Why it may be time for the Cowboys to hit the panic button

The Dallas Cowboys seem to be on the brink of disaster after an embarrassing home loss to the Detroit Lions.

On Sunday, the Lions throttled the Cowboys 47-9 in their worst home loss since 1988. According to The Athletic's Jon Machota , Dallas has started 0-3 at home for the first time since 2010. It finished that season 6-10.

In his postgame news conference , Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott admitted the loss is disappointing but said he's not hitting the "panic button."

"I mean, we're 3-3 after six games and with a long season to go," Prescott said. "I've been in worse situations, I guess you can say, in teams, and they got it going. Teams that got on the streak, I think about 2018. It's about us sticking together. And I think after a loss like this, there's no better time to test the character of that."

In 2018, the Cowboys started 3-4 but acquired star wide receiver Amari Cooper in a trade with the Raiders before the deadline. They won seven of their last nine games and made the playoffs.

However, one trade before the deadline on Nov. 5 may not solve the Cowboys' problems instantly.

Dallas ranks 19th in the NFL in points scored (21 PPG) and 30th in points allowed (28 PPG). In their home losses, the Cowboys have been outscored by 66 points. One addition ahead of the deadline won't fix both of those issues.

Meanwhile, Prescott's play has declined after finishing second in MVP voting last season. Through six starts, he has completed 63.4 percent of his passes for eight touchdowns and six interceptions and has posted a subpar 48.7 QBR.

"This was supposed to be the Cowboys season where the team built on what it has accomplished the three previous seasons," wrote Machota Monday. "Those three all ended with 12-win regular seasons that came up short in the playoffs. The hope has been that this will finally be the team that gets over the hump in January. But Dallas is playing like a team that won't even be eligible for the playoffs."

The Cowboys are third in the NFC East behind the Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) and Washington Commanders (4-2). As of Monday, The Athletic's playoff projections give them a 32 percent chance to make the postseason, the second worst in the division behind the New York Giants (2-4).

After its bye week, Dallas' schedule features challenging road matchups against the San Francisco 49ers (3-3) and Atlanta Falcons (4-2) in Weeks 8 and 9.

The Cowboys are in a tailspin, and whether they'll recover remains unclear.