Dallas Cowboys: More Questions Than Answers

The Cowboys answered questions about whether they would ever get the running game going.  They had their best day running the ball, by far, against the Baltimore Ravens.  And it was the most running yardage the Ravens have ever given up.

Sep 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) in the huddle with receiver Miles Austin (19) Dez Bryant (88) DeMarco Murray (29) in the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Due to the injury to DeMarco Murray, they went four deep into the stable of running backs and continued to have success.  Time will tell whether they can replicate yesterday’s success running the ball in the future.

The passing game, and the blocking that allowed it, looked good, but there are still way to many mistakes to overcome.  And overcome it they did, time after time.  But they lost the game and that’s what really matters.

How did it get away from them?  Special teams must have relaxed when the ball was kicked deep into the end zone and that allowed the Ravens to run it back for a touchdown and that was more than the difference in the game.  In other words, if that one mistake had not been made, the Cowboys would likely have won this game.

They still had an opportunity to win in the end.  Dez Bryant would have provided the chance to win in overtime, if he would have just caught a very catchable pass for the two point conversion.  Yeah, I realize he was being mugged, but he still should have caught the ball.

Despite that, they were able to recover the onside kick for a chance to win outright with a field goal.  But odds of pulling off that win were diminished with a difficult to understand pass to the middle of the field with time running out.

This was followed by confusion that let so much time run off that they were left with a long field goal attempt that, as you all know, was missed.  They should have immediately used their remaining time out.

Oct 14, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) fails to catch a pass for a two point conversion as Baltimore Ravens cornerback Cary Williams (29) defends in the fourth quarter at M

So, despite looking better than they have in the last few weeks, they are still being done in by stupid mistakes.  Too many false start and holding calls on the line, including a completely unnecessary one by Tyron Smith that negated a nice run by Felix Jones.  We can add to that several calls for illegal shifts by the receivers.

So, another question, and this was discussed by the announcers, is Tony Romo trying to do so much at the line of scrimmage to try to make it a perfect play for the coverage he sees, that it ends up being a terrible play?

Will they ever get it all together?  Imagine what this offense could accomplish if they weren’t spending so much effort making up for mistakes?  And time management is definitely still an issue, as evidenced by the last play before they attempted the field goal.

I am glad they showed improvement today, but the bottom line is, a loss is still a loss.  And I am still waiting for the Cowboys defense to create more turnovers.  It seems that opposing quarterbacks have their best games when playing the Cowboys.

Now on to the officiating.  I’m pleased that the regular officials are back, but they are by no means perfect.  Far from it.  I saw them allow the Ravens offensive lineman hold the Cowboys pass rushers play after play.  I saw blatant holds on DeMarcus Ware and Tyrone Crawford that were not called.  The Ravens defensive backs appeared to get away with a lot too.

On the interception by Romo, the Ravens corner was on Kevin Ogletree’s back and it kept him from getting to the ball.  And then there was the two point conversion attempt where Dez was being hit before the ball got there.

On the Ravens touchdown when Morris Claiborne injured his knee, the defender scored by pushing off.  And let’s not forget the ridiculous chop block call on the block by Felix Jones late in the game.

Does anyone else see a pattern here where other teams get away with a lot more by the officials than the Cowboys do?  I see it happen a lot and I don’t think it is an exaggeration, just because I am a Cowboys fan.

In closing, all I can say is that I hope they continue to show improvement, as they did yesterday, and get back on track.  It’s not too late, but they have to get it all together very soon, or it will be.