The sky is not falling. The Dallas Cowboys were not a fraudulent 6-1. Losing to the Denver Broncos, 30-16, on Sunday is likely not a turning point for the season.
In fact, if you ask me, the Cowboys might have needed this.
What is it Bill Parcells used to say? Don’t eat the cheese?
The Cowboys received a heaping helping of queso on Sunday against Denver.
The matchup favored the Cowboys. They had won six straight. They had looked dominant at times. They eked out a win over Minnesota last Sunday night without Dak Prescott at quarterback. The rush of winning with backup quarterback Cooper Rush probably led some Cowboys fans to believe that beating the 4-4 Broncos at AT&T Stadium was more of a formality than a challenge.
By early in the fourth quarter a couple of camera shots said it all. Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater had just completed a great slant route to a receiver near the Cowboys’ goal line. Cut to a shot of Prescott looking confused, probably more by the events of the entire day rather than Bridgewater threading the needle to complete a pass.
Then, a few minutes later, after the Broncos took a 27-0 lead, cut to a shot of defensive end Randy Gregory running to the sideline and slamming his helmet into the ground.
Absolutely nothing worked for the Cowboys on Sunday. Nothing.
Prescott threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Most of his best work came in garbage time. He was under duress all day. Losing left tackle Tyron Smith for the game didn’t help matters.
Ezekiel Elliott and that vaunted run game? Seventy-eight yards total, and Elliott missed time with a knee contusion.
That incredible defense? Lit up for 407 total yards, and that was against a Broncos offensive line that was down three starters.
Oh, and did I forget to mention the Broncos traded Von Miller to the Rams on Tuesday?
It was just awful, all the way around.
And you know what? Maybe that’s a good thing.
When you’re winning the way the Cowboys have been winning the past two months, it’s easy to forget you can be beaten. Sometimes that reminder is necessary. Plus, when you’re a Super Bowl contender, you’re going to lose a few games along the way. And at least one of those games is going to make you scratch your head.
Green Bay had its head scratcher in Week 1, falling hard to the Saints, 38-3. The Packers won seven straight after that.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which beat the Cowboys narrowly in Week 1, have two losses already — to the Rams and to the Saints, both Super Bowl contenders themselves.
The Saints have had that loss already this season, too. You may think the New York Giants are bad, but they managed to beat the Saints in overtime a few weeks ago.
This is the NFL. Everyone has good players, no matter how bad your overall team might be. And, every once in a while, the matchup on paper doesn’t match what you see on the field.
For the Cowboys, this game with Denver turned into that game.
A loss like this becomes a problem if the Cowboys allow it to become a problem. Sure, their remaining opponents are going to take this game and parse it like the Zapruder film, looking for any weakness they can exploit. Guess what? The Cowboys are going to do the same thing, looking for any weaknesses they have to shore up.
What might be good for future opponents is also good for the Cowboys. It’s a tangible reminder that as good as they are, as well as their game plans have worked the past several weeks, there is always someone that can solve them. It’s just a matter of when. Today, it was Denver head coach Vic Fangio, who’s made a career out of solving high-powered offenses.
The NFL is a dance of adjustment and readjustment all season. Sunday’s loss is that nudge the Cowboys probably needed, that reminder that everything you’ve done well all season can be countered.
That’s why next week’s game with Atlanta is key. Did the Cowboys learn anything from Sunday’s loss? Did the Falcons? Can the Cowboys counterpunch what they know is coming?
To me, that’s how we’ll know if the Cowboys got the message and stopped eating the cheese.
You can reach Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
Cowboys Eat The Cheese in Loss to Broncos - Sports Illustrated
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