Cowboys find a new way to embarass themselves

Cowboys find a new way to embarass themselves

Published Oct. 27, 2013 6:51 p.m. ET

You have to hand it to the Dallas Cowboys when it comes to finding creative ways to lose. It's really difficult to be plus-4 in turnover margin in a losing cause…but the Cowboys found a way in a shocking 31-30 loss in Detroit.

Perhaps unaware of the Cowboys' tendencies, the FOX announcers had already handed Dallas its fifth win of the season. The Cowboys had taken over on downs at Detroit's 31-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. The Lions had already burned their final two timeouts when the Cowboys lined up for a third-and-14 situation with 1:14 left.
 
Even if quarterback Tony Romo had taken a knee, the Cowboys could've tried a field goal with about 20 seconds left on the clock. Instead, third-string tailback Phillip Tanner bounced a run outside for 9 yards to the Lions' 26-yard line. Shockingly, the Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith was flagged for holding on the play. The clock stopped with 1:07 left in the game…and the rest is history.
 
The Lions of course declined the penalty to preserve time, and Dan Bailey connected on a 44-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 30-24 lead. If any Cowboys fan breathed easy at that point, they were as clueless as Smith.

The Cowboys' left tackle clearly grabbed the defender's jersey and then threw him down right in front of the official. It was a huge call in the game, and it was the right one. If you think this could only happen to the Cowboys, you might be onto something. It's stunning to see such an accomplished player make such a bone-headed decision. It was an utter lack of awareness on Smith's part.

Some of you might recall the Lions rallying from a 24-0 halftime deficit two years ago at Cowboys Stadium to win 34-30. On Sunday, the Lions twice erased 10-point deficits in the second half. The Cowboys' defense allowed Johnson to have the second-best receiving day (323 yards) in NFL history, but it also had four takeaways…and what looked like a huge three-and-out late in the game. But given new life, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford raced his team down the field and then faked out the Cowboys with his 1-yard dive into the end zone with 12 seconds left. He lulled the defensive line to sleep by signaling he was going to clock the ball. Then he dived over the top for the game-tying touchdown.

By that time, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and wide receiver Dez Bryant were in a heated argument on the sideline. And earlier in the half, Bryant went after Romo when he felt like the quarterback missed him on a route.

The Cowboys remain atop the NFC East with a 4-4 record, but they missed a golden opportunity to get some separation on the Eagles (3-5) and Redskins, who are on the verge of falling to 2-5 in Denver. The Giants (2-6) are now the hottest team in the division.

"We didn't do what we needed to do to win the ballgame, period," Garrett told reporters after the game. "They did. We didn't. We have to live with that and look ourselves in the mirror and it starts with me, the coaching staff, every player in that locker room. Just got to do better, and we have to learn from that experience and find a way to win that game. We were in position to win the ballgame and had opportunities on offense, defense and the kicking game to end it and we didn't do it. We just have to understand the importance of each sequence, each play to the outcome of the ballgame, and we didn't get it done."

Those words may sound familiar to you because Garrett's been down this road before. He's seen his team be on the verge of winning, only to have something crazy happen at the end. A lot of folks will be talking about Johnson's performance in the coming days. He was easily the best player on the field Sunday.

But this was the Cowboys' game to win or lose. And like so many other times, they went with the latter. You have to hand it to the Dallas Cowboys when it comes to finding creative ways to lose. It's really difficult to be plus-4 in turnover margin in a losing cause…but the Cowboys found a way in a shocking 31-30 loss in Detroit.

Perhaps unaware of the Cowboys' tendencies, the FOX announcers had already handed Dallas its fifth win of the season. The Cowboys had taken over on downs at Detroit's 31-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. The Lions had already burned their final two timeouts when the Cowboys lined up for a third-and-14 situation with 1:14 left.
 
Even if quarterback Tony Romo had taken a knee, the Cowboys could've tried a field goal with about 20 seconds left on the clock. Instead, third-string tailback Phillip Tanner bounced a run outside for 9 yards to the Lions' 26-yard line. Shockingly, the Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith was flagged for holding on the play. The clock stopped with 1:07 left in the game…and the rest is history.
 
The Lions of course declined the penalty to preserve time, and Dan Bailey connected on a 44-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 30-24 lead. If any Cowboys fan breathed easy at that point, they were as clueless as Smith.

The Cowboys' left tackle clearly grabbed the defender's jersey and then threw him down right in front of the official. It was a huge call in the game, and it was the right one. If you think this could only happen to the Cowboys, you might be onto something. It's stunning to see such an accomplished player make such a bone-headed decision. It was an utter lack of awareness on Smith's part.

Some of you might recall the Lions rallying from a 24-0 halftime deficit two years ago at Cowboys Stadium to win 34-30. On Sunday, the Lions twice erased 10-point deficits in the second half. The Cowboys' defense allowed Johnson to have the second-best receiving day (323 yards) in NFL history, but it also had four takeaways…and what looked like a huge three-and-out late in the game. But given new life, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford raced his team down the field and then faked out the Cowboys with his 1-yard dive into the end zone with 12 seconds left. He lulled the defensive line to sleep by signaling he was going to clock the ball. Then he dived over the top for the game-tying touchdown.

By that time, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and wide receiver Dez Bryant were in a heated argument on the sideline. And earlier in the half, Bryant went after Romo when he felt like the quarterback missed him on a route.

The Cowboys remain atop the NFC East with a 4-4 record, but they missed a golden opportunity to get some separation on the Eagles (3-5) and Redskins, who are on the verge of falling to 2-5 in Denver. The Giants (2-6) are now the hottest team in the division.

"We didn't do what we needed to do to win the ballgame, period," Garrett told reporters after the game. "They did. We didn't. We have to live with that and look ourselves in the mirror and it starts with me, the coaching staff, every player in that locker room. Just got to do better, and we have to learn from that experience and find a way to win that game. We were in position to win the ballgame and had opportunities on offense, defense and the kicking game to end it and we didn't do it. We just have to understand the importance of each sequence, each play to the outcome of the ballgame, and we didn't get it done."

Those words may sound familiar to you because Garrett's been down this road before. He's seen his team be on the verge of winning, only to have something crazy happen at the end. A lot of folks will be talking about Johnson's performance in the coming days. He was easily the best player on the field Sunday.

But this was the Cowboys' game to win or lose. And like so many other times, they went with the latter.

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