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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Same old Cowboys.
What else is there to say after they find themselves experiencing that old familiar .500 feeling following a hard-fought 17-16 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday that looked like so many of the other hard-fought losses since Jason Garrett became coach?
In coming up short in its bid to start 2-0 for the first time since 2008, Dallas stumbled in the red zone, rushed only 16 times for 37 yards, lost two fumbles and committed costly penalties and other mistakes, including Dez Bryant negating a nine-catch, 141-yard receiving day by dropping what could have been a touchdown pass.
Add it all up and you’ve got a team that didn’t look much different than the ones that finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs the last two seasons.
“You just got to play better,” said Tony Romo, who shook off sore ribs from Week 1 to finish 30-of-42 for 298 yards and one touchdown without an interception. “You got to run the ball better, you got to stop people, you’ve got to score when you are in the red zone. You got to do all that stuff.
“…Guys did a great job giving great effort. But, ultimately, that doesn’t matter.”
The Chiefs (2-0) limited the Cowboys to one TD and had no turnovers, a big factor considering Dallas notched six takeaways in beating the New York Giants 36-31 last week.
“They poke, the punch, they pull and they’re good with the ball in the air, so we knew we had to make good decisions,” said Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith, who was 21-of-36 for 223 yards and two TDs, including, a 12-yard strike to Dwayne Bowe that gave the Chiefs a lead they never relinquished.
For the second year in a row, Dallas fell on the road after beating the Giants in the season opener. While they didn’t get drilled by 20 points like they did in losing at Seattle in Week 2 last year, the Cowboys still returned home with a sick feeling.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow when your dreams for are so high and you don’t come home with the bacon,” said cornerback Morris Claiborne, whose pass interference penalty late in the game helped the Chiefs kill all but 16 seconds off the clock.
Claiborne wasn’t alone in committing a fourth quarter gaffe.
Romo and Lance Dunbar fumbled in the final 15 minutes, with the Chiefs converting Dunbar’s turnover into a 40-yard field goal for a 17-13 lead.
Also in the fourth, Bryant dropped an over-the-shoulder catch deep down the sideline that could have resulted in a 79-yard score.
It was a rare mistake for Bryant, who made several spectacular catches in the first half, including a leaping 2-yard grab in the back of the end zone that gave Dallas a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.
“I took my eyes off the ball,” Bryant said. “I shouldn’t have. That was a real bad mistake on my end. That is not winning football.”
Nursing a 10-7 lead, the Cowboys also didn’t play winning football in the third quarter after a 12-yard run by Dunbar gave them first-and-goal at the 5-yard line.
Despite that advantageous position, Dallas had to settle for a field goal after Dontari Poe flew by rookie center Travis Frederick to drop Romo for a 7-yard loss on first down and left guard Ron Leary got flagged for a false start two plays later.
Asked about the red-zone failure, Romo was blunt. “I mean, you could see it: It’s a penalty and a sack,” he said.
So while the Chiefs gave their fans something new with all-red uniforms in their home opener at Arrowhead Stadium, Dallas left its fans muttering, “Same old Cowboys.”
“We don’t really say anything to anyone who says anything about us,” Garrett said. “We’ll evaluate what happened to us today in all three phases and try to get better.”
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What else is there to say after they find themselves experiencing that old familiar .500 feeling following a hard-fought 17-16 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday that looked like so many of the other hard-fought losses since Jason Garrett became coach?
In coming up short in its bid to start 2-0 for the first time since 2008, Dallas stumbled in the red zone, rushed only 16 times for 37 yards, lost two fumbles and committed costly penalties and other mistakes, including Dez Bryant negating a nine-catch, 141-yard receiving day by dropping what could have been a touchdown pass.
Add it all up and you’ve got a team that didn’t look much different than the ones that finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs the last two seasons.
“You just got to play better,” said Tony Romo, who shook off sore ribs from Week 1 to finish 30-of-42 for 298 yards and one touchdown without an interception. “You got to run the ball better, you got to stop people, you’ve got to score when you are in the red zone. You got to do all that stuff.
“…Guys did a great job giving great effort. But, ultimately, that doesn’t matter.”
The Chiefs (2-0) limited the Cowboys to one TD and had no turnovers, a big factor considering Dallas notched six takeaways in beating the New York Giants 36-31 last week.
“They poke, the punch, they pull and they’re good with the ball in the air, so we knew we had to make good decisions,” said Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith, who was 21-of-36 for 223 yards and two TDs, including, a 12-yard strike to Dwayne Bowe that gave the Chiefs a lead they never relinquished.
For the second year in a row, Dallas fell on the road after beating the Giants in the season opener. While they didn’t get drilled by 20 points like they did in losing at Seattle in Week 2 last year, the Cowboys still returned home with a sick feeling.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow when your dreams for are so high and you don’t come home with the bacon,” said cornerback Morris Claiborne, whose pass interference penalty late in the game helped the Chiefs kill all but 16 seconds off the clock.
Claiborne wasn’t alone in committing a fourth quarter gaffe.
Romo and Lance Dunbar fumbled in the final 15 minutes, with the Chiefs converting Dunbar’s turnover into a 40-yard field goal for a 17-13 lead.
Also in the fourth, Bryant dropped an over-the-shoulder catch deep down the sideline that could have resulted in a 79-yard score.
It was a rare mistake for Bryant, who made several spectacular catches in the first half, including a leaping 2-yard grab in the back of the end zone that gave Dallas a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter.
“I took my eyes off the ball,” Bryant said. “I shouldn’t have. That was a real bad mistake on my end. That is not winning football.”
Nursing a 10-7 lead, the Cowboys also didn’t play winning football in the third quarter after a 12-yard run by Dunbar gave them first-and-goal at the 5-yard line.
Despite that advantageous position, Dallas had to settle for a field goal after Dontari Poe flew by rookie center Travis Frederick to drop Romo for a 7-yard loss on first down and left guard Ron Leary got flagged for a false start two plays later.
Asked about the red-zone failure, Romo was blunt. “I mean, you could see it: It’s a penalty and a sack,” he said.
So while the Chiefs gave their fans something new with all-red uniforms in their home opener at Arrowhead Stadium, Dallas left its fans muttering, “Same old Cowboys.”
“We don’t really say anything to anyone who says anything about us,” Garrett said. “We’ll evaluate what happened to us today in all three phases and try to get better.”
Continue reading...