Zeke and Witten both claim the blame for fumbling away game to Saints

FRISCO - In my line of work, it’s about as uncomfortable as interviews can get: The athlete, having just lost a game, is pissed, disappointed and embarrassed - and maybe thinks the loss is his fault. But ... you are obliged to ask him about that very pissy, disappointing, embarrassing thing ... Fault.

So it was late into Sunday night inside the bowels of the Superdome, Dallas Cowboys foundational stars Ezekiel Elliott and Jason Witten taking turns blaming the 12-10 loss to the Saints on their butterfingers.

That is, blaming the loss on themselves.

“I just coughed it up,” Elliott responded frankly when I asked him about his costly first-half miscue. “They just took it from me. That’s not acceptable. This team relies on me in moments like that, fourth-and-1. I just can’t let the team down like that.”

Indeed, the Cowboys were locked in a low-scoring duel when coach Jason Garrett rolled the dice on a fourth-down try from near midfield just before intermission. There was risk enough that Dallas would fall short; Elliott was in the process of rushing for just 35 yards in the game half and just 1.8 yards per carry.

But the risk of a fumble? “Not acceptable” is correct.

.@RecruitRHS alum @Vonn is on another level tonight. This is his second fumble recovery of the game. This time he also strips his former @OhioStateFB teammate @EzekielElliott!
pic.twitter.com/2MM42P8rAm
— Ben Bobick (@BenBobickLocal3) September 30, 2019

Dallas (which drops to 3-1 with the loss) had other chances to keep drives alive near midfield, particularly in the second quarter when QB Dak Prescott found Witten for a nice gain ... but when a Saints defender found a chance to punch away the ball from Witten from behind.

Zeke entered the game with 923 career carries, and total of three lost fumbles. Witten entered with over 1,100 career receptions and a total of six lost fumbles.

Said Witten: “I always say, having a turnover is the worst feeling in the world because you feel like you let everybody down."

The Saints force Jason Witten to fumble for only the 9th time in his NFL career.

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/f8rruDaWGA
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 30, 2019

I love that Witten took responsibility and of course no one is surprised. I love that when an interviewer wondered to Elliott that maybe his elbow was down on that 4th-and-1 before New Orleans’ Vonn Bell stole the ball, Zeke would have none of it.

“I don’t care if the elbow was down or not. ... Can’t leave any room for doubt,'' Elliott responded, offering a tough answer to a tough question ... after a tough night.