Oddly, this game was confirmation for me that the Cowboys are right there

[CowboyRoy]

Except, that isn’t true. Please proceed to the score prediction poll and observe MY prediction. That is all.

Then why do you sound surprised?

 

[SuspectCorner]

Then why do you sound surprised?

Please point to my surprise - talking out your southern orifice.

 

[TheHerd]

Purdy went along for the ride. He had two picks that were dropped. If his defense gave up 10 points in the 4th he probably would have lost too.

Not disagreeing at all. But to get those 10 points, SF had grinding, time consuming, game shortening, and ultimately game ending drives. They did this with a few well thrown but relatively easy throws, some great running, and third down conversions. Our defense couldn't stop them on those drives, and our offense could not counter with the same. Game over. Of course, if the offense hadn't gifted SF all those easy points, things would have been different.

 

[IrishAnto]

It was inevitable that we would lose eventually and the Dak haters would blame Dak so go ahead and get it out. He didnt have a good game, but again, personally I didnt expect one against SF.

I give credit to the Niners. Great team and well coached.

And very active in free agency as are the Eagles.
You would think that might be a template the Jones’s might want to emulate but it does require that you know what you’re doing in the first instance.

 

[Sydla]

It would help to not have to play the Niners.

And no thats not my analysis, thats one you made up. NIners are the best defense. Not my fault you dont understand that concept. LOL

Cutting Zeke would certainly help the cause.

And again, last week Dak had 300 yards and 5 TD's. Where was this "biggest game of the season" talk last week? Hiding under a rock again?

I want to be clear here.

According to you, it’s an unfair expectation to have a supposed Top 10 QB not suck against an elite defense?

I am not talking about expecting him to play great. Just not suck with two terrible interceptions.

 

[SultanOfSix]

Yes, they are but the QB lost it for them. Dak just does not have the processing speed, accuracy, and consistency for the playoff caliber defensive football that it takes to win a SB.

It's like the opposite of the Romo situation.

There's never a "full" team constructed by the organization.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Maybe, but unfortunately if true the window has closed. We likely lose Quinn, the defense will probably regress, we have a ton of free agents that have over 50% playing time to sign, already over the cap....

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

The Cowboys are right there. Niners are just a little better. In a way I am proud of this team. They showed up today and for at least half of the game, we were the better team. It wasnt like last year where we got embarrassed. We lost, but unlike the gleeful homers I didnt expect us to win. Dak didnt have a great game by any stretch, but again, against the #1 defense on the road I didnt expect him to. Dak is NOT elite. Top 10 but not elite. I thought the defense played great, they just got tired in the 4th quarter. I thought the Oline had a great game.

This game was essentially over the moment Pollard went out. I was proud of the coaching staff. It ONLY took 4 years and one playoff game, but they finally figured out how much better Pollard is than Zeke. They started Pollard and were featuring him until he went down. Sadly we had to depend on the horrid Zeke and the first two drives out of the he basically had 2 yards and 5 touches with 2 dropped passes.

Without Pollard, I think its abundantly obvious that we simply dont have enough playmakers. If I am the Cowboys I find a way to resign Pollard and Shultz and I get out of the Gallup contract if at all possible without much penalty. I make WR a priority in the offseason along with another RB to go with Pollard.

ON the road, this was a game that would come down to a one or two mistake here and there and thats exactly what happened. 2 picks by Dak, which were NOT good throws at all. Even the tipped ball he shouldnt have thrown. But again, was he feeling pressed because we cant rely on our kicker? Who knows? Niners D had 3 chances for picks and they capitalized on two of them. Well done. Cowboys had two easy picks and dropped them both. It matters. If turpin goes to the outside on that kickoff return, he has a easy TD. A few little things here and there.

Cowboys are right there. Niners/Bengals in the SB. Bengals take it all.

No doubt the clowns will blame Dak, Moore, Cooper not being here, yada yada yada so lets hear it all.

This was a very good season and the Cowboys are heading in the right direction with a great young defense and are right there at the top of the NFL in that handful of 6 or so teams that are true contenders.

No! Just No! Did we play them closer than last year? Yes. But they were also starting a 7th round rookie!!!!!!!!!!!

If he gets better...which under Shanahann I am sure he will...they will leave us in the dust!

Shanhann is better than ANYBODY we have...and have had since Jimmy. So the game....like last year...was over before it even started!!!!!!!!!!! We are NOT right there against THAT team.

And the Eagles right now...are where we were with Dak in 2016. So they are at the beginning of their run...we are at the end with this core!

What game are you watching?!!

 

[Robster8989]

I don’t understand the part about being encouraged because they played as well as the Niners. I agree they played as well as the Niners. But they showed once again that they’ll find a way to lose. So playing as well as the other team doesn’t matter when we’ll always find more ways to lose than the other team will. That means the only way we’ll ever win is if we are way better than the other team, like last week with the Bucs. You think the Patriots won 6 Super Bowls because they were always way better than the competition? They won because they were always talented enough and found ways to beat teams. The years they didn’t win were the years they weren’t talented enough. We’re basically the opposite of the Patriots. We were good enough to win 2-3 times under Romo and 2-3 times under Dak, but we never came close because we always found a way to lose. Tonight, we buried ourselves the entire game. Just off the top of my head: missed XP to put us playing 1 point catch up all game, 2 picks that swung the score at least 10 points, defensive penalties that gave SF a TD when we could’ve held them to a FG. And even in the final drive we had two blunders: one where we didn’t run out of bounds that burned another 10 seconds, and one where we didn’t catch the ball inbounds that lost 15 yards. I count at least a 15 point swing on just mental blunders. I really didn’t see any mistakes like that from SF. So really we would’ve won by 8+ but instead lost by 7. You can’t make mistakes like that and beat good teams. And we do that every year.

Such a great point dude and so very true.
I don't know if it's coaching or players, but we always seem to find a way to do the little things that cost us games, and in a tight game like this those little things helped decide the outcome.
You brought up the last drive. I know this is just one little play, and this play alone did not decide the outcome of the game, but it was telling to me. Schultz caught a pass for a fiirst down, and sort of sauntered out of bounds, The Niner defender understood something that clearly Schultz did not. If he hit Schultz and made it so he was not moving forward while going out of bounds, the clock would continue to run (even though he went out of bounds). So that defender made great effort to hit Schultz and made it so he was going backwards when he stepped out. The Niner defender signalled to the official to keep the clock running, clearly, he understood the rule, and the official did in fact signal to run the clock. So the Cowboys had to rush to the line and we lost about 10 seconds, probably enough that it cost us 2 plays.
Why is it that the Niner defender knew that rule, and Schultz did not? I like Schultz, dude went to Stanford for God's sake, he is smart guy. And I understand that this play did not cost us the game, but why is it that other teams make those plays, and we never seem to?
You brought up the Patriots. They were rarely the superior team, but they won 6 SBs because they were so well coached and prepared, and it always seems that we are not. (In the JJ and even Parcells years we seemed to be). I think it's mostly coaching.
Even when we punted there late in the 4th Q, we ran like 20 seconds off the clock unncessarily. ***? We were going to be lucky to get the ball back (we did get it back but it would have been nice to have 20 more seconds).
We just always seem to be the team that does not make those smart plays, and in a tight, even game like this, that makes a huge difference.

 

[Creeper]

I would go so far as to say this team is better than the 49ers. I just don't believe the 49ers are as good as everyone thinks. I mean we played Bad Dak last night and we staying in the game. Dad Dak struggled to beat the Texans, Colts, Titans backups and lost to the Commanders. If the Eagles blow out the 49ers next week, it will open some eyes as to where the Cowboys really are. I think we could see that happen. I know we are supposed to hate the Eagles but let's be honest. Brock Purdy looks like an inexperience QB who is just learning to play in the NFL. The Eagles with their all-star secondary and powerful defensive line are going to make Purdy look like a rookie 7th round draft pick.

With Good Dak, the Cowboys are a Super Bowl contender. With Bad Dak, they are just another team.

The Cowboy hit their limit last night and are going no further with Dak at QB. It took me a few years to see it, but I am there now.

 

[Calvin2Tony2Emmitt2Julius]

This team is going to look vastly different next season. Pitchforks and torches levl...we'll see. But there will likely be no Zeke, no LVE, Kearse(?) Schultz (?). Not to mention what will happen with our coordinators

I hear ya Nate, I just believe we are where we are. Fix what need fixin. Folks said we haven't Improved. Really? We won an away playoff Game for the first time in 30 years. Keep who we can and Build through the draft,

go all in in Free agency for a change. I just never have and never will agree with making major changes to a 12-5 Divisional Round team that loss by 7 to a juggernaut. We measured up against an elite team and came up wanting. OK , do you

tuck tail and run ? Or do you say, we see where we are and get better ?

 

[windward]

The Cowboys are right there. Niners are just a little better. In a way I am proud of this team. They showed up today and for at least half of the game, we were the better team. It wasnt like last year where we got embarrassed. We lost, but unlike the gleeful homers I didnt expect us to win. Dak didnt have a great game by any stretch, but again, against the #1 defense on the road I didnt expect him to. Dak is NOT elite. Top 10 but not elite. I thought the defense played great, they just got tired in the 4th quarter. I thought the Oline had a great game.

This game was essentially over the moment Pollard went out. I was proud of the coaching staff. It ONLY took 4 years and one playoff game, but they finally figured out how much better Pollard is than Zeke. They started Pollard and were featuring him until he went down. Sadly we had to depend on the horrid Zeke and the first two drives out of the he basically had 2 yards and 5 touches with 2 dropped passes.

Without Pollard, I think its abundantly obvious that we simply dont have enough playmakers. If I am the Cowboys I find a way to resign Pollard and Shultz and I get out of the Gallup contract if at all possible without much penalty. I make WR a priority in the offseason along with another RB to go with Pollard.

ON the road, this was a game that would come down to a one or two mistake here and there and thats exactly what happened. 2 picks by Dak, which were NOT good throws at all. Even the tipped ball he shouldnt have thrown. But again, was he feeling pressed because we cant rely on our kicker? Who knows? Niners D had 3 chances for picks and they capitalized on two of them. Well done. Cowboys had two easy picks and dropped them both. It matters. If turpin goes to the outside on that kickoff return, he has a easy TD. A few little things here and there.

Cowboys are right there. Niners/Bengals in the SB. Bengals take it all.

No doubt the clowns will blame Dak, Moore, Cooper not being here, yada yada yada so lets hear it all.

This was a very good season and the Cowboys are heading in the right direction with a great young defense and are right there at the top of the NFL in that handful of 6 or so teams that are true contenders.

This is more or less the takeaways I came with after last nights game.

 

[USArmyVet]

The Cowboys are right there. Niners are just a little better. In a way I am proud of this team. They showed up today and for at least half of the game, we were the better team. It wasnt like last year where we got embarrassed. We lost, but unlike the gleeful homers I didnt expect us to win. Dak didnt have a great game by any stretch, but again, against the #1 defense on the road I didnt expect him to. Dak is NOT elite. Top 10 but not elite. I thought the defense played great, they just got tired in the 4th quarter. I thought the Oline had a great game.

This game was essentially over the moment Pollard went out. I was proud of the coaching staff. It ONLY took 4 years and one playoff game, but they finally figured out how much better Pollard is than Zeke. They started Pollard and were featuring him until he went down. Sadly we had to depend on the horrid Zeke and the first two drives out of the he basically had 2 yards and 5 touches with 2 dropped passes.

Without Pollard, I think its abundantly obvious that we simply dont have enough playmakers. If I am the Cowboys I find a way to resign Pollard and Shultz and I get out of the Gallup contract if at all possible without much penalty. I make WR a priority in the offseason along with another RB to go with Pollard.

ON the road, this was a game that would come down to a one or two mistake here and there and thats exactly what happened. 2 picks by Dak, which were NOT good throws at all. Even the tipped ball he shouldnt have thrown. But again, was he feeling pressed because we cant rely on our kicker? Who knows? Niners D had 3 chances for picks and they capitalized on two of them. Well done. Cowboys had two easy picks and dropped them both. It matters. If turpin goes to the outside on that kickoff return, he has a easy TD. A few little things here and there.

Cowboys are right there. Niners/Bengals in the SB. Bengals take it all.

No doubt the clowns will blame Dak, Moore, Cooper not being here, yada yada yada so lets hear it all.

This was a very good season and the Cowboys are heading in the right direction with a great young defense and are right there at the top of the NFL in that handful of 6 or so teams that are true contenders.

Yes, Dallas with Dak at the helm are right there......just like the Titanic or the Hindenburg.

 

[windward]

Maybe, but unfortunately if true the window has closed. We likely lose Quinn, the defense will probably regress, we have a ton of free agents that have over 50% playing time to sign, already over the cap....

I heard this last year too.

 

[Nav22]

I just gotta say: It is funny how people can watch the same game and see completely different things... I don't think the cowboys are right there. The team is inconsistent, including its quarterback and lack the proper leadership to put a worthwhile effort in the playoffs. This team is sick and lacks the proper culture and leadership to win when it matters. The talent is not the problem in Dallas, but the attitude and heart required to win is just not here because there are no leaders.

Four teams did better than the Cowboys did, out of 32 teams total.

Four.

Why do some of you people pretend we're some laughingstock? Because Stephen A. Smith says so?

 

[USArmyVet]

Four teams did better than the Cowboys did, out of 32 teams total.

Four.

Why do some of you people pretend we're some laughingstock? Because Stephen A. Smith says so?

How do you come to that conclusion when Dallas was 1 of 4 other teams that lost this weekend. So you are saying Dallas did better than Buffalo, Jacksonville, and the Giants? Based on what criteria?
So the assertion that only 4 other teams did better is skewed.

 

[Streifenkarl]

Probably the most ridiculous thread along with Rockport's crap. Even if they were "right there" which they are not (not even close) it would take us another 10 years at this pace to win it all.

The only thing more frustrating than the once again embarrassing ending to this season are the embarrassing delusionalists who just won't let go of the masterminds of this once again phenomenal season.

Last season was the "now or never" window by the way. This year we were lucky to even be in the race.

 

[Nav22]

How do you come to that conclusion when Dallas was 1 of 4 other teams that lost this weekend. So you are saying Dallas did better than Buffalo, Jacksonville, and the Giants? Based on what criteria?
So the assertion that only 4 other teams did better is skewed.

I said 4 teams did better. I didn't say we did better than the other 27.

That's true, the 3 teams you mentioned can also say "only 4 teams did better than us."

 

[windward]

Four teams did better than the Cowboys did, out of 32 teams total.

Four.

Why do some of you people pretend we're some laughingstock? Because Stephen A. Smith says so?

Because I seriously think they get off on feeling humiliated. Everyone’s got their thing, I guess.

 

[The Fonz]

The almost there excuse will take us nowhere and we will end up wasting time.
Just pull the plug and move on