The Dallas Cowboys lost their game and, at least for now, their quarterback.
The Week 9 blows were the last two of a dysfunctional season in the final year of head coach Mike McCarthy’s contract.
Consistent pre-snap penalties, injuries and missed tackles by the Cowboys marked a day where the Atlanta Falcons controlled the game.
Prescott was fouled out with 11:40 to play and the Cowboys trailed by 14 points.
He was officially ruled out due to a hamstring injury. Prescott’s throwing hand also swelled with a sore at the base of his little finger after a day of more scrambling than he had all season.
Prescott said afterwards that he “felt something pulling,” a feeling he had “never” felt. According to reporters, an MRI is expected on Monday.
By the time the Falcons pulled off their 27-21 victory, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was also in doubt if he would return from a shoulder injury.
Lamb had injured his right shoulder in the first half, and his grimaces deepened in the fourth quarter after he fell on the shoulder while diving for an end zone pass that he couldn’t quite net.
The Cowboys fell to 3-5, while the Falcons improved to 6-3, maintaining their lead in the NFC South.
Before the injury bug bit Dallas, the Cowboys were playing a frustrating game except for one improbable play.
The Cowboys struggled after taking a 3-0 lead, the Falcons burned them twice on fourth down, including a 36-yard touchdown on fourth-and-3 as Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins faced his former Cowboys head coach defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer stood.
Even as the Cowboys’ defense held firm, the complementary football waned.
Veteran rusher Carl Lawson sacked Cousins on his first of two sacks in the first half and Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson recovered the fumble. But Dallas’ offense couldn’t capitalize. Facing fourth-and-1 from the Atlanta 44-yard line, Prescott turned the ball to Lamb, who tucked the Falcons three yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Tensions began to rise for a Cowboys team that will now go more than a month between wins. Broadcasts to the sideline showed McCarthy cursing, rolling his eyes and slamming his tablet on the ground after the play he called backfired.
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs’ emotions were similarly up his sleeve after Darnell Mooney scored a wide-open 36-yard touchdown while Diggs appeared tangled among other defenders.
But Dallas found an unlikely spark before halftime. Despite a delay of game penalty that landed him on second-and-15, Prescott made only his 10th appearance this season.
The 22 yards Prescott picked up marked the longest rush of the season for a Cowboys team that ranks last in the league in rushing. Dallas also traveled to Atlanta without veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott, who left the team in Dallas after Elliott reportedly missed multiple meetings. Prescott extended the play 7.08 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats, before recovering Rico Dowdle on a play that Dowdle would first bobble and then catch on his back.
Tempers had settled somewhat, but the problems in Dallas were far from over.
The Cowboys opened the second half with a pre-snap penalty and struggled again on fourth down when punter Bryan Anger attempted a punt fake to C.J. Goodwin, who fell.
Five plays later, taking advantage of the Cowboys’ struggles to manage pre-snap movement, Cousins found Ray-Ray McCloud for an 11-yard touchdown.
Greg Olsen as Cowboys give up third TD of days: “No team struggles with pre-snap motion more than the Dallas Cowboys. … That’s something the Cowboys defense has struggled with all year.”pic.twitter.com/3kmp8ZxRob
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) November 3, 2024
The Falcons were unwilling to relinquish the lead they had built up since midway through the first quarter.
A touchdown from Cowboys backup quarterback Cooper Rush to Jalen Tolbert cut the deficit to six points with less than two minutes to play, but the Falcons defended an onside kick attempt to secure their victory.
Cousins continued his strong first season in Atlanta, completing 19 of 24 passes for 222 yards and three touchdowns. Bijan Robinson led Atlanta skill players with 145 yards from scrimmage, although four Falcons other than him scored: Mooney, McCloud, running back Tyler Allgeier and receiver Drake London, who also left the game with a hip injury.
The Falcons also sacked Prescott twice in the first quarter after managing just six sacks in their first eight games.
Prescott completed 18 of 24 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed three times for 30 yards. Prescott’s rushes helped open up Dallas’ offense but could have been costly, as his departure came after a sequence in which he carried twice for five yards (one was called back for holding).
Rush completed 13 of 25 attempts for 115 yards and a score.
Dowdle led Cowboys skill players with 107 yards from scrimmage and a spectacular touchdown catch.
But a Cowboys team that was on a fast track to elimination in the playoffs could now be playing in the middle of their division with injuries to their two most important offensive players and their two most impactful defensive players.
The injuries to Prescott and Lamb affected a Cowboys team that played their final four games without edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
They have lost three of those four.
The Eagles visit Dallas next week, while the Falcons travel to the New Orleans Saints.
