Question of the week: Can Cowboys recover from woeful overtime Packers loss?

The Cowboys lost to the Packers 31-28 in overtime. That sentence seems like a recycled headline over the past decade of football, but somehow the fashion in which they lost continues to get worse. They collapsed in the second half and allowed 17 unanswered points that overcame a two-touchdown lead.

Looking at the box score, Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, one of which was in the endzone. Stuff like that just can’t happen, even if it was a miscommunication with his receivers. CeeDee Lamb had his first 100-yard game and was electric. Tony Pollard rushed 22 times for 5.2 yards per carry, so where did they go wrong, and can they recover?

Well, the defense had it’s worst game of the season. They were exploited by Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, whom both rushed for over five yards per carry. Aaron Rodgers only had 14 completions and although he made some big throws in key situations, the rush defense is worrisome and needs to be fixed somehow.

It might not be a bad thing to get embarrassed as they did in November. Better than January, right? Because last year, it was in January and there was nothing they could do to fix it. Is it scary that the Cowboys can’t seem to beat good teams on the road and for playoff success, yet they will need to continuously do that? Yes, undoubtedly, but there are strides to be made in the next two months to try to reverse that notion.

The rush defense being fixed is at the top of the list of concerns that need to be fixed as the last two months of the season approach, although the rest of the regular season has some daunting running backs featured.

The offensive coaching and overall execution needs to improve. Much of their play-calling seems predictable and the decision-making poor which both contribute to Dak’s high interception number since his return. If he can limit mistakes and the offense can just begin to play clean football, the rushing attack should be able to buoy the process. It is good to see Dak let loose a bit as he did in the two-minute drill prior to the second half against the Packers. A healthy balance of both with limited turnovers and limited mistakes, which are avoidable, will lead to a better product than what we have been seeing.

The most important aspect in hopes of recovering from this embarrassing loss is limiting the penalties, especially those of which are very much avoidable. This team is one of the most undisciplined teams in the league and it shows, especially against good teams that exploit it. A facemask penalty on Jonathan Hankins? Happens. Multiple 15-yard penalties because of happenings that have nothing to do with the play? Unacceptable.

There are a lot of things that need to happen for fans to have optimism in this team again. How this team plays in the next few months will be imperative and crucial for the future of this franchise. Big stakes for many of the players and coaches, hopefully they can deliver.