National Football League

Were Cowboys exposed in loss to Packers?

Updated Nov. 15, 2022 5:21 p.m. ET

The Dallas Cowboys have been in the NFL since 1960. They'd gone that entire time without blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter — this despite 195 opportunities. Aaron Rodgers changed all that Sunday, in Mike McCarthy's return to Lambeau Field no less.

While Rodgers has tormented the Cowboys for years, this game felt a bit different. Dallas was in position to bury the Green Bay Packers' dwindling playoff hopes. But in a span of about 20 minutes, the Cowboys' offense went cold, Green Bay's roared to life to force overtime, Dak Prescott failed to convert on a fourth-down attempt in OT, and the middling Packers earned a 31-28 victory.

For Colin Cowherd, the come-from-ahead defeat was just the latest example of why the Cowboys (6-3) don't deliver in the clutch.

"Dallas is the $50,000-a-year millionaire," Cowherd said Monday on "The Herd." "He’s got a big, fancy car, but if you followed him home, he lives in a tiny apartment. Lot of flash, lot of splash, some ego, look closer. This was your classic Dallas Cowboys game: national TV, facing another big brand, Cowboys probably had the second-best quarterback on the field. And here it was, there for the taking in Lambeau, McCarthy coming home, had the lead and folded.

"This is why they haven’t had back-to-back double-digit winning seasons since '96. It was all there for them, and they lost it the way Dallas tends to lose games like this: costly penalties and failure at quarterback in a high-leverage moment. You can bang on McCarthy, but I would’ve gone for it too. They couldn’t stop Green Bay."

Cowboys blow 14-point lead in Mike McCarthy's return to Green Bay

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For Cowherd, the loss exposed not only McCarthy but also the Cowboys' $40 million signal-caller and even their defense.

"This is about Dallas allowing a wobbly Green Bay offense who didn’t have their best receiver to get over 200 yards rushing and over 200 yards passing," Cowherd asserted. "Thirty-five minutes of time of possession, almost 50% on third down. It was like watching … the Packers over the last two years. … What’s interesting about Dallas is you knew what Green Bay was going to do, they were going to try to run the ball … because that is how you slow down a really good pass rush. … And they still did it whenever they wanted to.

"I just don’t trust Dallas in big spots. This year for Dak is a great example: Third downs and fourth downs for Dak, he’s completing 43% of his throws. That is the worst since Tim Tebow was in the league. … You start looking around this team and Micah [Parsons] is great, Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb. There are individual players I like, there are moments I like, there are halves I like. … With Dallas it’s always head coach, quarterback and culture. I just don’t trust them in big spots. [How you win Super Bowls] is the big games … often on the road, facing a great quarterback, who is going to make you look unprepared if you don’t have it buttoned up."