Bad Performance Dooms Cowboys
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By Mike Fisher | @fishsports
ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) — The Falcons beat the Cowboys on Sunday, 39-28.
That's one way to look at it, and it's legit.
Atlanta is 3-0 after having been down 14-0 early on, and then pouring it on with huge numbers from QB Matt Ryan and weapons like receiver Julio Jones (12 catches for 164 yards with two touchdowns) and first-time starter Devonta Freeman (141 yards on 30 carries with three touchdowns).
But there is another way to look at it.
"Bad performance, starting with me,'' standup guy Sean Lee told me. "We fell apart.''
Atlanta somehow controlled the second half, outscoring Dallas 22-0. The Falcons figured out a Joe Randle-led running game that in the first half totaled a terrific 131 yards (92 by Randle, including three TDs) but ended with a total of 127 yards — meaning Dallas went backwards by 4 yards in the second half.
"We fought through a lot of adversity,'' Randle told me, when I cited all the Cowboys absenteeism that simply must be mentioned here, "but we came up short.''
Well, not just "short.'' Minus.
We can argue that Dallas wins if Tony Romo (collarbone) plays instead of Brandon Weeden. I'll say "maybe.''
We can argue that Dallas wins if Romo is partnered with Dez Bryant (broken bone in foot). I'll say "definitely.''
Fans of the 2-1 Cowboys can even say there are brighter times ahead for a team that today played without Hardy, Mincey, Gregory, Leary and McClain in addition to its two All-Pros.
But that doesn't excuse the first-half blocking excellence that evaporated; the inability to check Jones (who now has 34 catches for 440 yards in the first three games of the season); the botched clock-management to close the first half; ex-Cowboy Justin Durant flying around for nine Falcons tackles; and a landslide Cowboys first-half "win'' that turned into this.
This isn't about the Falcons. They are 3-0 and have earned it. Atlanta is tied with Carolina (3-0) for the lead in the NFC South, and another NFC South club, New Orleans, just happens to be 0-3 and next on the Dallas agenda.
This is about 2-1 Dallas and whether the burden is physical or psychological or both.
"I don't think that's a concern,'' owner Jerry Jones told me following the loss. "I'm not at all concerned about how our guys handle things psychologically.''
Well, then all that is left is how they handle things physically. And on Sunday, that didn't go very well, either.
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