Is the party over?

The Dallas Cowboys 3-0 start to 2019 had most of the Cowboys fanbase thinking Super Bowl. Especially since the much maligned offense had exploded under rookie OC Kellen Moore up to that point. Still, there were some skeptics who pointed out that the quality of competition they faced in those first few games was well below average. That made the match-up against the New Orleans Saints this Sunday an opportunity to prove all the critics wrong and to validate the aspirations of the optimistic fan base. Even without Drew Brees in the line-up, the New Orleans Saints under Teddy Bridgewater presented the biggest challenge by far for the 2019 Dallas Cowboys and that is why the 12-10 loss Sunday night was so disappointing for Cowboy fans.

It was not simply that they lost the game. After all, winning on the road is always difficult, especially down in New Orleans. The most disappointing thing about the loss is that the offense looked as inept as it did at times before the acquisition of Amari Cooper last season. The new look Kellen Moore offense with all the play action, motion, and downfield passing that had been implemented looked a lot more like the stubborn, run heavy, simplistic offense that the Dallas Cowboys ran the last 3 years under Scott Linehan. Dak Prescott was under duress and had issues finding open receivers. That led to some inaccurate throws and some indecisiveness in the pocket that nearly led to a couple of interceptions. Meanwhile, a couple of fumbles by Jason Witten and Ezekiel Elliott stopped 2 Cowboys drives dead in their tracks on a night where the points were tough to come by.

There were some silver linings in the loss. The most significant is that the Dallas Cowboys defense finally came to play for real this time. It was beginning to look as though the 2018 defense was an anomaly the way they had played the first three games but they raised their level of play to match the level of competition. It was especially nice to see the young linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch play up their potential. It was also good to see free agent Robert Quinn stand out as a disruptive force on the edge.

There were definitely some good things that happened on Sunday night but the loss was a missed opportunity by the Cowboys to jump out to an early lead in the race for home field advantage in the playoffs. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about the loss was that despite being outplayed, the Cowboys had an opportunity to steal the game on their final possession. The Patriots and Chiefs both struggled in their week 4 match-ups but both teams managed to find a way to win. That is something that great teams are able to do. Much to the chagrin of Dallas fans, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys came out flat on that final drive and were not able to pull off what would have been a statment road win.

The Dallas Cowboys had their share of excuses on Sunday. Being without Michael Gallup and having Amari Cooper limited with an ankle injury was clearly an issue for them. The Cowboys offensive line play was not up to par either but compared to the New Orleans Saints not having Drew Brees those excuses are trivial. Credit the Saints for pulling off two huge victories in a row without their starting quarterback. The Saints were able to get revenge for their loss against the Cowboys last season.

Next week the Dallas Cowboys face another team that started 3-0 but suffered a disappointing loss this week; The Green Bay Packers who lost to the hated Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams will be equally desperate to avoid 2 straight losses and Aaron Rodgers has a history against Rod Marinelli and the Cowboys defense. The Dallas Cowboys will go into this one without Tyron Smith who suffered a high ankle sprain on the final drive against the Saints. This game could truly tip the scales for the Cowboys to determine if they are going to contend for a Super Bowl or if indeed the party really is over.

*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode