Cowboys Continue Downward Spiral
Well, ladies of gentlemen of Cowboys Nation, that was downright depressing…
Our Dallas Cowboys, once riding a six game winning streak, are smack dab in the midst of a two game spiral with an injured QB and a road trip across the Pond looming on the horizon. I would ask if things could get much worse, but I’m afraid of the answer that would hit me squarely in the face.
Just one short week ago, the Cowboys and their fans were in the happiest of happy places with the two-win Washington Redskins coming to town for a Monday night match up that everybody and their Aunt Fannie thought would put Dallas firmly in first place in the NFC East and solidify their spot as one of the best teams in the league this season. I guess that is why they play the games, boys and girls.
When the smoke cleared, Dallas was minus starting signal caller Tony Romo and right back in the throes of a battle for the division with those nasty birds from Philly. All things considered, it’s really not surprising that Dallas was unable to hand the Arizona Cardinals their second loss of the year. It is the fashion in which the Cowboys latest entry into the loss column came about that is most unsettling.
Backup quarterback Brandon Weeden did nothing to quell the fears of fans as to what would happen if Romo were to go down for an extended period of time. His pitiful performance gave new meaning to the term, “on the wrong page” as he consistently missed the mark when throwing to starting widouts Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams. Not that he did much better when passing to the rest of the receiving corps, but it looked as if Weeden hadn’t been practicing with the starters at all this past week.
Another culprit in the debacle that went down at AT&T Stadium Sunday afternoon was the less than stellar play of the Cowboys offensive line in picking up blitzes for a second week in a row. Whether it is the coaching staff drawing up the game plan or the players attempting to execute it on the field, somebody is doing a poor job of providing coverage for blitzers coming off the ends. I’m sure teams that are still on the Cowboys schedule are taking notes furiously on ways to further expose Dallas’ breakdowns in pass protection.
Speaking of the Cowboys coaching staff, I would be curious to hear the reasoning behind why, when facing fourth and one near the Cardinals 34 yard line, Dallas decided to go for it instead of putting the best field goal kicker in the league on the field to cut the deficit to one point. Yes, I know a kick had been blocked just before the half, but the chances of that happening twice are just about as good as our illustrious owner coming down to the sidelines to whisper in Jason Garrett‘s ear during a game. Just kidding! That is a bad example, but you get the point.
All in all there is a lot to be concerned about as the Cowboys jet off to jolly old England for a date with the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday. One bright spot is that Dallas has a bit of a cushion should they have to rely on a wildcard spot to get into post season play. Another is that they have a bye coming up to heal before a road test against the New York Giants.
As has become the custom for far too long in Cowboys Nation, it is time to prepare for the worst, pray for the best and keep our fingers crossed for good measure as the second half of the season is upon us.