ARLINGTON, Texas -- If there was any chance for the Dallas Cowboys to defeat the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Dak Prescott had to be at the center of it.
"We weren't satisfied with any performance out there today," Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said when asked about Prescott's performance. "It'd be the wrong thing to point out anybody that did have a good performance out there today. This is a team thing. Obviously, if one part of the team gets out of whack, then it can impact -- dramatically -- all parts."
The quarterback is the highest-paid player in NFL history. Top target CeeDee Lamb is the second-highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL. With great paycheck comes great responsibility. The offensive line was mostly healthy and fully available. Starting tight end Jake Ferguson was on the field. The running backs were available, too. Head coach Mike McCarthy is an offensive mind and also the play caller.
That's what makes it so concerning about what's happening with the Cowboys on offense. Unlike the defense, there are no significant internal reinforcements coming -- and no, getting Brandin Cooks back or elevating Dalvin Cook from the practice squad don't qualify. The offense knew what was needed from them Sunday. That's why they chose to receive the ball after winning the opening coin toss. That's why they were going for it on fourth-and-2 from their own 38-yard line in the second quarter.
Since taking over the offense in 2023, McCarthy has said multiple times that the objective of his offense is to make the quarterback successful.
Against the Lions, the quarterback was at the root of the issue.
Narratives are often shaped by the end result. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, the Cowboys pulled out a thrilling last-minute win on the road. Jalen Tolbert was the hero. Prescott's final drive stole the headlines. If that final play in Pittsburgh had a different result, the story of that game would have been Prescott's red zone miscues. On one drive he held the ball too long, resulting in a lost fumble. On another play, he threw an interception in the red zone.
Those mistakes carried over into Sunday's game against the Lions.
After the Cowboys' first drive stalled inside the red zone, forcing them to settle for a field goal, the Lions marched down the field for a touchdown. The Cowboys' offense came back and got the ball inside the 10-yard line. On third-and-5, Prescott floated a pass to the left corner of the end zone toward Lamb. Lions safety Brian Branch came down with the interception.
* Cooper Rush was in at QB for this possession
"Anticipated a little too much, a little too early," Prescott said. "The guy made a great play. Initially driving on the flat -- he's got the flat in man (coverage). Threw it early. Zero blitz, it was protected. Let it hang a little bit, guy comes off of that, makes a great catch. Can't turn the ball over in the red zone."
Prescott said the decision to go in that direction was the correct one. He mentioned staring down his receiver in the flat a little longer to keep Branch honest, perhaps hold on to the ball a little longer and take the hit as he releases the pass.
While the glaring red zone turnovers get most of the attention, the overarching issue is that the red zone has been a major problem. According to TruMedia, the Cowboys ranked 30th in the NFL in red zone efficiency through Sunday evening's games. Only the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins are worse, and both have ongoing questions at quarterback.
The lack of rhythm between Prescott and Lamb has been one of the most confusing things this season. Lamb missed training camp in Oxnard, Calif., but he was back two weeks before the start of the season. Prescott is the only starting quarterback Lamb has known since entering the league in 2020. There's over four years of time equity between the two players.
Yet, the red zone interception last week came with Prescott targeting Lamb. The same thing happened Sunday. In the second quarter, Prescott threw a pass toward Lamb that ended up in the turf. Prescott threw the ball short; Lamb went deep.
"Things that we've missed on are very small things," Lamb said. "I know I say that every week or that we'll be fine, but I know we will."
When Prescott was asked he was having chemistry issues with Lamb, he was speechless for 10 seconds before finding the words.
"I mean, It was a tough day, in the sense," Prescott said. "It wasn't just about me and CeeDee. Yeah, sure, there was one throw here, a route here, he would tell you. A protection not great on one. If I had the answer, I promise you, we'd be a lot better."
There's enough history between Prescott and Lamb to believe that they will regain the magic that is sorely missed right now. Whatever they need to figure out has to be done within the current climate, because there's not a whole lot that appears to be changing around them to facilitate them getting back on track.
Rico Dowdle's second half in Pittsburgh was a respite from the running game concerns that have plagued the Cowboys for most of the season but those concerns returned against the Lions. So often when the Cowboys' coaches have been asked about the running game, they've pointed to the lopsided scores that have forced them to go away from even attempting to run the ball.
Sunday's game will provide another opportunity to hide behind that notion. The game got away from the Cowboys early but they were grossly ineffective running the ball well before that. Dowdle had a 12-yard carry, which came early in the fourth quarter when the Lions led 47-9. Without that scamper, the Cowboys had 16 carries, averaging 2.5 yards per carry.
The Cowboys have their investments built into Prescott and Lamb but they still need the running game to be serviceable, even if it's just enough to aid the passing game.
"Knowing the people that we have in the room -- the experience and the type of guys that we have -- we've got to be better," Prescott said. "And then knowing that when you get that going, love play-action pass. Love play-action pass. So, then that opens up. So, there's a lot when you get the run game going that you're able to do off of that."
It doesn't absolve Prescott, who has come up short in his own right, but his surroundings haven't done much this season to help him out. The running game and pass catchers all season -- as well as the offensive line in pass protection Sunday -- contributed to the offense's ineptitude.
It took six weeks but Jones was peppered with questions about McCarthy's fate. The head coach was brought back following last year's embarrassing playoff loss to coach out the final year of his contract. Jones said he is not considering a change at head coach, something that has an added layer of complexity when the head coach is also the play caller.
There are valid criticisms of McCarthy's offense, ranging from creativity before the snap to diagramming plays that can scheme certain players open and get the ball to playmakers. However, it's also impossible to talk about the job McCarthy has done as the cook on offense without mentioning the job Jones has done in getting him the ingredients.
In his first season running the show on offense in Dallas last year, the Cowboys were a top-five unit in yards per game and points per game. There have been changes in personnel but the main pillars -- Prescott and Lamb, in particular -- remain the same.
"The man he is," Prescott said on why he believes in McCarthy. "The preparation that he puts into this. The leader. I'll go to war for that guy, with that guy, every single day, and I'm not the only one in that locker room. I feel like everybody feels that.
"If you heard what he said after that game, that's not something that I care to let you guys in on, honestly, but strong message. Strong message. In a loss, to be able to feel that way, show those emotions and respond, I'll follow him. I'll follow him. I know he said it to you guys, he said it in there, he's looking in the mirror, as we all should. Thankful for him as my coach. Period."