The Dallas Cowboys suffered their worst home loss since 1988, a 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 6. This loss marked a disappointing end to the first portion of the season as the team entered its bye week.
Dallas was unable to find its rhythm on offense due to multiple miscues, which allowed the Lions to take a significant lead in the first half. But what were the causes of these miscues?
Redzone Struggles Continue
Dallas has had issues converting red zone appearances into touchdowns all season and continued that trend in Week 6, posting just three points in three red zone appearances against Detroit.
The Cowboys’ first red zone appearance was on the first drive of the entire game, in which Dallas marched down to the 18-yard line before gaining just two yards on a run play and kicking a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
The Cowboys’ defense then allowed Detroit to score a touchdown on their first offensive drive, but Dak Prescott and the Cowboys proceeded to once again walk down the field to the seven-yard line with a chance to score a touchdown.
Despite the impressive drive by the Cowboys’ offense, Prescott threw an interception in the red zone for the second week in a row, and the Cowboys could not score a single point in the red zone.
These two drives were the Cowboys’ lone red zone appearances in the first half of the game. The third appearance came during the fourth quarter and ended with backup quarterback Cooper Rush throwing an interception in the endzone.
In comparison, Detroit entered the red zone five times during the game and scored 27 points during those appearances, creating a clear difference in the outcomes for the two teams.
The Cowboys’ struggles in the red zone are not uncommon, as they have in the past. The team finished just 12th in touchdown conversion rate during the 2023 season at 57.89%.
However, the issues to begin the 2024 season have been increasingly problematic.
Dallas ranks 30th in the league in touchdown conversion rate at just 37.50%, which is ahead of only the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots this season.
Improving the conversion rate in the red zone will be incredibly beneficial to the Cowboys since it would help them increase the total number of points scored in a single game. Still, these improvements may not come if the team cannot determine which players should be on the field.
Questionable Coaching Decisions
The Cowboys had issues that arose throughout the game that cannot be blamed on the coaching staff, but multiple mistakes by the coaching staff allowed the Lions to take control of the game in the first half.
One of the most noticeable decisions in the first half of the game was to run the ball more frequently with Ezekiel Elliott than Rico Dowdle, who is coming off the best game of any season for a Cowboys running back.
Dowdle had previously carried the ball 20 times and collected 87 rushing yards in Week 5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which were both career-highs for the fourth-year running back.
While many teams would have rewarded Dowdle for his impressive game against the Steelers with more consistent opportunities against Detroit, the Cowboys opted to give Elliott the majority of carries in the first half.
Elliott finished the first half with five total carries that resulted in just six rushing yards, while Dowdle carried the ball only twice but was also able to pick up six yards on those touches.
Neither player was incredibly impressive in their limited touches in the first half, but the Cowboys’ utilization of Elliott is confusing following Dowdle posting the best game by any Dallas running back this season.
In addition to the Cowboys’ decision against using Dowdle as the main running back, the coaching staff decided to attempt a fourth down in their own territory near the end of the first half, allowing the Lions to score another touchdown.
Although the Cowboys were already beginning to feel desperate while trailing by 17 points, punting the ball could have forced the Lions to march more than 80 yards in just over two minutes to score another touchdown.
Instead, the Cowboys turned the ball over on fourth down, and the Lions took over on offense on the Dallas 38-yard line. They proceeded to score another touchdown before the half.
Additionally, the Lions were set to receive the ball first after halftime, meaning the Lions had a chance to score 14 straight points before the Cowboys touched the ball again for a significant drive.
Dallas managed to score just before halftime after a field goal by Brandon Aubrey, who was one of the lone bright spots for the team, but a 14-3 scoring run by the Lions essentially ended the Cowboys’ chances of winning in Week 6.
The Cowboys’ organization will have a lot to discuss over the next two weeks before the team takes on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8, but Jerry Jones has stated that he does not expect the team to make any significant changes to the coaching staff or personnel.
Jones said after the game that he believes the team has the necessary players in the locker room to win a Super Bowl in 2024, adding that he is “not considering” a coaching change at this point in the year, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.