The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday in a disappointing performance by Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense. It was not a game many would have expected them to win when the schedule was released in the spring. That would have been especially true if fans knew the Cowboys would be without Tyron Smith, Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, and then have CeeDee Lamb exit in the second half. This season has been different though. The Cowboys have overcome injuries all year and haven’t missed a beat. They even managed to win at Minnesota without their starting quarterback. The Kansas City Chiefs on the other hand, have looked pedestrian at times this year. Patrick Mahomes has been turning the ball over at an astonishing rate and their defense was one of the worst in the league. Many had already counted out the 2 time defending AFC champs but they have put themselves back in the conversation of late. Sunday was a reality check for a lot of Cowboys fans dreaming of the Super Bowl and a first round bye. Not that the Cowboys season is over by any stretch of the imagination. They are 7-3 and well ahead in the divisional race, but they have now lost 2 of 3 and will be without several key starters again for the next few weeks. Before the Cowboys can start thinking about the number one seed in the NFC and the Superbowl, they have to keep an eye on the rear view mirror. Division rivals Philadelphia and Washington both won over the weekend and they are quietly creeping back into playoff contention.
With most fans expecting a shootout between the Cowboys and Chiefs. The Cowboys defense held up pretty well against the explosive Chiefs offense. Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 63 yards and a touchdown for Kansas City in his return from injured reserve. Patrick Mahomes was 23 of 37 for 260 yards with an interception and a fumble for Kansas City, but he made enough plays when he needed to and helped the Chiefs come away with points where the Cowboys could not in a 19-9 victory over Dallas. The Chiefs (7-4) have now won 4 in a row after many had written them off following a 3-4 start to the season.
The Chiefs offense has not been producing the way we have been accustomed to seeing them produce over the past few seasons. That remained true against the Cowboys on Sunday but Kansas City’s offense was bailed out by a defense that played its best game of the year by far. Chris Jones and the Kansas City defense made life miserable for Dak Prescott. Prescott was held to 216 yards passing and two interceptions for the Cowboys, though he was missing a whole lot of help. Left tackle Tyron Smith missed his third straight game with an ankle injury, Amari Cooper tested positive for COVID-19 and fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb sustained a concussion just before halftime. Donavon Wilson also had to leave the game late with an injury as the Cowboys can’t seem to catch a break in that department. Chris Jones finished the day with 3 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and recovery, and he helped ice the game by tipping Dak Prescott’s final pass causing the game clinching interception.
Ezekiel Elliott was another Cowboys player who was banged up. He tweaked his knee/ankle injury early in the game and was held out for a few plays. He finished the game with nine carries for 32 yards. Tony Pollard chipped in with 50 rushing yards but it was not nearly enough to help the Cowboys sustain drives and they were forced to punt early and often. Linebacker Micah Parsons was by far the biggest bright spot for the Cowboys (7-3), forcing a fumble and piling up three more sacks. He set a rookie franchise record for sacks in a season with 9 so far and he still has 7 more games to improve upon that total. Parsons has been dynamic the entire season and he is steadily improving. He mas more than silenced his critics and proven the Cowboys right for selecting him in the first round of the NFL draft.
The Cowboys have lost 2 of 3 since winning 6 straight games and have just begun their toughest stretch of the season. If they can navigate through a tough schedule and mounting injuries, they still have a shot at the number one seed in the NFC. It will not be an easy. The Chiefs meanwhile have really hit their stride after a rough first seven weeks that left them 3-4 and last in the AFC West. They’ve eliminated many of the turnovers and penalties that hamstrung their offense, and a defense that was historically inept in September and October has turned into a ferocious, ball-hawking bunch in November. Just ask Prescott, who spent a good part of Sunday running away from the constant pressure created by players like Chris Jones and Frank Clark.
Patrick Mahomes followed up his 406-yard, five-touchdown performance against the Raiders by dicing up the Cowboys in the first half. He led Kansas City on an 86-yard march that ended with Travis Kelce taking a direct snap for a touchdown, then he led a 65-yard drive a few minutes later that ended with Edwards-Helaire’s short TD run. All the Cowboys offense could manage in the first half was a Greg Zuerlein field goal and they trailed 16-3 at the break. Dallas had an opportunity to cut into the Chiefs lead after a great individual effort by Micah Parsons, who strip sacked Mahomes. Unfortunately, Dak Prescott underthrew CeeDee Lamb in the endzone on the ensuing play and former Cowboy Charvarius Ward (one of many wearing Chiefs red) made a great play to intercept the pass. Lamb came down hard on his helmet on that play and was forced to leave the game. That was a massive double blow for the Cowboys to end the half. At one point, the two teams nearly came to blows themselves. Late in the first half, Cowboys’ Kelvin Joseph ripped the helmet off Rashad Fenton, who in turn began taunting the Dallas sideline. Both players were flagged for offsetting penalties.
Greg Zuerlein hit two more field goals in the second half, and Harrison Butker added another field goal for Kansas City. Both teams then traded silly mistakes that kept them from reaching the end zone. Mahomes had a pass bounce off Kelce’s hands for an interception, and the Cowboys had a promising drive get stopped in its tracks after an inexcusable false-start penalty. Despite the Cowboys defense stepping up and keeping them in this game, the Cowboys offense could not get anything going with their group of backup wide receivers.
The battered and bruised Cowboys have a quick turnaround to Thanksgiving when they host the Las Vegas Raiders. Cooper, Lawrence, and Gregory will be out but the availability of Tyron Smith and CeeDee Lamb is yet to be determined.
**All Data and statistics obtained and verified from ;https://www.pro-football-reference.com/
