Prescott, Defense Abysmal in San Fran

Going on the road and losing to one of the top teams in the NFL happens to even the best of teams. The NFL is a tough league.

It happens all the time in sports. Hell, there has to be a winner and a loser.

But, going on the road as one of the self-declared best teams in the NFL and not even putting up a fight, well that’s downright inexcusable.

The 42-10 debacle in the Bay Area on Sunday night might prove more about this version of the Cowboys than the four games before it.

Five games into the season, and this team is a quandary.

What we just witnessed against San Francisco calls into question what we thought we knew about this team after a 3-1 start, that included three blowout wins and a defense that was giving up just 10 points a game.

Was it all just smoke and mirrors?

It really is hard to get a grasp on the real identity of this Cowboys team.

The defense looked to be all worldly against both teams from New York and the one from New England. But you take the tough day they had in Arizona, where they looked lost and out of sorts for a lot of the game, add that too Sunday night’s performance against the 49ers, where they appeared to quit in the second half, and it’s hard to believe it’s the same team.

As for the offense, it is what it is. You can change the scheme. Give it a funny name, although I am sick of hearing Texas Coast Offense, it sounds dumb. But it all still comes down to who is running the show at quarterback.

Unfortunately, now at 30, Dak Prescott is what he is, and that is no more than a game manager.

If the Cowboys have the lead, he’s outstanding.

If the Cowboys are behind, his decision making and accuracy are subpar.

Running the ball is just an escape mechanism, not something built into the gameplan anymore. Since his 2020 ankle injury, he just doesn’t have the wheels to worry any defenses in the run game.

His deep passing game is nonexistent. His longest throw on Sunday was a touchdown pass to KaVontae Turpin for 26 yards. It was a beautiful ball. His longest completion was a short pass over the middle to CeeDee Lamb that his receiver turned into a 29-yard gain.

Prescott had three only three completions that gained 10 yards or more.

His other significant deep passes were awful. They were throws that are more accurately thrown around here on Friday night at any number of local high school football stadiums.

Prescott missed a wide-open Brandin Cooks running down the hash marks. He threw it five yards over his head and at least two yards out of bounds, giving Cooks no chance.

The other looked to be a give-up throw by Prescott in which he had already made up his mind to throw it before the Cowboys even broke the huddle. He took a five step drop and heaved it straight up in the air, only to have it miss the receiver by several yards and into the waiting arms of a San Francisco defender.

It was a game you felt like you were gonna get some real answers about this Cowboys team.

Instead, all we got were more questions.

Is the defense what we saw against the Jets, Giants and Patriots or what they showed against the 49ers?

Is the offense what we saw against the Jets, Giants and Patriots or what they put out against the Cardinals and/or 49ers?

Is Dak Prescott more than the one interception in four games quarterback we saw to start the season or the three-interception guy we saw during a tough game on the schedule?

All of which we have no real answers.

Or at least answers some don’t want to acknowledge yet.

Film doesn’t lie.

There is a lot of self-reflection needed heading into next Monday night’s matchup against the Chargers in L.A.

Ultimately, they have to figure out what kind of team they’re going to be – one that gets pushed around by the top teams in the league or one that does something about it.

Lots to clean up, hopefully they’ll utilize the extra day of preparation, and somebody finds Prescott a sports psychologist.

But with the Chargers and Rams on the schedule to round out October, and the Eagles waiting to start November, this team could easily be fighting to stay above .500 when Washington comes to town on Thanksgiving Day.

What a roller coaster the Cowboys have us on, and the ride has only just begun.

Buckle up!