Monday morning coffee: Cowboys seem utterly lost after losing game and Dak

What a game. There really is no other way to put it. What a pathetic performance from the Dallas Cowboys. Is there any other way to justify it?

To start things off. we’ll shine a light on a few positives, although the list is short. Micah Parsons, Tyler Smith, and Ezekiel Elliott all played well. Trevon Diggs had moments too, as did the whole defense. Leighton Vander Esch also made a few nice plays, but this game lacked anything to grab onto and left holes of nothingness for most. Now, for the negative. Strap in for this one!

This offense is subjectively and objectively bad. That was even before Dak’s injury and the news that he would miss time. What a cherry on top of a really sad night. Not even to mention the injury news of Connor McGovern and Jayron Kearse. This team got lucky last year with injuries, and it has whacked them in the face one week into the new season. E

This offense is lacking, though, with or without Dak Prescott. Lack of speed at receiver, lack of time in the pocket, lack of experience just about everywhere, lack of discipline which leads to penalties. Lacking is truly the only word to describe Sunday night’s efforts in what just might be a microscopic look into what is coming.

Most people attempt to head into the season with a shred of optimism. When greeted with that primetime showing, it is hard for that small sliver of optimism not to be shredded. Prescott did not impress at all, but it is hard to place all the blame there. It is hard to not just be in shambles after the injury news, but we’re trying to focus on the game that happened.

Losing to San Francisco last January was a wakeup call for many. A real gut punch, so to speak. That wakeup call ended in signing less than a handful of free agents and drafting a day two wide receiver that was inactive.

Before the game even started, the inactive list hardly made sense. Speaking in hypotheticals, if Tolbert were on a team with a loaded receiver room, like the Buccaneers, him being inactive would merely be a measure. Him being inactive on a team with one active receiver that has crossed an NFL goal line? Seems impossible. Not for the Cowboys! In conjunction with that, Jabril Cox was inactive. After a strong training camp and preseason, many hoped he would be a part of the defensive rotation in the middle of the defense. He was not.

During the game, there was not a single offensive play that made you think about getting out of your seat. It just lacked any type of serious pop. There is so much blame to pass around. This just seems like a long, Cowboys nightmare that hasn’t stopped in what seems to be an eternity.

The worst part is this offense does not feel like just an “Amari Cooper away”, circa 2018. It feels so lost and so weak that even a coveted offensive weapon wouldn't save the day. So, what is next? Well, technically the Bengals are next. Sitting at the bottom of the NFC East with a talented upcoming opponent and an injured quarterback, it seems unlikely that the Cowboys are going to host a victory Monday anytime soon. Without Dak, they are looking down the barrel of a top-5 pick next April. It is becoming increasingly difficult to stay optimistic about this team and it already has the feel of just a really sad season ahead.