Jerry's Brutal Evaluation of Cowboys Loss to Saints

FRISCO — Last season, the Dallas Cowboys went 8-0 at home in the regular season. Whether the game teetered on the side of a decisive domination, or a nail-biting finish, the Cowboys could not be trumped at AT&T Stadium.

The NFC Wild Card embarrassment courtesy of the Green Bay Packers changed that narrative in January. But was that not just another installment of the Cowboys' playoff follies?

Apparently not. On Sunday, the New Orleans Saints had the Cowboys on their heels from start to finish in a 44-19 waxing of Dallas in their home opener.

An unexpected result heading into the game, the Cowboys simply had no answers for the Saints on both sides of the ball.

Owner Jerry Jones reflected on the loss, calling it, "extraordinarily disappointing.''

Does that mean wholesale changes in philosophy and personnel? Like, heads will be rolling? No.

"We will correct this," Jones continued. "We will improve ... This is early. This is very, very early. We certainly didn’t see this coming. Obviously we've got a lot of room for improvement here."

Certainly the Cowboys have more time to right their course following this defeat, as 15 games remain on the schedule - with a key matchup forthcoming against the Baltimore Ravens.

How can this team improve? Of course, the Cowboys did not play their best game Sunday. Maneuvering through the growing pains of a new defensive system and finding an offensive groove are commonplace struggles around the NFL.

But the crux of the issue that makes this result so "disappointing" stems from the same grievances that this team continuously fails to address.

Dak Prescott surely did not have his best game and this offense has yet to find the gear that made it such a difficult group to handle a year ago. When a defense controls the CeeDee Lamb connection, however, this offense cannot consistently get others involved.

The run game provided much of nothing in 21 carries for 68 yards, but never had a chance to find anything because of the hole the Cowboys fell in early.

Defensively, the same terrors that have plagued them for years emerged once more. The Saints, led by Alvin Kamara, gashed Dallas for 190 ground yards, consistently setting the edge, turning white jerseys and pillaging gaps in the formation.

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The Cowboys had nothing to offer on that front, a frustration that the team and its fans have come to know all too well.

This season, this team will see better results than they did Sunday, but as far as the capacity for cleansing these core problems, it remains clear there is a long way to go.

Jones and his Cowboys have time to improve and are still in the thick of contention amid the long NFL season. In terms of actual "room for improvement," that is a particular that has yet to demonstrate any real merit.