The Cowboys lost QB Andy Dalton to a concussion but had already lost the game before that point. Ineffective defense and offensive miscues once again put them in a big hole early and Dallas could do nothing to get out of it, losing 25-3 in their first meeting against the Washington Football Team.
Dalton left the game in the 3rd Quarter after taking a blow to the head while sliding. Linebacker Jon Bostic was ejected and could be suspended, appearing to blatantly target Dalton’s head with his forearm on the hit.
This brought 7th-round rookie Ben DiNucci into the game. While he did enter last week’s game against the Cardinals briefly, DiNucci didn’t attempt a pass on that drive and finally got some real playing time today.
Unfortunately, the rookie had to play behind the same obliterated offensive line which has plagued Dallas all season. The Cowboys’ offense was barely functional all day, giving up six sacks and generating just 142 total yards.
DiNucci only attempted three passes despite entering the game in the 3rd, connecting on two of them for 39 yards.
Things weren’t any better on the other side of the ball. Washington was the NFL’s worst rushing team going into Week 7 at just 82.2 yards per game, but Dallas surrendered 194 yards on the ground today.
The Cowboys are in freefall at this point, and how much is due to missing talent, lack of motivation, or ineffective coaching is up for debate and speculation. But with things going from bad to worse, eyes keep looking to Jerry Jones and questions are mounting about how much longer he can stomach this debacle.
Other Notes
- DeMarcus Lawrence and Everson Griffen each had sacks today but otherwise the Cowboys’ pass rush wasn’t very effective. It was disappointing to see no real sign of Randy Gregory on the field today, even though he was active for his first game since the 2018 season.
- Trevon Diggs had a couple of pass breakups but was the culprit on a 52-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin early in the game. Diggs let McLaurin run by him for no apparent reason and with no backup, making for the easy score.
- CeeDee Lamb dropped a few passes today and has struggled more than most since Dak Prescott went down. It was wet today in Washington but these looked more like poor plays from the WR than issues from the rain.
- Speaking of securing the ball, Ezekiel Elliott got through the day without a fumble. He did tip a pass into the air which led to an interception at the end of the first half, but Dalton’s throw was egregiously behind Zeke and more culpable for the turnover.
- Dallas drops to 2-5 and now has their first loss in division play. They’ll head to Philadelphia next week for a game which could allow them to jump back into the division lead, or perhaps fall too far behind given the current state of the team.
