DETROIT — Over the past month Dallas Cowboys carried with them the burden of losing a teammate and the joy of making the playoffs.
The Cowboys lost 44-30 to the Cowboys on Thursday night. Detroit Lions at Ford Field was their first since the death of Marshawn Niland and their first in more than a month, dropping them to 6-6-1 on the season and giving them a tough shot at making the postseason.
“I think the guys are angry now,” defender. Dak Prescott said. “I don’t think it’s a deflated moment, like, oh, hands up, we’re done. No. No. Absolutely not. I think you're going to get a team that's pissed off, especially when we're talking about a team that's changed a little bit since last week. This is the first time this group has been affected by this to some extent. make sure we have a great week of preparation for the next one.”
With the loss, the Cowboys' playoff chances dropped to 8%, according to ESPN Analytics. The Cowboys will lose in the tiebreaker. Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers and Leos.
Among the remaining four opponents, three are – Minnesota Vikings (December 14), Washington commanders (December 25) and New York Giants (January 3 or 4) – with a losing track record. They play Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) December 21.
Thursday's game was the fourth in 18 days for the Cowboys after victories over Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles And Kansas City Chiefs in three games since acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams within the trading period.
“Very proud of the group,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “Four games [18] days, fought with them, proud of them. We knew tonight it would come down to a few things – taking care of the football and taking it away – but we didn't do that job well. Then we needed to win the trenches, but we didn’t.”
The Cowboys lost the turnover battle 3-0 with two interceptions and a turnover that the Lions turned into 14 points. They averaged just 3.8 yards per rush, with Prescott posting the longest run of the night (12 yards) and allowing four rushing touchdowns, including three Jamir Gibbs.
“It was a big game for both teams,” Schottenheimer said, “and they got the better of us.”
Prescott was pressured 20 times, including 10 times in the fourth quarter, and was sacked five times. The Cowboys also had several costly, albeit questionable, offensive pass interference penalties.
Despite all this, the Cowboys cut the deficit to one goal twice in the fourth quarter on a Pro Bowl wide receiver. CeeDee Lamb to a concussion in the third quarter. Both times, the Cowboys defense allowed touchdowns on ensuing drives.
“Extra football hasn’t been the same as it has been the last few weeks,” Schottenheimer said.
Perhaps their best chance to make the playoffs is to win the NFC East if the Eagles continue to decline.
“I don’t know if I can say that we control our own destiny,” Prescott said. “It wasn’t an exaggeration before. I'm quite sure that if we had won, we would have had a damn good record with only five losses and a draw.
“Being 6-6-1 now [four] now it remains, yes, I'm almost sure, especially considering the way some divisions are formed, North, West, we need something to happen to us. I don't think it's under our control at the moment. But what we can control is how we approach the game. I think it's just the pride and love that you have for this game, your teammates, the organization, the opportunity to play this game. That will be my message to the players and I think if we do that we will still give ourselves a chance.”
