DALLAS — After the bye week, a lot of optimism was rampant in Dallas after the Cowboys made some moves to address their supposed issues. However, in the Dallas Cowboys' first game of the Amari Cooper era, it ended up being more of the same as Dallas lost to Tennessee 28-14 in a messy affair.
While Cooper made an impact with a touchdown in his first game, not a whole lot else gave this fanbase much excitement. Cooper finished with five receptions for 58 yards and one score.
Early on, the Cowboys had an opportunity to hold the game by the throat but managed only one score in three red zone trips in the first quarter alone. After not converting their early chances, they allowed Tennessee to climb back in the game and eventually take them over.
The Cowboys now fall to 3-5 and two games back in the division, three games with the head-to-head loss to Washington before the bye. Teams that start 3-5 historically have a nine percent chance to make the postseason. As it sits right now, the Cowboys have steep hill to climb with trips to Philadelphia and Atlanta coming up.
The Cowboys have yet to win on the road and it won’t be any easier. Can they get back in it with a huge division test?
The problem with expecting a miracle turnaround is that would mean counting on this coach staff to figure things out on the fly while also seeing marked improvement from the quarterback. Each of these seems like they would be a dubious proposition to count on.
In last night's contest, Dak Prescott had two back breaking turnovers that led to two Titan touchdowns. Prescott was holding the ball too long and not getting rid of the ball in favor of scrambling and stepping out of bounds short of the sticks on multiple occasions. Not to mention he was trying to force passes to Cooper early which led to an interception in the endzone which gave the Titans new life.
After a loss against Washington, a bye week and a demoralizing loss to Tennessee there are plenty of questions that need immediate answers. Should the Cowboys continue on with the current coaching staff? Well, probably not, but the man in charge has given no indication he's even considering making a change at the top of the coaching tree with Jason Garrett. However, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan’s seat couldn't be any hotter at this point.
The Cowboys have a good group of offensive weapons, there is no reason they should be struggling as much as they have been. At some point, the coaching staff will have to take the responsibility for not getting more out of this group.
The Cowboys need to build a system that really utilizes this team’s strengths, rather than jam a square peg into a round hole. Garrett has said this team needs to run the ball and will stay committed to the run game, but Dallas hasn’t really had much success at having a sustained run game. If Dallas wants to try and get back into this dog fight they either need to adjust to their talent or give someone else the play sheet.
Is there still time to right the ship in Dallas or is it time to start throwing people overboard? Share your thoughts on the Cowboys with Patrick on Twitter @DraftCowboys .