Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs: 2 winners and 5 losers from a touchdown-less Cowboys loss

Sunday’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs was hyped up to be the game of the year as far as this NFL season was concerned. It did not exactly deliver. 28 combined points between the two units was not exactly something many expected, nor did anyone predict that the Cowboys would end Week 11 zero touchdowns scored. All in all, it was quite the forgettable game at Arrowhead Stadium.

We discussed everything from Sunday’s win during our Dallas Cowboys Postgame Show on the Blogging The Boys podcast network. Make sure to subscribe to our network so you don’t miss any of our episodes. Apple devices can subscribe here and Spotify users can subscribe here.

The reactions are strong as many are ready to bury Dallas as a serious contender this season. That is a topic for another day as right now we are here to discuss who shined and who did not during the most recent game that we saw the team play.

It is time for winners and losers. Spoiler alert, there aren’t a ton of winners.

Winner: Micah Parsons

What more is there to say about Micah Parsons at this point?

The Cowboys have a bonafide superstar on the defensive side of the ball, one that is capable of rushing the passer in a number of different ways. Sunday saw Parsons notch his eighth sack of the season which is the most by a Cowboys rookie since DeMarcus Ware in 2005. That’s pretty elite company.

Winner: Jayron Kearse

If you generate an interception you will likely find yourself on the winners list and that is exactly what happened to Jayron Kearse. While he picked off Patrick Mahomes by way of a tipped ball, he kept the focus necessary in order to generate a needed turnover for his team. Good for him.

Loser: Mike McCarthy

While the Cowboys were looking at bigger goals than Sunday’s game (as evidenced by their sitting of Tyron Smith), there is no excuse for how flat they came out against Kansas City.

Just two weeks after supposedly being humbled and reminded of the stakes at hand the Cowboys - admittedly down some important contributors on offense - looked lifeless when they possessed the ball. Ultimately that falls at the feet of Mike McCarthy.

Loser: Kellen Moore

Many have suggested that Kellen Moore be promoted to the Cowboys head coaching position as soon as yesterday, but Sunday was a reminder that he is still a coach who is learning and growing.

Moore’s offense operated without Tyron Smith and Amari Cooper (plus CeeDee Lamb for the second half), but it was completely overwhelmed by Kansas City’s defense. He had no answer for the Chiefs pass rush all game long.

Loser: Dak Prescott

We could note over and over that the Cowboys were without their left tackle and top two wide receivers, but at the end of the day the mantle needs to be carried by someone. The franchise quarterback is a good place to look for that spark.

Dak Prescott has singlehandedly kept the Cowboys in games before and was on an island of sorts in this contest; however, he was missing throws all over the place. He was running for his life (we’ll get there shortly), but even when he had time to get throws off they were high, behind, late or something else of the sort. Simply put he has to do more.

Loser: The Offensive Line

The FOX broadcast took the low hanging fruit and said that the Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Sigh. While that is not true, they have played like a top unit at times this season and at the very least should look competent when they are on the field together. That did not happen in this game.

Granted Tyron Smith was absent (have we said that already) but the Cowboys knew that was a possibility and still trotted out Connor McGovern for his first start at left guard. That did not go well. It wasn’t just the newbies that got worked. Even the great Zack Martin was off. It was arguably the worst game of the season for each offensive lineman.

Loser: Responding to Adversity

In case you were somehow still unaware... the Cowboys were down some notable players in Kansas City. That has been well-discussed.

To be frank about that point though, who cares? You have to find a way. The Cowboys have persevered without different players at different points this season - they have yet to play a game with all 22 intended starters on offense and defense - and appear to be one of the best teams in the NFL. It’s not that they lost which is troubling, it is that they didn’t make it into the endzone once. You simply cannot fold like that because of this, that, or the other.