What started out looking like an easy win for the Dallas Cowboys quickly turned into a 28-14 defeat at the hands of the Tennessee Titans Monday night. The Cowboys continue to play like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it’s becoming more and more apparent some drastic changes might need to be made if this organization wants to get the best out of the talent they have put together.
I don’t think anyone can tell you with 100% accuracy what this year’s Dallas Cowboys team is all about. Are they a playoff contender, an above average to average team, or are they truly as pathetic as they play at times? I’ll let you decide for yourself where you think the Cowboys should fall, but I think I’ve made up my mind and it’s probably going to take quite a bit of improvement to change it.
Today, I want to identify and discuss what I believe was The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for the Dallas Cowboys against the Tennessee Titans. As always, please feel free to take advantage of the comment section located at the end of the article to share your own thoughts and opinions on this topic.
The Good
Deciding what to put in this section was an easy one for me this week. I think the good for the Dallas Cowboys had to be Wide Receiver Amari Cooper. He made his much-anticipated debut yesterday against the Titans and definitely didn’t do anything to disappoint. Hopefully, this is just a glimpse of things to come.
The stat line of course will only show Amari Cooper with five catches for 58 yards and one touchdown, but his ability to be a threat in the passing game at any level on the field is exactly what the Cowboys offense needed. I was really happy to see Cooper be able to literally hit the ground running and contribute as much as he did after only being on the team for a few short weeks.
As much as I like what Cooper adds to the Cowboys offense, I don’t know if it will be enough to help them overcome their ineffectiveness with the playcalling in both the running and passing game. But, I do believe he lived up to the hype, which helps justify the trade compensation it took to acquire him from the Raiders.
The Bad
I’m not going to beat around the bush here, I think Quarterback Dak Prescott was the bad Monday night for the Dallas Cowboys. He continues to look nothing like the QB we saw in 2016 and it’s becoming harder and harder to think of him as the long-term solution at the position.
Prescott continues to make questionable decisions with the football and it’s starting to have a huge impact on games. Trying to fit the ball into Amari Cooper, who was double covered, was without a doubt one of the worst decisions he’s made in his young career. He really needs to learn to throw the ball away, which brings me to my next point.
Prescott unfortunately not only had an interception against the Titans, but a fumble as well. He is known to hold on the ball too long waiting for a WR to get open, and he was doing just that when he fumbled in the second half. That’s another instance where he should’ve thrown the ball away. We don’t see him do that often enough.
The Ugly
There were so many different directions I could’ve gone for this section, but I ultimately decided the ugly or the miscues and mental mistakes. The Dallas Cowboys continue to beat themselves, making it really hard for them to put together any kind of consistency. I think it ultimately comes down to accountability, but that’s a discussion for another time.
There were once again way too many mental mistakes and miscues against the Titans Monday night. Missed field goals, poor decisions in the red zone, fumbles, and penalties all ended up hurting the Cowboys chances of beating Tennessee. Unfortunately, that’s just the way the season has gone and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.
I don’t know who really deserves the blame for all of this, but I think Jason Garrett should shoulder a lot of it. It’s something that he’s allowed to happen throughout his tenure as head coach. Someone needs to step up and hold the players accountable, whether it’s one of the captains, Garrett, or one of the other coaches.
