The discuss for the Dallas Cowboys this season was about whether or not they might lastly make a deep playoff run after a disappointing loss in a wild-card sport final season continued a 26-season streak of not making it previous the divisional spherical.
There was some concern over the buying and selling away of receiver Amari Cooper. However Dallas had probably the most potent offense within the league final season, scoring 530 factors, and quarterback Dak Prescott had thrown for 37 touchdowns. On the very least, Dallas appeared like the favourite to win the N.F.C. East.
Then got here Week 1. Making the playoffs in any respect appears somewhat far-fetched after Tom Brady, 45, and operating again Leonard Fournette schooled the Cowboys protection, and the Dallas offense by no means got here near a landing in a 19-3 residence loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Worse, Prescott fractured his thumb when it hit a defender whereas he was throwing a fourth quarter go. He’ll miss a number of weeks for surgical procedure, the workforce stated; a number of media studies put the estimate at six to eight weeks.
“I’ve hit my hand on helmets or our bodies quite a bit in my profession,” Prescott stated after the sport. “By no means actually had something, possibly a jammed finger. I truly thought that’s what it was. The following play I spotted I couldn’t grip the ball.”
It was sufficient for the extra fatalistic Cowboy followers to declare the season over already.
After a boring first half, which ended with Tampa forward, 4-1, in subject targets (and 12-3 in factors), Brady obtained first his landing go of the 12 months within the third quarter, which offered the ultimate margin of victory. That Fournette obtained 21 carries for 127 yards, together with 40 yards on the drive that led to the landing, confirmed that Tampa was assured it had the sport in hand almost the entire time.
The ageless Brady completed 18 of 27 for 212 yards, with a landing and an interception. With out Cooper to throw to, Prescott struggled, ending 14 of 29 for 134 yards and an interception. Final season’s prime offense by no means obtained on observe: Ezekiel Elliott ran for 52 yards, and Prescott didn’t throw a completion longer than 22 yards.
The Cowboys’ backup quarterback is Cooper Rush, a fifth-year participant who was undrafted out of Central Michigan. He had his first profession begin final season filling in for Prescott and led the workforce to a win over the Vikings, however to name him untested could be an understatement.
Cowboys followers who sounded off on message boards have been glum even earlier than the information of Prescott’s harm, taking themselves to activity for getting their hopes up, and blaming the receiving corps, and that perennial scapegoat, Coach Mike McCarthy.
“It’s an extended journey; that is Week 1,” McCarthy gamely stated after the sport. As for the catastrophic efficiency, he had a comparatively sunny take: “Offensively, our rhythm was up and down.”
Trying ahead, he stated, “We’ll positively rally round Cooper.”
When information of Prescott’s harm filtered out, followers began calling for selecting up or buying and selling for quite a lot of quarterbacks, whereas the extra cynical amongst them started speaking about drafting one subsequent 12 months with a choose that might now be fairly excessive up within the first spherical.
In the meantime, the opposite three groups within the N.F.C. East all received — sure, even the Giants! That leaves Dallas in an surprising spot for what could be awhile: final place.
Subsequent up for Dallas: Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who shall be anticipating victory after a irritating loss to the Steelers.