DENVER – When it comes to judging the current state of the Dallas Cowboys, consider the perspective of one of their oldest and most traveled. Quarterback Dak Prescott did when he heard veteran defensive end Jadeveon Clowney in the aftermath of Sunday’s 44-24 road loss to the Denver Broncos. It wasn’t a speech surrounded by teammates. It was simply a raw moment of truth as another angry locker room went through the motions of another disappointing loss.
The words Clowney had to the ether: “This roster should not be going up and down like we’re doing.”
Prescott said he’s inclined to believe him. He’s played on one team for his entire career; Clowney has played on seven teams across 12 seasons.
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“That hits,” Prescott said of Clowney’s words. “That’s real.”
And if the Cowboys don’t change things in a hurry, it also could be incorrect.
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It’s hard to define an exact midpoint for a 17-game season, but right now the Cowboys are on the cusp of it. They’re now 3-4-1 after Sunday’s loss in Denver. They haven’t strung together back-to-back results once this season. They believe, as Clowney said, that they have the talent on the roster to contend. They also understand that time is running out to prove it.
Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said after the game that he does understand it’s a 17-game season. It was almost an insinuation into the concept that there are still a lot of games to find the consistency that’s eluded them this entire year. He then had a moment of clarity.
“I kind of lose track what week it is,” said Lamb, who had seven catches for 74 yards, “but I do feel like it’s about time for us to start winning consecutively and putting streaks together.”
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The record isn’t the only area of inconsistency. The Cowboys’ offense entered this week as one of the best offenses in the NFL. They were second in scoring and first in yards per game. Those ranks after a seven-game sample size would lead one to believe that there has been consistency from that group.
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There’s been one exception, however. On the road, the Cowboys’ offense hasn’t been its normal dominant self. After Sunday’s game, they’ve now averaged 24.4 points per game on the road.
The Cowboys gave a lot of credit to the Broncos for their part in what transpired on Sunday. Prescott was also sure to give credit to the fans in Denver. They would stomp and shake Empower Field at Mile High Stadium like rolling thunder on third downs. It resulted in multiple pre-snap penalties for the Cowboys that cost them in the first half.
“I had one myself,” Prescott said, referring to the pre-snap penalties caused by the home-field crowd in Denver. “They do a good job there. And then [the defense] played to [our] snap counts. They played to the silent count. Those edge rushers, the d-line, and that’s why they lead in sacks. That’s why they lead in third down [conversions allowed]. Sure, they’re a stat driven team, but when you play them, you can see why.”
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The Broncos’ defense, especially at home, has an identity. The Cowboys noted they play an attack front and plenty of man coverage. The Cowboys went four-of-11 on third down on Sunday. Prescott threw two interceptions after going more than a month without throwing one.
The Cowboys’ defense has an identity, too, at this point. And it’s not a good one. There was hope after last Sunday’s win over the Commanders that the defense had turned a corner. In that game, the Cowboys showed they didn’t need a dominant defense to win; they just needed one that couldn’t be dominated by an opposing offense.
On Sunday, they reverted to their old selves. The Broncos averaged 7.5 yards per play against an undermanned Cowboys’ defense. If there’s any consistency on this team, it’s the fact that their defense has struggled.
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The lack of consistency isn’t easy for the Cowboys to deal with. They want to be even-keeled throughout a season. They want to avoid getting too high or too low with each passing result, but it’s not easy when they’ve explored all the depths an up-and-down team can have through nearly half of a season. There’s whiplash from it.
“Very tough. Yeah, very tough,” Prescott said about the lack of consistency. “You want to put a streak together and talking about identity, trying to find an identity … it’s hard to even give you an identity until we put a couple of games together in a row. Right now our identity is up and down.”
If they want to change that, they better do it quickly. The clock is ticking.
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