Cowboys Caught in Desert Mirage

Well, that was a tough one to stomach for the fans.

You can bet it was a tough to stomach for the coaches and players as well.

You can take a loss when you simply get beat by a better team.

But, to lose to an inferior squad, when your own errors crush your opportunity at a victory, can leave a hangover.

It was clear from the beginning that the Cowboys were out of sync.

The first series, the defense was hopping around confused. Several times the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Week, Micah Parsons, wasn’t getting the call from the sideline.

The defense was caught several times still trying to get lined up when the Cardinals were snapping the ball.

The Cowboys really didn’t settle in on defense until they were down 9-0. The struggle was real.

But hey, let’s give Arizona some credit. They had a solid game plan, which kept Parsons bottled up for almost the entire game. The Cowboys stud finally hit the stat sheet in a meaningful way with a 10-yard sack of Joshua Dobbs on the final play of the third quarter. One of his two solo tackles in the game. It meant very little.

It was far from the Parsons we have gotten used to seeing every week.

The offense has no room to be upset, they weren’t any better early in the game.

They made a monumental error in game planning, by not being ready for three starting offensive linemen to be sidelined for the game. Well two were out – Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz, and one – Tyron Smith, just stood on the sideline dressed and ready to go in, but never got his number called.

Hey big fella, the team needs you. If you can put on the armor, you can be on the field.

I know he has a bum hamstring, but a one-legged Tyron Smith may have been better than a two-legged and handsy Chuma Edoga, who had another holding penalty.

With an inexperienced group, where Edoga is the elder statesman in his fourth season, the Cowboys should have pounded the ball with the running game early and often.

Don’t make these young guys – including rookies T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman, pass protect so much early on. Handling stunts, protection slides and all the games that defenses like to confuse with up front on passing plays is tough for seasoned veterans. Being on the same page is a must. The Cowboys weren’t and it showed.

They should have leaned on the running game. Instead, they ran Pollard just 10 times in the first half, threw 18 passes and trailed 21-10 at the intermission.

It slowed down in the second half, but by then the Cowboys were a mistake filled mess that couldn’t complete the comeback.

The Cardinals were credited with two sacks and only four quarterback hurries. But it sure looked to the naked eye that Dak Prescott was either throwing off a back foot with a collapsing pocket in his face or running for his life.

All-in-all, this one was about as tasty as a prickly pear cactus and as satisfying a desert mirage.

You’re not going to go 17-0, it’s just not going to happen.

But, when the losses show up on weeks you don’t expect, there must be some looking in the mirror going on.

Concern this week at The Star should be high. This team didn’t play well on offense or defense, but they CAN get it cleaned up.

Getting healthy, well that may be another story all together. This is where the Cowboys will worry most over the coming hours, days and weeks.

But the season goes on.

They welcome New England to AT&T Stadium in just six days.

Buckle up!