Tag: Dallas Cowboys vs Kansas City Chiefs

3 Stars: Parsons, Kearse led inspired Cowboys defensive effort

The Cowboys had a bad effort as a club, but there were still a handful of standouts in the contest. | From @StarConscience

Week 11 did not go as planned for the Dallas Cowboys. Their matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs was seen as a litmus test of their season so far, and they failed. Offensively the Cowboys were awful, only producing nine points. 276 total yards were a season-low and the Cowboys were only five out of 15 on third down. Sprinkle in Dak Prescott’s inaccuracy, wide receivers dropping passes, the offensive line getting dominated, and three turnovers, it was a miracle they only lost 19-9.

The reason for that was because of the Cowboys’ defense. The 19 points the Chiefs scored were the fourth-lowest the Cowboys’ defense has allowed all season. Also, they forced two turnovers and logged three sacks.

It’s hard to find a lot of positives in a loss like this one, but these are three players that stood out for the Cowboys.

Micah Parsons lone bright spot from Cowboys’ rough outing

The Cowboys have a star on their hands, and it appears he’s only getting started. Parsons was a lightning bug in a dark outing on Sunday. | From @TimLettiero

In a game that went south quickly, the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in a Week 11 away bout. The offense struggled early and often, earning themselves no more than three field goals by the end of the game. Defensively, Dan Quinn’s unit was able to hold the elite Kansas City offense to only 19 points, an even greater feat considering how quickly they reached 16.

At the center of it all was the do-it-all rookie. Micah Parsons continued his white hot streak dating back to Week 8.

Parsons became the lynchpin of the Dallas pass-rush attack, lining up on the edge 97% of the time (56 of 58 defensive snaps, per NextGen Stats) and totaling what would become a career-high seven pressures on 33 pass-rush snaps. He get home two times for sacks while also making two tackles for a loss.

On one of his sacks on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Parsons burst past the right tackle on a curved pursuit line at a whopping 17 mph and forced a fumble. It was an outrageously athletic play from someone who is 6-foot-3, 245 pounds.

Parsons fell into the lap of Dallas after a traceback in April’s NFL Draft and it seems to be going as good as it can be. In the past four weeks, he’s accounted for 5.5 sacks on eight QB hits, 31 tackles with 10 for a loss and two forced fumbles. With Defensive Rookie of the Year practically in his possession already, should he keep this pace up Defensive Player of the Year should not be too far away.

Parsons is in elite company not just in the past four weeks but on the season as a whole. With reigning DPOY Aaron Donald not even close it looks like a race between three elite young pass rushers and the rookie defensive weapon, Micah Parsons. A campaign like this is unheralded and this recognition will certainly be the icing on the cake to what has been a great season thus far for the Penn State product.

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Cowboys defense ‘not good enough,’ despite stellar day from Micah Parsons

Led by oustanding rookie Micah Parsons, the Cowboys defense played very well for 44 minutes. But they accept blame for the first 16. | From @ToddBrock24f7

“If you would have told us that our defense would hold them to 19 points, we would have felt pretty damn good about that.”

That was Cowboys right guard Zack Martin after Sunday’s game versus Kansas City. As is often the case for the Notre Dame grad with a degree in management entrepreneurship, he was right. Keeping quarterback Patrick Mahomes under 300 passing yards and without a touchdown is typically more than half the battle in beating the Chiefs.

But the other half of the battle is making sure the league’s top-ranked offense does their job. And the Cowboys didn’t do that in Week 11. The 19-9 loss will be talked about at great length for the veritable no-show from coordinator Kellen Moore’s unit. Too bad, as that uncharacteristic effort overshadowed an overall strong performance from the Dallas defense that should get more attention.

“I thought we played great defense. That team can give you 45, 50 any given day. To hold their explosive offense to under 20 points, I think we definitely did the job,” linebacker Micah Parsons commented after the game. “It’s good, but it’s not good enough.”

But the stars of Dallas’s defense refused to place blame for the loss on their offensive teammates.

“If we don’t give up 19 points, we win. It’s just that simple,” said safety Jayron Kearse, who recorded five tackles and an interception. “Simple as that. We give up eight points, we win the game. It’s not on anybody. We gave up 19, they beat us 19-9. The game is scoring more points and keeping them from scoring. They scored more points than us, and we gave up more than we scored. It’s on everybody.”

Despite keeping Kansas City out of the end zone for the final 44 minutes, it was the damage done early that proved to be enough. The Cowboys defense allowed the Chiefs to take their opening possession 81 yards on a nine-play drive that ended with a Travis Kelce touchdown run.

By the time seven minutes had ticked off the game clock, Kansas City was up 9-0. On their next series, Mahomes drove the Chiefs offense 75 yards in eight plays for another touchdown.

Sixteen minutes of game play. Sixteen points allowed by the Dallas defense.

“We’ve got to come out and we’ve got to play a complementary football game on both sides of the ball,” explained defensive end Tarell Basham. “Regardless if they come out, they get a quick score on the defense and then we start slowing them down. Regardless of what the case may be, we’ve got to be complementary, and we’ve got to play off each other.”

“Only thing I can say is just start fast,” defensive end Dorance Armstong added. “That’s something we didn’t do as a whole.”

But the unit found their footing, allowing just 211 yards and three points from that point forward.

“I liked the way the defense played. I thought we started slow as a team. I think it just took us a while to settle in. They were playing faster than we were at the beginning of the game,” head coach Mike McCarthy said in his postgame press conference. “I thought they did a lot of good things.”

No one did more good things defensively than Parsons. He totaled four tackles (two for a loss), three quarterback hits, and a pair of sacks, one of which included a forced fumble.

“I thought he was all over the field,” McCarthy said. “I thought he had an excellent night.”

With DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory both out, the rookie moved up from his usual linebacker spot and played most of the game as an edge rusher.

“The moment that you second-guess on which way he’s going,” Basham offered, “he’s going to beat you, and he shows it consistently. I love playing with him. He makes everybody’s job easy.”

“He’s a special player,” Mahomes raved, per the Chiefs website. “I mean, to be that good of a linebacker and then be able to play defensive end, there’s not a lot of guys like that in this league. He has a high motor; he chased me down on that sack- the strip sack- and the whole game, he was in there the whole time battling and battling.”

The respect was mutual, as the rookie led the defense in working to keep Mahomes contained and limit the big-play opportunities to his offensive superstars.

“No one’s blind; they’ve got Kelce, Tyreek [Hill], some of the most explosive weapons in the league,” Parsons shared. “We had to make sure we didn’t get beat by one play. If they were going to score, they had to earn it. Every point they did have today, they earned. Kudos to them. They’re a really good team.”

And Parsons is shaping up to be a really good defensive player. Among the best in the NFL this year. And maybe eventually among the best in Cowboys history.

His name is already up there alongside some of them. With his two sacks on the day, he moved into a tie with DeMarcus Ware for most- eight- by a Cowboys rookie since it became an official stat. And he’s done it in six fewer games.

“That means I just got to keep being who I am and keep working,” Parsons said. “Those are all milestones and great milestones to reach, but there’s so much more out there that I got to reach. I’m hungry and get more and more hungry every week.”

If he feels like his effort on Sunday wasn’t good enough to earn the Cowboys a win, the Raiders offense could be in for a long Thanksgiving Day.

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[lawrence-newsletter]

Good, Bad, Ugly: Big Uglies earn nickname wrong way as Cowboys’ offense collapses

The Dallas Cowboys had an awful offensive performance, which trumped their defense standing tall in the 19-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. | From @BenGrimaldi

What was anticipated as the game of the year turned out to be a game to forget for the Dallas Cowboys, who were man handled 19-9 by the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the worst performance of the season for the Cowboys on offense as they failed to score a touchdown or gain 300 yards.

The offense was missing some of its pieces, but the Cowboys still had quarterback Dak Prescott under center and that usually gives them a good shot at winning. It wasn’t to be in this contest as Prescott and the offense were off schedule from the very first play and never got in sync.

The Cowboys wouldn’t have beaten many teams Sunday and after a second stinker in three games, it’s far to wonder just how good Dallas is. With a short week coming up, the Cowboys need to rebound quickly.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly from a lethargic loss in Week 11.

Report Card, Snap Counts Week 11: Undermanned Cowboys underwhelm vs Chiefs

Dallas had another chance to match up against the league’s best, but bombed their big test. Find out snap counts and position grades here. | From @Zeke_Barrera

The Cowboys bombed their big midterm against the Kansas City Chiefs in what could’ve been a statement game heading into the season’s final stretch. It was their second dud in the past three weeks, a still concerning development despite Dallas playing shorthanded and without many of their key players.

Luckily for the Cowboys, they have a chance to redeem themselves with a final AFC West test fast approaching, as they host Las Vegas in their annual Thanksgiving Day game in mere days. They can’t linger on this loss too much, with still plenty of football left to be played.

Here’s how the Cowboys graded out in Week 11, along with the playtime percentage breakdown.

Dak Prescott ‘pissed off, for sure’ over Cowboys’ pitiful performance in KC

The Arrowhead crowd and decimated roster were no excuse; the Cowboys’ offense “wasn’t clicking” in Kansas City; they play again Thursday. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Though the players themselves were reluctant to use the phrase, it was hard to see the Cowboys’ Week 11 showdown in Kansas City against the AFC representative in the last two Super Bowls as anything less than a measuring-stick kind of game.

The Chiefs, as it turned out, used a big, professional, contractor-grade tape measure; the Cowboys had one of those flimsy plastic rulers that fit inside a kindergartner’s pencil pouch.

For the second time in three weeks, the Cowboys’ high-powered offense found themselves stuck in neutral, and though the final deficit was just 10 points, quarterback Dak Prescott and Co. never seemed to be a real threat to the home team.

“It was tough to get in a rhythm throwing the ball, running the ball,” Prescott told reporters in his postgame press conference. “Neither were working for us early, or really, at any point of the night. When you’re playing on the road and you’re struggling to do that, it’s tough to win.”

The 73,000-plus in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium created a raucous atmosphere, but Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy chose to put the offense on the field first. He had hoped it would set a tone.

Unfortunately, it did.

“We knew the environment was going to be a challenge,” McCarthy explained after the 19-9 loss. “Arrowhead was rocking, just like I remembered it. I thought our offense took a while to get settled in.”

That’s an understatement. Prescott, working without wide receiver Amari Cooper or left tackle Tyron Smith and with Connor McGovern making his first start at left guard, went three-and-out to start, then fumbled away their next possession on their sixth offensive snap of the game.

By the time seven minutes of game time had elapsed, Dallas was behind by more than a touchdown and trying to play catch-up.

Of the Cowboys’ 12 offensive drives, three ended in a turnover, three ended with a field goal, and none got into the end zone.

“Never discouraged, but pissed off, for sure,” said Prescott, who ended the day 28-of-43 for just 216 yards and two interceptions. “I’m pissed when I don’t play well or the team doesn’t play well, or the offense doesn’t play well… especially when you have the chance to come out and play against a team that’s been in the Super Bowl the last two years and really prove to ourselves and prove to one another what we’re capable of.”

McCarthy maintains that the anemic performance from the vaunted Cowboys offense doesn’t change the way they view their own identity.

“We didn’t win the game, but we don’t feel any less about who we are as a football team by no means; let’s make that clear,” the coach explained. “We didn’t play as well as we’d like up front. I think a healthy dose of the run-pass was the goal coming in here. We didn’t achieve that.”

Dallas attempted 16 rushing plays overall, compared to 43 passes. Tony Pollard recorded 50 yards on the ground; Ezekiel Elliott managed just 32 as the Cowboys played all day like a team that was down by a lot more than they ever were.

“You don’t ever want to play from behind, obviously, with the environment,” McCarthy said. “We were in striking distance. I never felt like we were out of the game. We just didn’t play as well as we’d have liked.”

“Our offense didn’t hold up our end of the bargain,” said right guard Zack Martin, who gave up his first sack in over a year. “I think if you would have told us that our defense would hold them to 19 points, we would have felt pretty damn good about that. We’ve got to do a better job.”

“A lot of stuff wasn’t clicking for us,” wideout Michael Gallup added. “That’s the best way I can put it.”

Gallup led the team in receiving targets with 10. Cooper’s absence due to COVID-19 certainly affected the Cowboys’ air attack, and the loss of CeeDee Lamb for the second half only made matters worse. Backups Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, and Malik Turner combined to make just 5 of 11 catches for 47 yards.

“This is a total team. We have no excuses,” said McCarthy. “We had a healthy 48, and the 48 players were ready to play. We had a number of guys that didn’t play in the game; that’s the NFL, and that’s the course of the season. We all understand the challenges that, frankly, are going to pick up as we move forward. We’ve got a quick turnaround. We have to go to a Thursday game. We’ll take that experience and grow from it.”

That quick turnaround is about the only silver lining that Cowboys fans can take from Sunday’s dreadful showing. With the 5-5 Raiders set to invade AT&T Stadium on Thursday afternoon, there will be no time for the Cowboys to wallow in Sunday’s outcome.

“I don’t think this affects our confidence,” Elliott said of the Chiefs loss. “The beauty of it is we get to go play in four days. We’ve got to get back to Dallas, we’ve got to make corrections, and get ready for Thanksgiving.”

“It’s a short week, and we’ve got to put it past us,” Prescott offered. “We know the stretch ahead. There’s a lot that we can learn from tonight, and this is a resilient team that is going to continue to fight and get better, I can promise you that.”

“I think a chance to get out and get going again is preferred anytime you don’t play as well as you like,” McCarthy said.

The last time the Cowboys were embarrassed, in Week 9’s blowout loss to Denver, the team followed it up with a 40-point smackdown of Atlanta in as complete a game as many around Dallas could recall.

But now they’ve suffered two ugly losses in a three-week span. Cooper will still be out, Lamb’s status is very much a question mark, Elliott got dinged up in Kansas City, and there’s no telling if Smith will be back on the offensive line.

The explosive offense that fizzled out with a nine-point effort at Arrowhead on Sunday may be the exact bunch that tries to light it up again on Thursday.

“We’ve got to turn the page, and we would’ve done this, win or loss,” Prescott reiterated. “We’ve got to turn it quick. We’ve got a good team coming in Thursday. We’ve got to make sure we’re getting our bodies and our minds rested and in the right spot to go out there and to bounce back.

“I’m never worried about how this team is going to respond. As long as I’m a part of this team, quarterback of this offense, that’s the least of my worries is how we’re going to respond. We’re a resilient bunch.”

[lawrence-newsletter]

6 Takeaways: Cowboys’ defense couldn’t save day, but could be sign of things to come

Missed opportunity, not up for a playoff environment, blocking and play calling held hands down a fiery slide… so many takeaways. so little time. | From @KDDrummondNFL

For the majority of the season, the Dallas Cowboys’ offense has been charged with carrying the burden for the 2021 season. They were unable to come through on those promises on Sunday, as the offense was inept at basically every level and every position in their 19-9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. So in a disheartening loss, why should there be any belief that things will be ok?

The loss dropped Dallas’ record on the season to 7-3, as they still enjoy a 2.5 game lead over the suddenly competitive Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC East’s automatic berth into the playoffs. The Cowboys have a far way to fall before that comes into question, but they did miss out on a golden opportunity in the conference playoff race. With just three days of rest between now and the next game —taking on the Las Vegas Raiders Thursday on Thanksgiving — one might want to move past this contest. However here are some takeaways from the failed midterm.

Cowboys full of blunder, fall to Chiefs 19-9

The Cowboys looked to start a new winning streak but found themselves unequipped to deal with their opponent on Sunday.

Winning an NFL football game on the road seems easier so far in 2021, but that wasn’t the case at all for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Traveling into Arrowhead Stadium in Week 11, the Cowboys were looking to capitalize on the momentum from one of the most complete performances they’ve had in a long time. Dallas throttled Atlanta 43-3 in a game they took their foot off the gas at halftime. Meanwhile their opponents this Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs, entered the contest back in the lead in the AFC West courtesy of a three-game winning streak.

Circled on the schedule in the offseason as a potential shootout, it was nothing of the sort. Dallas’ defense did a tremendous job of keeping the Chiefs offense corralled, allowing just three points over the last 44 minutes of the contest. However an endless barrage of mistakes on top of porous pass blocking kept Dallas from being able to put together any meaningful assault. Dallas was lackluster on offense all game and ended up on the short end of a 19-9 defeat.

The loss dropped Dallas to 7-3 on the season with a short week ahead of their annual Thanksgiving game at AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys’ offense would start to mount drives but they routinely fizzled once they got the ball inside the Kansas City 40-yard line. It was a frustrating day to say the least.

Dallas’ injury concerns grew in the contest. Already down left tackle Tyron Smith and wideout Amari Cooper, the Cowboys lost CeeDee Lamb to a head injury at the end of the first half. Without him, the offense struggled against man coverage as an inaccurate Dak Prescott was also betrayed by several receiver drops. Noah Brown and Cedrick Wilson both dropped two passes each, while Michael Gallup also flubbed one.

Throw in a myriad of penalties at inopportune times and its the recipe for a lethargic performance. The club was finally put out of their misery on a late drive when Chris Jones – who had 3.5 of the Chiefs’ five sacks – tipped a pass that was intercepted by L’Jarius Sneed to seal the deal.

It was Prescott’s second interception and third turnover of the game.

Dallas will now prepare to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday.

Injury Update: Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson questionable to return

Wilson injured his shoulder in the second half.

The Cowboys haven’t been able to find any offensive rhythm so far in their Week 11 road game. Despite not getting any complimentary help, the defense has done a pretty sound job. Dallas hasn’t allowed a passing touchdown and has basically limited Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense since the first quarter.

There is some bad news, however. Donovan Wilson is major part of the club’s Big Nickel package, where they have three safeties on the field at the same time. He may be unable to continue as he is now listed as questionable to return. The issue? A shoulder injury.

The Cowboys will play with starters Damontae Kazee and Jayron Kearse as well as backup Malik Hooker moving forward.

Injury Update: Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb out with head injury

A head injury will keep the Cowboys’ best receiver out the rest of the game.

Things haven’t been going great for the Dallas Cowboys through one half of football in Kansas City. The Chiefs came out firing and Dallas came out misfiring, and a 16-3 deficit is the result. Numerous drops, oft-target passes, fumbles and interceptions along with penalties were the culprit as Dak Prescott and the Cowboys were never able to get themselves in a rhythm thanks to a relentless amount of pressure by the Chiefs’ front.

Things look like they might be even more difficult in the second half as WR CeeDee Lamb didn’t join the team out of the locker room to start the third quarter. Lamb was seen being gingerly escorted off the field going into the break.

Erin Andrews on the broadcast revealed that it is a head injury, likely suffered on a late interception on a pass intended for him in the end zone. The back of Lamb’s head slammed into the turf on the play.

Dallas is already without Amari Cooper, on the COVID list, and now the Cowboys are down another top receiver in addition to missing LT Tyron Smith and defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory.