If there were ever such a thing as rock bottom, the Dallas Cowboys reached it Sunday when they squandered a 14-point fourth-quarter lead at home to the Arizona Cardinals, who had scored three points through nearly 44 minutes of football. They finished with 33.
It was a collapse unlike anything Cowboys fans have seen, which is saying something for a franchise that has spent the better part of the last 30 years finding new ways to lose and choke away games.
And while Dallas is one of the worst-coached teams in football, it's impossible not to point the finger at the head of the snake who, rest assured, continues to sell hopium. However, Stephen Jones took the baton from his father this week (h/t Jon Machota, The Athletic).
“We think we’re close," Jones told 105.3 The Fan. "We think we can get this ship righted and that we can have success.”
It's easy to become a prisoner of the moment after one of the worst regular-season losses in franchise history, but this is a contender for Stephen's most unserious quote yet. I'm sure some post-Micah Parsons trade comments would take the cake, but this is every bit as pathetic from the Cowboys' chief operating officer.
Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones interviews are corrosive for the Cowboys organization
Do I really need to spell it out?
The Cowboys are 3-5 and are 72 hours removed from blowing a 14-point lead at home to a 2-5 Cardinals team that trailed 17-3 when Gardner Minshew replaced Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter, then scored touchdowns on four straight possessions to close out regulation.
Arizona finished with 467 yards, including 202 on the ground. They lost their starting running back and multiple receivers during the game. While Caleb Downs (concussion) and Joey Porter Jr. (ankle) left in the second half, the Cardinals were dealt markedly more adversity. They overcame it, while Dallas melted down.
That's not to exonerate the offense, either. Christian Parker is clearly not ready to be a defensive coordinator, but Brian Schottenheimer continued to prove he, too, is in way over his head.
Sunday followed a familiar script from the Cowboys' head coach and offensive play-caller. Schottenheimer coached scared. He coached not to lose. Not to make the backbreaking mistake. Not to turn the ball over.
He continued using Brandon Aubrey as a crutch, settling for a 61-yard field goal before halftime despite Aubrey's undeniable recent struggles from long distance. The rest was more of the same, too. Vanilla route concepts. Forcing a run game that wasn't working. Virtually no pre-snap motion. Everything felt conservative, predictable and painfully easy to defend, playing right into the opposition's hands.
If this were a video game, the Cowboys' offense would be playing with the difficulty slider turned all the way up, by choice.
Nothing resembling a rhythm. Zero threat of explosive plays. Despite having a quarterback in his 11th season, two unicorns at wide receiver, three first-round picks on the offensive line and a good veteran running back.
What exactly is this team "close" to? Close to winning consecutive games? Close to fielding an NFL defense? Close to being able to protect a multi-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter against a team that could finish with a top-five pick?
The Dallas Cowboys are a bad football team
Calling the Cowboys "close" suggests there is tangible evidence that a breakthrough is coming. Where is it? A team that is "close" would not have turned Gardner Minshew into a conquering hero in their own building.
The NFL has a way of being unpredictable. Even if Minshew made it a game, a team that is "close" would have slammed the door shut after getting the ball back with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter.
Ryan Flournoy recovered the onside kick and returned it 19 yards, giving Dallas a 1st-and-10 at the Cardinals' 20-yard line. One first down would have iced the game. Yet CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens weren't on the field for either of the first two plays.
The Cowboys proceeded to lose three yards in as many plays before Brandon Aubrey kicked a 41-yard field goal.
Schottenheimer had no intention of going for the jugular. Everything about that sequence suggested he made up his mind to kick the field goal the moment Flournoy recovered the onside kick. Instead of putting the game in the hands of his best players and trying to end it, he coached toward the safety net of a six-point lead.
This team is nowhere close to contending. They are miles behind the best teams in the NFC, and Sunday's collapse only reinforced that reality. This is a flawed football team with problems layered on top of problems.
What we are witnessing is the collision of a dysfunctional front office and some of the worst coaching in the NFL.
Cowboys fans deserve so much better.
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