Cowboys Lose To Buccaneers As Season Collapses
By Shawn S. Lealos
After losing six straight games, five of them by blowing leads in the fourth quarter, the Dallas Cowboys were hanging on life support. The good news is that the hapless Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on tap, and if the Cowboys won this game, they would get Tony Romo back at quarterback next week for the Miami Dolphins game. However, the Cowboys went into the fourth quarter with the lead and ended up losing their seventh straight, dropping to the Buccaneers, 10-6, to make their chances at making the playoffs almost nonexistent.
Offense: F
The Dallas Cowboys offense finally showed signs of life last week when they scored 27 points against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, against a better defense with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys offense did nothing. The offense didn't score a single touchdown and they only ended up with two field goals in the game. When the Cowboys had to move the ball to win the game in the fourth quarter, they couldn't move the ball and Matt Cassel threw an interception to cost the Cowboys the chance for a comeback win.
Cassel finished the game with 186 yards and one interception. He also finished with three sacks in the game and couldn't get anything going. His average per completion was just under 10 yards a reception. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten tied for the lead in receptions, each with five, but the catches were only for 45 and 42 yards respectively. Witten especially struggled, unable to make any yards after the catch and looked like he was not playing at full strength.
The running game was non existent. Darren McFadden couldn't get moving, gaining 32 yards on 17 carries - under two yards a carry. Christine Michael got three carries for just eight yards. This was just a poor performance by the entire Cowboys offense.
Defense: C
The Dallas Cowboys have done everything they could to help the team win over the losing streak, but they just can't seem to complete a game. For the fifth time in seven consecutive losses, the Cowboys defense couldn't hold the lead and lost the game. Dallas did well throughout most of the game, only allowing 246 passing yards and 84 rushing yards in the game. They limited the Buccaneers to just one field goal throughout the entire game, and it wasn't until the defense made mental blunders at the end that they gave up their only touchdown, a run by James Winston.
The Cowboys did something they have not been able to do well lately, and that is in the turnover aspects of the game. James Winston had not thrown any interceptions over the last month, but in this game safety Jeff Heath intercepted two Winston passes to stop Buccaneers drives. However, on the Buccaneers game winning drive, Winston fumbled the ball leaping towards the goal line and Dallas recovered the turnover. The problem is that Heath was called for holding on the play and the Buccaneers scored on the next drive.
Tyron Crawford and DeMarcus Lawrence both recorded sacks in the game and if it wasn't for avoidable penalties, the Cowboys defense did enough to win. It seemed like every time Dallas stopped Tampa Bay when it counted, their penalties spoiled the effort. This was a good game with some bad plays that cost the team the win.
Special Teams: D
Dan Bailey made two field goals, but the most accurate kicker in NFL history missed a field goal earlier in the game. The worst part of the Cowboys defense came on the punt coverage. Tampa Bay pinned the Cowboys deep over and over because they didn't field the ball, they were pinned inside their own 10. In the fourth quarter, Dallas actually started from their seven and nine on two of their final three drives. They were in a bad position and that was all on their punt return team. Also, Terrance Williams tried to play hero on the final kickoff and cost Dallas the game.
Coaching: F
The fact is that the Dallas Cowboys played a team that is not that good. Despite the fact that they were playing without their best player in Tony Romo and best defensive player in Sean Lee, the Cowboys were not playing to win. They were, once again, playing not to lose and that caused them to lose the game that might have ended the team's season. In the fourth quarter, the Cowboys should have called plays that would hammer the nail in the coffin of the Buccaneers, but they played it safe and lost. Bad defensive plays cost the Cowboys the game but bad coaching cost them the win by not putting Tampa Bay away.
Tony Romo returns next week to face the Miami Dolphins. The bad thing is that with seven losses, one more will completely finish the season for the Cowboys, and they have the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers coming up. In reality, Dallas might just be playing out this season.
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.