnson had rushed for 131 yards and 2 touchdowns against a very tough Dallas rush defense. To make matters worse, the Cowboys' secondary seemed nonexistent. Vince Young threw for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns, which isn't an overwhelming performance. But he acheived this in only 12 completions. And the big play was always a problem. Ask Mike Jenkins, who was flagged twice on the opening drive for pass interference. This eventually led to a touchdown. It also gave Young the confidence he needed to look downfield on more occassions.
3) It seems to be the theme of the season to this point for the Cowboys. Yet again, penalties played perhaps the biggest role in their demise. The 'Boys racked up 12 penalties, which resulted in 133 penalty yards, compared to only 4 penalties by Tennessee. It's been a significant problem all season, and was a killer on this day. Without a doubt, the biggest penalty came in the 4th quarter. Jason Witten had just scored a touchdown to tie the game. But instead on simply heading to the sidelines, he handed the ball to Marc Colombo, who then proceeded to spike the ball. This brought on a 15 yard penalty, which was assessed on the following kickoff. That kickoff was then returned by Marc Mariani all the way inside the 10 yard line. Then additional yardage was tacked on for yet another penalty, which placed the ball at the 1 yard line, and led to Chris Johnson's second (and game-winning) touchdown.
Let's not even look at the fact that Davis Bueler missed another field goal. This miss was from 44 yards, after he had previously converted one from 51 yards. Had he made it, Dallas would have taken the lead. But what's done is done. For those wondering, former Cowboys' kicker, Nick Folk, who now kicks for the New York Jets, converted all 5 field goal attempts in their victory over Minnesota on Monday night.
The Cowboys are off to their worst start since 2001, when they started 0-4. That was the first season, post-Troy Aikman, and expectations weren't very high. This season, however, the expecations are as high as they have been since the mid-90s. Clearly, the problems with this squad outshine the positive things they have put together. Next week, the season may be on the line. 1-3 is definitely a tough spot to be in, but the NFC East has taken a step back this season, and that has allowed Dallas to have hope, even if for only one more week. Another loss could mean a season killer, and a new head coach next season, if not before. Anything short of the playoffs this year is underacheiving, and Jerry Jones is aware of that. Next up: the Minnesota Vikings, who just came off a tough loss of their own, sending them to an identical 1-3 start. The Vikings will be coming in to save their season, much like the Cowboys. The winner will still have hope for success, while the loser can only hope for a miracle. But until the Cowboys can find a way to cut down the penalties and turnovers, they will continue to sink. The players and coaches will both have to come out ready to prove to the world that they are as good as advertised. A sense of urgency needs to be felt. Maybe with their backs against the wall, the true Dallas Cowboys will wake up and rise to the occassion. Perhaps this week, things will finally turn around and they will show their true identity. Or is it feasible to think that, maybe...they already have?
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