Bullied & Buffaloed: Dallas Cowboys' Worst Game of Year in Collapse at Bills; Top 10 Whitty Observations
Were the referees bad? Yes. Were the Dallas Cowboys worse? Indeed.
Playing like a fat-'n-happy team against a hungrier opponent, the Cowboys were bullied all over the field by the Bills, 31-10, on a rainy, dreary Sunday in Buffalo.
For the last five weeks the Cowboys have been the Harlem Globetrotters. Today they were the Washington Generals ...
10. COOKED - We know 320-pound tackle Johnathan Hankins is an important cog in the run defense, but with rookie first-round pick Mazi Smith replacing him in the lineup the Cowboys turned James Cook into a combination of O.J. Simpson and Thurman Thomas. Dallas hadn't allowed a 100-yard running back all season, but Cook had 104 by halftime and finished with 179 on 25 carries, another 42 on two catches and two touchdowns. In their four losses the Cowboys were gashed for rushing totals of 222 (Cardinals), 251 (49ers), 183 (Eagles) and 268 (Bills). Not sure how many teams can replicate it, but there is obviously a blueprint to beating the Cowboys.
9. GOOD NEWS? - Nice to play that bad and still be deal some good news. Because of Sunday's early results, the Cowboys clinched a spot in the NFC Playoffs. Hardly reason to celebrate but, hey, we're grasping here.
8. ZEBRA INFLUENCE - The flop by Josh Allen on a called late hit on DeMarcus Lawrence that turned into a four-point flag. The (sorta) shove by Zack Martin. The (non) fumble Stefon Diggs. The ... Oh, stop it. The Cowboys were on the wrong end of some controversial flags in the first half, but let's face it. They were outplayed. Comprehensively.
7. WHIFFED CHANCE - There weren't many times when we thought the Cowboys had a chance to get into this game. One of them somehow slipped right through the outstretched hands of Sam Williams. Trailing only 7-0 late in the first quarter, Williams broke free up the middle and had a free run toward Bills' punter Sam Martin. He was so quick in the backfield that Williams might have been able to catch the ball out of the air before it hit Martin's foot. Instead, he slowed up and jumped in the air, missing the ball but crashing into Martin. The resulting 15-yard penalty extended Buffalo's drive and, six plays later, Allen hit Cook for an 18-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead. Williams blocks that punt and, who knows, maybe it's a 7-7 game?
6. DECISION DO-OVER? - Mike McCarthy so liked backup offensive lineman Brock Hoffman's pre-game motivational speech in the preseason that he appointed him to deliver a similar message before this game. Oops. The Cowboys didn't appear ready to play, much less energized. The Bills took the opening kickoff and drove 12 plays for a 7-0 lead, and Dallas' offense went scoreless in the first quarter for the first time since getting blown out in at San Francisco in Week 5.
Stefon Diggs and the Bills blew out the Cowboys Sunday in Buffalo.
USA Today
5. BOOTED - The Cowboys recently produced a stretch of 17 consecutive possessions without punting. In fact, Bryan Anger had only three punts in the previous three games. But in this one the offense was forced to kick it away on four of the first five possessions.
4. DAK, DERAILED - Sorry, Cam Newton, he's still not merely a "game manager." But Sunday's pathetic performance certainly harpooned Dak Prescott's MVP candidacy. While the Niners' Brock Purdy threw for another four touchdowns in an easy win, Prescott had by far his worst game of the season. With his "Texas Coast Offense" quick rhythm completely jostled by Buffalo's constant pass rush, he went 21 of 34 for only 134 yards and an interception (with two more dropped picks). The Cowboys entered the game having scored 33+ points in six of seven, but against the Bills produced their fewest yards (92) through three quarters since 2010 and their lowest total since the blowout loss in San Francisco.
3. FINAL FLING - The game essentially ended on Dallas' first drive of the second half. Down 21-3 and facing 3rd-and-1 at their 38-yard line, the Cowboys didn't try to get the first down but instead went for a get-us-back-in-the-game-right-now home run. Run the ball there. If they don't get it, run it again on fourth down to keep the ball, and hopefully build some momentum. Instead, McCarthy's call felt greedy, if not panicky. Prescott dropped back looking for CeeDee Lamb, but was sacked for a 10-yard loss that forced a punt. Buffalo took possession and marched 15 plays for a field goal and a three-touchdown lead. Ball. Game.
2. BUFFALOED - In their 64-year history the Cowboys have won only twice in Buffalo. In 1971 and - in one of the most memorable games in franchise history - on a crazy Monday Night Football in 2007. It was the first MNF game in Buffalo in 13 years and one of the wildest finishes in Cowboys’ history. They trailed 24-13 entering the fourth quarter because of six Tony Romo turnovers (a fumble and five interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns). Romo hit Patrick Crayton for a short touchdown, but Terrell Owens was stripped of a two-point conversion pass to leave Dallas trailing 24-22 with :20 remaining. After a wonky carom off Sam Hurd, Cowboys' tight end Tony Curtis then recovered an onside kick. Rookie Nick Folk booted a 53-yard field goal at the gun for a dramatic win, only to have Buffalo call the last-millisecond timeout. But on the second go, Folk was good ... again. No such drama on this sad Sunday.
1. THE GRINCH COMETH EARLY - This nightmare doesn't necessarily ruin Dallas' Christmas, but it certainly dilutes the warm-'n-fuzzies it had built up over the last six weeks. Five-game win streak? Over. Non-grass 21-game winning streak? Kaput. Hottest team in the NFL? Not anymore. Like we've repeated all season, it's one thing to run up the score against inferior opponents at home. But the Cowboys won't win over their critics until they win a gritty, low-scoring game against a playoff team in a hostile environment. They are now 0-3 on the road at the 49ers, Eagles and Bills. Their next to win such a game comes next Sunday, when they face the 10-4 Dolphins in Miami on Christmas Eve. For now, the Cowboys' "best" road win of the year came in the 40-0 season-opening blowout of the 5-9 New York Giants.
