Dallas Cowboys: The five worst losses of the 2017 season
By Tyrone Starr
#3 – November 12, 2017: Cowboys chances to continue win streak sacked in Atlanta
Coming off a three game winning streak, the Cowboys were hit with the news that Elliott would officially be missing due to suspension starting with this game. Atlanta came in reeling as well, however, losers of four of the previous five games.
One team handled adversity a lot better than the other. You already know which team did what.
The Cowboys actually started well, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead. Unfortunately, they would not score again. Letting a team rattle off 27 unanswered points is ugly. Allowing one man to have a performance for the ages against you is downright stupid.
With Dallas missing left tackle Tyron Smith due to injury, the Falcons Adrian Clayborn went to work. Recording six sacks, one shy of the NFL record, Clayborn single-handedly beat the Cowboys. One would think that after the third or fourth sack, the philosophy would change offensively.
Benching the replacement who is monumentally failing would be one option. Running draw plays and screens is another. You could even give your tackle some help with chips or more backfield protection.
The offensive brain trust of the Dallas Cowboys did none of these things until late in the fourth quarter. As a result, Prescott never had any time to find receivers and the offense was non-existent. This loss was one of the most egregious examples of poor coaching dooming this season. It wasn’t the only one, however.