The Dallas Cowboys have a streak going, and not the good kind. Following their 34-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys have now lost two consecutive games, dropping to 3-2 on the season.
Don't let the final score fool you; this one was firmly in the grasp of the Packers, until a frantic Dak Prescott comeback on the back of Amari Cooper and some favorable officiating. In fact, Dallas would've likely climbed even closer if they'd been able to turn their fourth-quarter momentum into consecutive possessions at any point in time. Instead, remarkably quick scores simply turned into...Aaron Rodgers maintaining possession, slowing said momentum down again, and surgically shaving seconds off the clock.
If this defense is to be considered elite, they need to create turnovers, when everything is bending in their favor.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was surgical early, completing 22-of-34 pass attempts for 238 yards. That set up the monster game for running back Aaron Jones, who accounted for 182 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns on the day.
31-3 became 31-17 rather quickly, however, and Dallas had several fourth-quarter chances to slice even more swiftly into the lead, if they could only...follow Green Bay's lead.
Part of the reason the Packers' lead swelled so quickly, of course, were the two early Dak Prescott picks they nabbed that help set the tone. When the Cowboys needed one to reset it? They instead got big plays, but no capper on the effort.
On the year, the Dallas defense has recorded just one interception and forced two fumbles through five weeks. If a team wants to own the moniker of most dominant defense in the league, having just three turnovers isn't going to help their case. This Dallas team plans to rely on massively impactful defensive plays.
Against the only elite unit they've really faced so far, it was a whole bunch of sound and fury, signifying nothing (when they needed it) on Sunday.