National Football League

Dallas Cowboys face first crisis of 2021, must correct flaws against Atlanta in Week 10

Published Nov. 12, 2021 8:30 a.m. ET

By Matt Mosley
Special to FOX Sports

The Dallas Cowboys have spent the past few days doing some soul-searching.

The Cowboys' elite status was brought into question last Sunday by coach Vic Fangio and his Denver Broncos. The estimated 20,000 Broncos fans at AT&T Stadium had to be shocked to see their team do an impression of the old Orange Crush defense.

Early-season MVP candidate Dak Prescott will try to bounce back from one of the worst performances of his career. Before a late flurry of meaningless completions, he was sitting at 6-for-19 in the 30-16 loss to the Broncos, which snapped Dallas' six-game winning streak.

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The pathetic showing has given everyone pause. Prescott wasn’t alone in his ineptitude, but he was the headliner. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy echoed his quarterback this week in saying that he hoped teams would follow Fangio’s blueprint. Fangio has received several pats on the back, mostly from himself.

"This is a copycat league," McCarthy said. "I just told the team this, so get ready. I hope they do [play that way], too. Vic played us very aggressive. Their linebacker depth, their linebackers are three yards [away], the safeties were up. In that case, you make their corners tackle. They played us aggressive. They went for it. I think you want that from the other team, so I agree with Dak."

That’s a lot of bravado for a team that just got waxed, but the Cowboys wouldn’t be the first good team to completely lay an egg. They can take comfort in the misery Buffalo suffered in a 9-6 loss to the hapless Jaguars. Even the Bucs looked awful against the Saints two weeks ago, but they have the credibility that comes from winning a Super Bowl.

The Cowboys have 25 years of playoff futility, which is why fans were stunned by a blowout loss to a suspect team.

Let’s now ask the question on everyone’s mind: Was the loss to the Broncos a fluke, or did it reveal fatal flaws?

FLUKE OR FLAW: What in the world was going on with Prescott?

It certainly didn’t help that his normally trustworthy running backs and receivers had bad drops. But even when Prescott had open receivers downfield, he fired the ball over their heads.

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Prescott, who missed the previous game against the Vikings with a calf strain, refused to blame his performance on the injury. He misfired on short passes that are normally automatic. There might have been some rust, but it looked like he simply couldn’t adjust to the Broncos’ scheme. Could the Fangio Factor be the undoing of this team?

Given how prolific Prescott has been in the past, it’s difficult to imagine him going into a funk. Prescott is at his best when he’s either embarrassed or backed into a corner. The team takes its lead from him, and it was important for him to immediately show resolve and not look deflated.

Sometimes teams take their cue from the head coach. As you saw with McCarthy’s quote, that’s not the case here. Prescott is hoping teams will crowd the box and dare him to throw, and his teammates seem to want the same.

It is very important that Prescott get off to a fast start against the Falcons (1 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX and the FOX Sports App), and I think offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will make that a point of emphasis. The silver lining for Moore in last Sunday’s dud is that maybe he won’t get so many questions about head-coaching gigs.

The verdict: Fluke

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FLUKE OR FLAW: Could the horrors of the 2020 run defense be returning?

The Broncos piled up a season-high 190 rushing yards on 41 attempts. I had visions of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis as Javonte Williams put on a show. The rookie carried several Cowboys defenders with him on one run that typified how much more physical the Broncos were.

It’s obvious that Cowboys rookie linebacker Micah Parsons is going to make a couple explosive plays per game, with last Sunday being no exception. But the defensive ends were not setting the edge, and the entire Dallas line was owned by a banged-up offensive line.

The Cowboys raced to 14 takeaways through six games, but they haven’t had one in their two games since the bye. Cornerback Trevon Diggs had so many interceptions (seven) that it seemed illogical to keep throwing to his side, but the Broncos went right at him and beat him on a deep ball.

Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who will see the Falcons for the first time since they fired him as head coach, was particularly concerned about the run defense. And that was before the news Thursday that starting defensive end Randy Gregory will miss at least the next three games due to a calf injury, which could further compromise Dallas' effectiveness in stopping the run.

"There were plenty of runs we fit and did great," Quinn said of the game against the Broncos. "There were a bunch of tackles for loss. But when you get one that’s a misfit and the next guy is not hauling ass to get there, that’s when the explosives come."

The verdict: Potential flaw

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FLUKE OR FLAW: Why is McCarthy so stubborn with this O-line?

McCarthy is so hell-bent on continuity that he’s reluctant to make needed adjustments on the offensive line. It’s a shame because Joe Philbin is a tremendous O-line coach and could get his players up to speed quickly.

Dallas took a player who was playing extremely well at right tackle, Terence Steele, and moved him to left tackle to replace the injured Tyron Smith (ankle). Smith obviously makes a huge difference, but he misses a lot of games at this stage of his career.

La’el Collins is athletic enough to fill in on the left side and let the more inexperienced Steele remain at right tackle. McCarthy, however, doesn’t want to go that route, and it led to Steele looking uncomfortable against the Broncos.

According to PFF, Steele allowed nine pressures. Next was Collins, who allowed three. The Cowboys will likely wait until Saturday or perhaps even Sunday to decide whether Smith can play. But it’s unlikely that he will play every game the rest of the season, so Dallas might need to try something else. To Steele’s credit, he made a huge improvement at right tackle this season. Perhaps he can also be a quick study on the left side.

"I would say it was a little harder than I thought it would be," Steele told reporters. "They have a good defense, good D-ends, and they were giving me a challenge."

The verdict: Potential fatal flaw if Smith can’t get healthy

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FLUKE OR FLAW: Dallas was beaten by a more physical team.

The Cowboys were absolutely embarrassed by their performance in terms of physicality. The Broncos loaded up and knocked the defense off the ball. Those weren’t just creases for Williams and Melvin Gordon. They were huge holes that weren’t filled.

Dallas has done such a nice job with its safeties playing near the line of scrimmage, but they weren’t making enough plays against the Broncos. Jayron Kearse is a heady player who has a knack for big plays, and Donovan Wilson is often the biggest hitter in the secondary. They need to bounce back against the Falcons. And Diggs has to shake off that performance and find his swagger.

McCarthy said he talked to his players about not "eating the cheese" before the Broncos game, but they showed up like they were owed something. The Broncos hit them in the mouth. This can be a minor blip or huge red flag.

"Really, it’s a slap in the face," Parsons said Wednesday. "We emphasize outhitting people every Sunday, and we got outhit last Sunday. We need to make sure we come out and be some dominant people this week."

The verdict: Fluke

The Cowboys will play with anger and toughness against Atlanta. This is personal for Quinn, and his players know it.

Matt Mosley has covered the Cowboys for The Dallas Morning News, ESPN, FOX Sports and Texas Monthly Magazine. He also co-hosted afternoon-drive radio in Dallas for 10 years and is now heard on ESPN Central Texas, home of his alma mater, Baylor. He makes regular appearances on "The Herd" on FS1 and Fox Sports Radio.