Cowboys 'Gotta Fix Our F***-Ups!' Says Micah Parsons of OT Loss; Defense Playoff Concern?
Much of the national blame for the Dallas Cowboys' 40-34 overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field will fall on the shoulders of quarterback Dak Prescott, who according to the box score threw a game-losing 52-yard pick-six for his second interception of the game.
"Unlucky bounce,'' coach Mike McCarthy called it, and the pass did indeed carom off the hands and arms of receiver Noah Brown.
"Frustration grows,'' Dak said, and that is certainly true as well.
Beyond the turnovers, Prescott's offense largely fell mute down the stretch. After taking a 27-10 lead halfway through the third quarter, the Cowboys' drives went interception, three-and-out, touchdown, three-and-out, pick-six.
It was far from an efficient second half performance from Prescott and company - but what about the Cowboys defense?
"We've got to fix our F***-ups,'' said Micah Parsons.
"It sucked,'' said Trevon Diggs.
Entering the game as the best unit in the league over the final 30 minutes, Dallas (10-4) fell apart, allowing three quick touchdown drives and a pair of field goals, the last coming as time expired following a 41-yard drive by Jacksonville (6-8) in under a minute.
Said Micah: "Everything can't be perfect. But you strive for that type of execution. (Giving up) 34 isn't executing, so we got to get better. ... No excuse mentality.''
It wasn't all bad - safety Jayron Kearse forced a fumble on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence late, giving the Cowboys offense a chance to ice the game ... but ultimately couldn't, and the defense failed to close the door when asked to do it again in regulation.
Still, Dallas forced a three-and-out on Jacksonville's lone offensive possession in overtime. The unit did its part ... but also played a significant role in the game reaching overtime to begin with.
Perhaps most concerning is that the effort looked much too similar to the Cowboys' overtime loss against the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, marked by a blown 14-point fourth quarter lead.
But in the four games after that loss, Dallas allowed just one scoring drive in the fourth quarter - a last-second touchdown to the New York Giants. The defense looked to have moved past the collapse ... but saw the same issue reappear in Jacksonville.
However, it's not something that particularly bothers Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who believes in the work his team puts in throughout the week.
"We've put a tremendous amount of work into end-of-game situations in this phase, and I'm just a huge believer you've got to keep working, stay after it," McCarthy said. "They know the investment that they've made the last two years; that was clearly something that we needed to improve on. I'm disappointed, but ... we've got to turn the page."
McCarthy stressed that he's "concerned" about the injury situation Dallas is looking at, now down several starters, especially in the secondary. Lawrence capitalized, finishing 27 of 42 for 318 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception against a young, inexperienced group of defensive backs.
The deeper issue the Cowboys have to face is defending the run, which has plagued them throughout the season and reappeared Sunday. Entering the game ranked No. 22 league-wide in rushing yards allowed per game at nearly 130, Dallas once more had a difficult time up front.
Led by running back Travis Etienne, the Jaguars totaled 192 rushing yards on just 27 carries, averaging over seven yards per carry. Etienne eclipsed the 100-yard mark on 19 touches, while Lawrence and receiver Jamal Agnew combined for 73 yards on only six attempts.
As things stand, the Cowboys have an evident flaw stopping the run, and when matched with a hot day from the opponent's passing attack, the outcome is what happened in Jacksonville ... departing halftime with just seven points allowed and re-entering the locker room postgame with 40 points to the Jaguars name.
Blame can be equally distributed to both the defense's second half collapse and the offense's inability to add on until the lead was squandered - but big picture, for a Dallas team with high postseason hopes, Sunday's loss should sound of alarms that there are big improvements needed before January.
"Nobody on my team likes losing,'' Diggs said. "It sucked. We got to get the corrections and make sure that sh*t doesn't happen again.''
Now three games back in the NFC East with three to play, the Cowboys will look to claw one back next Saturday, welcoming the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles to Dallas for a Christmas Eve 3:25 p.m. kickoff.
"It's tough. It's bitter. You got to suck it up and finish the season strong,'' said Parsons, looking ahead to "Eagles Week.''
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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