The Dallas Cowboys were riding high after a big Week 7 win, but they came crashing back down to earth after Sunday's 44-24 loss to the Denver Broncos. From the coaching staff, offense, and defense, it was a collective meltdown.
Of course, only so much blame can go on the offense. While Dak Prescott was far from his best, he wasn't going to play perfect football the entire season. No other quarterback has a smaller margin for error than Prescott because the Cowboys' defense is a complete turnstile.
On the call for CBS, former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo implied exactly that as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"They're gonna hover around .500, and it's gonna come down to a game or two for them to get into the playoffs, because the offense is good enough to win half the games," Romo said.
Tony Romo said the quiet part out loud about the Cowboys' season after Broncos loss
That is a painful quote, largely because the Cowboys' offense is good enough to flirt with a top seed in the NFC along with the Eagles, Lions, Packers, and Buccaneers. If Dallas had just the 25th-worst defense in football, they'd have at least five wins.
According to ESPN's Todd Archer, the Cowboys have allowed 250 points this season. That is the third-most through the first eight games of a season in franchise history. Only in 1960, their first year as a franchise, and in 2020 have they allowed more points to start a season.
The Cowboys have winnable games upcoming against the Cardinals and Raiders. After that, they have the Eagles, Chiefs, and Lions in three straight weeks. They also face Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers and a Commanders team that should have a healthy Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel.
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Prescott and the offense are good enough to top any of those clubs. Prescott entered Week 8 second in touchdown passes and second in passing yards. Javonte Williams entered the game second in rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns. George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb entered as one of two wide receiver duos averaging at least 80 receiving yards per game.
But it doesn't matter because the defense can make the most ordinary quarterback look like an MVP. They did it with Russell Wilson in Week 2 and Caleb Williams in Week 3, and again with Bo Nix, who threw for four TDs and averaged 8.4 yards per pass attempt on Sunday.
The Cowboys could fight for a playoff spot if the offense keeps producing. Sunday was a notable step back, and it underlined just how perfect they have to be to just stay competitive in games against good teams.
Romo hit the nail on the head.