By Alex Al-Kazzaz
It finally happened. Bad play-calling and bad offensive production has finally come back to haunt the Dallas Cowboys. Based on how bad the issue was in the past two games, it's reasonable to say that it bit the Cowboys right in the freaking butt! And based on how AWFUL the offense was to start the game, it sure was...painful. But to add insult to injury, it was humiliating for them. So as far as the fun and games being over, the offense obviously did NOT get the message.
The defense tried it's best right from the getco, but ultimately got overpowered and overwhelmed. However, they kept the Eagles' total offense to under 300 yards and sacked Jalen Hurts four times. Furthermore, Hurts was kept to 27 rushing yards on nine attempts. It's unfortunate that the pressure from the lack of offensive support put them in a position to allow two touchdowns early in the second quarter. It's also rather unfortunate that TWICE the defense allowed the Eagles offense to drain over seven and a half minutes from the clock on scoring drives. So the overwhelming part is clearly not an exaggeration. And for the first time this season, the defense has allowed 20+ points.
Dallas went into half time trailing 20-3 and it looked as though there was no chance for a comeback. However, all of a sudden, the offense looked good and Dallas scored twice to make it 20-17. However, Philadelphia would respond and make it 26-17 and as mentioned already, they drained much of the clock on that particular drive. Dallas failed to respond when Cooper Rush threw his third interception of the game. It was all over. In the offense's case, the atrocious play-calling by offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in the first half speaks for itself. On a positive note, how incredible is it that the Cowboys offensive line did NOT allow one sack.
It's interesting how Dallas finished with more passing yards than Philadelphia. Dallas had more total offensive yards than Philadelphia. Rush's three interceptions certainly didn't do the Cowboys any favors, especially since two of those interceptions took place in the first quarter. In Rush's case, finishing the first half 5-for-16 for 36 yards, two interceptions and 1.0 passer rating speaks for itself.
Based on how bad Rush played, all the talk on QB controversy flooded on social media. Honestly, regardless of how anyone feels on the situation, there's no denying that Rush did his job overall. Nobody anticipated Dallas going 4-1 with Dak Prescott out.
It's clear that a vast majority of Dallas fans believe that Prescott is ready to go. It's safe to say that they INSIST that he's ready. If he's able to have a solid practice this week and is cleared then that's great news. But let's be honest, based on the awful play-calling, is it really going to make much of a difference with Prescott under center? And NO, that's NOT a RHETORICAL QUESTION. Remember how bad Prescott was against Tampa and remember the repulsive play-calling? The point is that whether Rush is under center or Prescott, the negative play-calling and average offensive production kicks in and it makes very little to no difference. REALITY CHECK!
The Cowboys now return home for a two-game stand against the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. Dallas is 4-2 and third in the NFC East. With the New York Giants sitting with a 5-1 record and being in second place, the Cowboys got to do something about it and the only thing they can do is get back on a winning streak and this time KEEP IT ALIVE.