Cowboys news: Comeback falls short after miserable first half versus Aaron Jones, Packers

Cowboys stumble again, lose to Packers 34-24 - Tom Ryle, BTB

The Dallas Cowboys played an extremely ugly game for the majority of Sunday afternoon. By the time that they got things going in the right direction, it was too little, too late.

While there were some questionable decisions made by the Cowboys’ staff, such as electing to try a 54 yard field goal with only 45 seconds left in the first half, and already down 17-0, most of this has to go to Dallas just getting beaten player to player. On offense, it was more about mistakes that killed drives, but the defense was just flat out getting whupped. Repeatedly players would take bad angles or not get there in time, allowing Jones to break another chunk run or Rodgers to complete passes. Or they would have a huge penalty, like the pass interference by Anthony Brown when, as seems to be typical for the Dallas secondary, he did not get his head around and drew the flag to set up the Packers for a score that took it from way out of reach to over-in-the-next-zip-code out of reach. And, stop me if you’ve heard this one, it was another run from Aaron Jones that put even more nails in the coffin.

The Cowboys did not get a touchdown until their were only 17 minutes left in the game, on a ball that Prescott was barely able to get to Michael Gallup as he was getting hit by the pass rush that had been in his face all day, and was just getting worse. It just highlighted how Dallas’ pass rush was just not getting to Rodgers in the first three quarters while Prescott was sacked multiple times and was often barely able to get the ball out on other downs.

The final offensive play of the night for the Cowboys was a fitting cap on this game. Needing a field goal to make it a one score game (after stalling in the red zone), they had a false start from Xavier Su’a-Filo wipe one off. And Maher then missed the retry.

This was a really frustrating game. Now the team has to search for answers and try to get back on the right track.

Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers mark the return of the 8-8 Dallas Cowboys - Mac Engel, The Star-Telegram

Sunday marked the return of the “8-8 Dallas Cowboys”, says Mac Engel.

We are talking about Zeke Elliott and Jason Witten fumbles. We’re talking a lot of Dak Prescott interceptions (four of them in just the past two games).

We’re talking about a run defense that could not stop Packers running back Aaron Jones; he had more than 100 yards on Sunday with four touchdowns.

And we’re also talking about a spunky little team that didn’t give up and made the game interesting to watch.

That’s what the Jason Garrett era is all about.

The Cowboys can beat the bad teams, lose to the good ones, and are interesting to watch.

So is watching someone stick their face in a fan.

Recap: Cowboys Can’t Overcome Packers, Lose 34-24 - Kurt Daniels, The Mothership

A recap of Sunday’s loss.

After starting the season with three straight impressive wins, albeit all against some of the league’s weakest opponents, the Dallas Cowboys have now dropped two consecutive games to teams that are considered to be NFL heavyweights.

Leading many to question, are the Cowboys themselves really true contenders?

In losing to Green Bay, 34-24, Dallas once again fell victim to Aaron Rodgers, the Packers quarterback having never lost at AT&T Stadium. He didn’t exactly light up the stat sheet, finishing with 238 yards on 22 of 34 passing with no touchdowns and an 85.2 passer rating, but he was able to keep his team moving and the Cowboys guessing.

With second straight loss, how good are the Cowboys? - Todd Archer, ESPN

Archer poses the question that we are all wondering: how good are the Cowboys?

When the Dallas Cowboys walked out of AT&T Stadium with their 31-6 win against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 22 to improve to 3-0, the question was asked: How good is this team?

After Sunday’s 34-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the question remains: How good is this team?

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The Cowboys’ defense could not bottle up Green Bay’s Aaron Jones, who became the first running back to have four rushing touchdowns against Dallas in franchise history. Aaron Rodgers was not magical, like he had been against the Cowboys at times, but he didn’t need to be. The Cowboys didn’t force him to be magical.

And now there are more questions than answers about this team.

Cowboys vs. Packers final score, key takeaways: Aaron Jones has career day to help Green Bay escape late rally by Dallas - Patrik Walker, CBS Sports

Aaron Jones absolutely embarrassed the Cowboys defense on his way to finding the end zone on four different occasions, and Aaron Rodgers was never asked to win Green Bay the game — because he didn’t have to.

Why the Packers won

It was justifiable to assume Rodgers would struggle to find targets with Adams sidelined with turf toe, but the Packers offense didn’t lose a step. Rodgers had a solid game, but it was running back Aaron Jones that outright destroyed the Cowboys run defense with a career-best four touchdowns on the day. That combined with an opportunistic defense to bury Dallas on their own field.

For Dallas, it was just mistake after mistake.

Why the Cowboys lost

It ultimately came down to this being one of the most horribly executed games in recent memory for the Cowboys, and it had nothing to do with what turned out to be a great gameplan by offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. The offense had their way early on with the Packers, but interceptions and drive-killing penalties kept them off the board despite a strong outing from Amari Cooper -- along with the defense missing tackles and allowing Jones to have a career day.

Five things as Dallas Cowboys exposed as championship ‘pretenders’ in loss to Packers - Clarence Hill, The Star-Telegram

Five things that one can take away from the Cowboys’ loss, like calling them “pretenders”.

THE LOST FIRST HALF

The Cowboys trailed 17-0 at halftime to the Green Bay Packers, largely because a slew of mistakes by the offense and a lack of plays on defense. Amari Cooper dropped a pass that hit him both hands and turned into an interception. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw another interception that was a late throw to a crossing Randall Cobb. The defense didn’t tackle and helped drives with penalties. Kicker Brett Maher missed a 54-yard field goal.

The Cowboys offense moved the ball but just couldn’t get anything done. Prescott led the offense in Green Bay territory on four of six first-half possessions. Two ended with interceptions, another with a sack and another with the missed field goal. Cowboys fans booed them as they left the field, and the Packers fans in attendance chanted, “Go Pack Go.”

Jones speaks positively about Cowboys’ effort in loss to Packers - ESPN (VIDEO)

Jerry discussed the team’s effort following Sunday’s loss, speaking positively about how they fought late.

Jerry Jones commends his team for showing tremendous heart even when the game seemed unwinnable against the Packers.

Amari Cooper posts career-high in Cowboys loss to Packers - Steven Mullenax, The Landry Hat

Although it was in defeat, Amari Cooper was huge on Sunday.

But if there is one shining light fans can take away from Sunday’s defeat it is the play of wide receiver Amari Cooper. The three-time Pro Bowler posted the highest receiving yardage total of his five-year career against the Packers. Cooper registered 11 receptions for 226 yards and a touchdown in Week Five’s loss.

Cooper’s previous highest-yardage total of 217 receiving yards was posted just last season, in a 29-23 overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Newly traded to Dallas, the former first-round wideout had 10 catches and three touchdowns in that pivotal Week 14 matchup, capping a five-game winning streak for the Cowboys.

Cowboys’ stinker vs. Packers conjures up recent Dallas duds - Stefan Stevenson, The Star-Telegram

Where would you put Sunday’s loss in regards to other disappointing Cowboys losses?

The Dallas Cowboys may not be who we thought they were.

After getting beat by the Green Bay Packers 34-24 on Sunday at AT&T Stadium it might be time to readjust our expectations for the 2019 team. Sure, the Cowboys rallied to make it interesting, but the Packers’ 31-3 lead late in the third quarter was a slap to the face for anyone who has high hopes for this Cowboys’ team.

Before we do that, however, let’s look at five of the biggest duds the Cowboys have played over the past five seasons. Let’s be honest, if we went back further — say the past 23 years of mediocrity — I’d be here all night. And after watching that game, I’ve suffered enough.

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