The Dallas Cowboys lost their third game in a row in Atlanta falling to the Falcons 27-21. While the score indicates this game was close, it really was not. Dallas' defense fell apart as it has all season and the offense could not make up for it.
The Cowboys also got bit again by the injury bug in this game losing Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury and CeeDee Lamb to a shoulder injury. Although Lamb did come back and play there are questions about his status for Week 10 against the Eagles.
The blame game has been played all season and this loss clearly falls on everyone's shoulders associated with this team. Jerry Jones is the biggest one to blame above all, but the coaches and several players deserve just as much criticism. The head coach and these three players deserve the most blame for not getting the job done in Atlanta.
3 Cowboys players who deserve the most blame for the loss to the Falcons
3. OT Tyler Guyton
To say Tyler Guyton has had a rough rookie season would be an understatement. The former Sooner was penalized three times in this game and allowed a sack. That combined with dealing with a neck injury during the game did not make his day any better.
Guyton has been a penalty machine all year and Sunday afternoon was another example. In fact, according to 'The Football Database', he has committed the third-most penalties of any player in the NFL. For a first round pick the Cowboys were hoping could replace Tyron Smith, Guyton has certainly not met expectations early.
While it is too early to call him a draft bust, the fact Guyton continues to have this high number of penalties per game is a problem. The blame is obviously shared by the coaches, more specifically offensive line coach Mike Solari. Still Guyton needs to be more disciplined and truly learn how to pick up pass rushers better if the Cowboys want him to go further as Prescott's blindside protector.
2. OT Terence Steele
It may be a stretch to say both offensive tackles deserve most of the blame for this loss, but in this game there was plenty of evidence to prove it. Terence Steele once again turned into a human turnstile in this game. Atlanta had three sacks and accumulated two of them on back-to-back plays.
Guyton gave up the first one then Steele failed to block Grady Jarrett leading to another on 3rd down that ended the drive. Prescott once again had to play a game where he was facing pressure most of the day. It finally led to him using his legs but it cost him when he hurt his hamstring.
Overall, Steele has not been the same since he received a new contract a few years back after tearing his ACL. At 3-5, Dallas might not be eliminated from playoff contention yet, but if the losses keep coming, it would be in their best interest to evaluate talent for next season. That may mean trying out some new combinations on the offensive line.
While benching Steele might not make sense due to the longevity of his contract, the Cowboys cannot afford to continue to see their right tackle spot struggle as it has this season. They also committed to Prescott in a big way once again with a new contract so the objective is to protect him. For his struggles once again, Steele deserves some of the blame for the loss to Atlanta.
1. CB Caelen Carson
The rookie corner came back back from injury for this game, but the same issues remained. Carson once again struggled with missed tackles against the Falcons and blew an assignment bad early in the game.
In the second quarter with Atlanta up 7-3, they gambled and went for it on 4th down. It was eight yards to go so the move was questionable, but they turned it into a touchdown. On the play there clearly was missed communication in the Dallas secondary - nothing new there. Carson did not pick up Darnell Mooney on the outside and he ran by everyone for the score.
He also whiffed on some tackles throughout the day. He had an opportunity to bring down Mooney but he failed to make the stop and the Falcons got another big first down. If the tackle had been made, it might not have completely changed the outcome, but those are plays that need to be made.
Carson showed flashes of potential in Week 1 against Amari Cooper in Cleveland, but since then he has played like a rookie who still has a ton to learn. Dallas needs DaRon Bland back soon because the other corners are not stepping up alongside Trevon Diggs. Carson needs to be held accountable for once again having a mistake-filled performance.
Mike McCarthy deserves the most blame for Cowboys' Week 9 loss
Mike McCarthy is arguably coaching for his job as of right now. At 3-5 and third in the NFC East, the Cowboys could very well miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020. The Cowboys were completely undisciplined on Sunday and the head coach made a lot of questionable decisions.
Since that COVID season, McCarthy has kept the Cowboys in contention for three years running. They won 12 games in each of the past three seasons and won the division two of those three years. They also won a playoff game in 2022, their first since 2018. Now, the former Super Bowl winning head coach might be gone sooner rather than later.
In this game, Dallas committed nine penalties for 55 yards. While that is not the most they have committed this season, the mistakes made in this game really stood out. The biggest came in the third quarter when Dallas was getting ready to go for it on 4th and 1. Instead they were called for 12 men in the huddle and moved back five yards. That forced a punt. Even though it was still an 11-point game, that was clearly a missed opportunity.
The penalty problems have existed for Dallas all year. They are the fourth-most penalized team in the NFL this season. They also rack up a lot of them before the snap. Prescott even clearly showed his frustration to the offensive line a few times when they were called for false starts. With the problem occurring every week, it is clear McCarthy is not preaching discipline to his players.
In addition to the penalties, McCarthy had a very questionable play call earlier. Trailing 14-10, at the start of the 3rd, Dallas actually had some momentum getting the ball to start the second half. After they failed to pick up a first down, McCarthy did something so desperate it was almost inconceivable.
Dallas attempted a fake punt with Bryan Anger throwing a pass to C.J. Goodwin. The ball was thrown horribly, Goodwin slipped, and it was almost intercepted. Many questioned why he would attempt a play like that when it was only 4th and 2.
It would have made more sense to just run a normal offensive play. Sure if they failed the decision still would have been criticized, but doing something like that is a good way to get fired. While John Fassel might deserve more of the heat for that, McCarthy still had the final decision there.
McCarthy also called a run play with Lamb on 4th down early in the game and that failed resulting in a quick Atlanta touchdown. After the stop, McCarthy was shown throwing his tablet in frustration. All the bad decisions he made during this game led to the Falcons getting points and essentially putting this game away by the end of the third quarter.
After a game like this and with what this team still has in front of it on the schedule, Jerry has to be seriously evaluating McCarthy's decision-making the rest of the season.
If there is no change and the Cowboys finish well below .500, it would be hard to make a legitimate argument for keeping McCarthy. He deserves all the blame for this loss for anyone who was on that field or sideline in Atlanta.