Cowboys news: Wheels coming off for Dallas after Jets give them third straight loss

Recap: Cowboys comeback attempt falls short, drop third-straight to Jets 24-22- DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys mount a furious comeback, but it’s not enough to overcome an early 18-point deficit as they fall to the New York Jets, 24-22.

Dallas got on the board on the first play of the second quarter thanks to Bret Maher splitting the uprights from 50 yards out to make the score 7-3. But their struggles came into full view when the Cowboys later worked their way down to a first-and-10 at the New York 15-yard line. On fourth-and-2 at the 7, the team decided to go for it, Prescott taking it himself off left tackle in an attempt to reach the marker. He never did, the Jets stuffing him for a 1-yard loss.

If the Cowboys weren’t shell-shocked by this point, they were by the end of the first half. New York needed exactly one play to reach the end zone after taking over on downs, as Darnold lofted a deep pass to Robby Anderson, who got behind safety Jeff Heath and went the full 92-yard distance for the score.

Banged-up Cowboys fall to winless Jets, lose third straight - Todd Archer- ESPN
The Cowboys are banged up, sure, but nothing excuses their poor play over the past three games. No excuses when you lose to a hapless Jets team.

Troubling trend: The Cowboys’ defense is floundering. Last week against the Packers, Aaron Jones became the first opponent with four rushing touchdowns in a game against Dallas. On Sunday, Robby Anderson had a 92-yard touchdown catch against the Cowboys, the second-longest pass allowed in franchise history. The defense entered the season with high expectations, but right now they are ineffective. The Jets entered the game averaging 9.8 points and 179.5 yards on offense. They had more than that in the first half.

Win-less Jets stun Cowboys 24-22, handing Dallas 3rd-consecutive loss - Lorenzo Reyes- USA Today
The Dallas Cowboys were handed their third consecutive loss by a floundering New York Jets that earned its first win on Sunday.

Dallas (3-3) has now dropped three games in a row, and there are clear issues the team needs to fix if it is to stay in the hunt in the NFC East.

Again, Dallas started slow, scoring just six points in the first half on a pair of field goals in the second quarter.

Again, the rushing attack was inefficient. In victories this season, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has averaged 5.3 yards a carry. In losses – after Elliott ran 28 times for 105 yards and a score – he averages 3.5.

Again, injuries were too much to overcome.

This was a Jets team that had scored only two offensive touchdowns in the team’s first four games. They had three in the first half.

It was a team that entered Sunday second-to-last in the NFL with only 9.8 points a game.It was a team that ranked dead last in the league in passing offense, with only 113.5 yards a game. Granted, they had been without starter Sam Darnold (mononucleosis) for three games, but in his return to action, Darnold completed 23 of 32 passes for 338 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Dallas Cowboys are in deep trouble after 24-22 loss to the Jets -Tom Ryle- Blogging The Boys
If seats were hot before, they should be scorching now.

There will be a lot of dissection coming, but this was just an all-around failure by the Cowboys. If the hot seat talk was surrounding Jason Garrett before this debacle, it should be closing in on him now. Bad execution played a role in the game, with numerous dropped passes and flags, but this team just did not look ready to play early in the game.

Either the Cowboys have a much poorer collection of talent than we were convinced ourselves they had, or the coaching staff is just not getting the job done. Or both.

The coaching problems were on both sides of the ball, too, so Garrett is not the only one who is under intense scrutiny. Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard have some serious questions to answer as to how a team that should have been outmatched, even with Darnold back, still racked up so many points and yards.

The Cowboys still have a chance to salvage things with the Philadelphia Eagles coming to town next week, having dropped their game to the Minnesota Vikings. Both Philly and Dallas are now 3-3. But if Dallas doesn’t come out and play far, far better, the season will be headed downhill in a big way.

And so might some coaching jobs.

Cowboys WR Amari Cooper left Jets game with quad injury -Todd Archer- ESPN Dallas
Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper's health is another concern to come out of the loss as he didn't finish the game.

The Cowboys entered the game without starting tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins and receiver Randall Cobb because of ankle, knee and back injuries, respectively.

Cooper suffered the injury in the third quarter of last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers and said the quad was feeling better when speaking to reporters during the week. He said an ankle injury that had bothered him the past few weeks was more of an issue. He said a heel issue that bothered him during training camp is no longer a problem.

With Cooper on the sideline and without Cobb, the Cowboys have Michael Gallup, Tavon Austin, Cedrick Wilson and Ventell Bryant at receiver, but Bryant is mostly a special-teamer.

Five takeaways from Cowboys’ loss to Jets, including Kellen Moore’s questionable play-call -Calvin Watkins-Sportsday DFW
What has happened to the Dallas Cowboys?

The 4th-and-2 call

This game really turned in the second quarter when a questionable play-call by Kellen Moore hurt the Cowboys. With the Cowboys trailing 7-3, the Cowboys were facing a third-and-1 from the Jets 6. Elliott was stopped for a loss and the Cowboys decided to go for it. OK, fine. But on the fourth-down play, the Cowboys called what looked like a quarterback draw with Dak Prescott. Standing beside him was Elliott, so maybe it was supposed to be an option play or maybe a pitch to Elliott? But Prescott was stopped for a 1-yard loss. When the Jets got the ball, Robby Anderson ran a stop-and-go route, shaking cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, turning it into a 92-yard touchdown. It made the score 14-3 Jets and the momentum was clearly with the home team.

NYJ 24, DAL 22: Cowboys Comeback Comes Up Short Again - Jess Haynie- InsideTheStar
Oh boy... there is nothing good about the way the Cowboys play football these days.

The Cowboys struggled early on offense, and that had a lot to do with missing personnel. They went into the game without Randall Cobb, Tyron Smith, or La’el Collins suiting up. Then Amari Cooper had to exit early with a quad injury and didn’t return.

The halftime adjustments were there. Dallas outscored New York 16-3 in the second half and pulled within two points on a late touchdown run by Dak Prescott. But the two-point conversion attempt failed when Dak got hit and tossed an errant ball to a blanketed Jason Witten.

Another week. Another loss. And now the Eagles are coming to town next Sunday night.

If the Cowboys don’t start figuring out how to play well early, this season is only going to get uglier.

Cowboys vs. Jets: Sam Darnold torches Dallas, has career day in return from battle with mono -Patrik Walker- CBSSports.com
It was a game the Cowboys needed and almost climbed back to steal, but they had no answer for QB Sam Darnold.

Why the Jets won

It’s as simple as the Cowboys having no answers for the return of Darnold, who took them to task for most of the game. The former first-round pick took the field for only the second time this season, but showed zero rust as he carved up the Cowboys for 338 yards passing and two touchdowns on 23 for 32 attempts. He did throw an interception, but it turned out to be mostly inconsequential, because he walked off of the field with a win and a career-best day.

Why the Cowboys lost

For the third straight week, it’s the same story for the Cowboys. They got off to a slow start offensively and couldn’t figure themselves out in the red zone, while their defense struggled mightily against Darnold and veteran wide receiver Jamison Crowder. It all went downhill from there, and the late-game flashes of hope from the Cowboys wound up being nothing more than just that: hope.

Ten losers from the Cowboys horrifying loss to the New York Jets - RJ Ochoa-Blogging The Boys
There were no winners for the Cowboys, who at 3-3, look like total frauds.

Kellen Moore

The first three weeks may have boosted Moore’s stock more than anyone else’s. People were really wondering whether the Cowboys would move on from Jason Garrett in order to promote Moore to head coach if the Cowboys won the Super Bowl. All of that seems quite far-fetched now.

The Cowboys have struggled mightily to get going in the first half of games over the last three weeks. Against the Saints, Packers, and Jets they have one offensive touchdown in the first half.

Panic time! Dallas Cowboys now playing to survive after bad loss to NY Jets - Clarence Hill- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Cowboys lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL, the New York Jets. It's clear that the Cowboys are in trouble.

COWBOYS GET BACK TO GROUND GAME

Running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a season-high 28 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown. He had just 10 carries for 35 at halftime but did a bulk of his work in the second half.

Elliott had just 12 and 18 carries in losses to the Packers and Saints.

It wasn’t enough for a Cowboys offense that was decidedly limited without Smith and Collins, who didn’t start, and Cooper, who left on the second drive of the game.

It also didn’t help that Prescott was undone by at least three dropped passes, including two from receiver Michael Gallup and one from tight end Jason Witten.

After scoring at least 31 points in each of the first three games, the Cowboys lost their third straight game with the offense held under 30 points.

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