Cowboys blown out by the Bills, 31-10, losing first place in NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys were absolutely humiliated in Buffalo on Sunday
It was not at all what we wanted to see from the Dallas Cowboys as they were embarrassed once again on the road by a good team, losing 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills in a game that saw nothing go right for Dallas. Before the Cowboys even took the field, they had a playoff spot all locked up thanks to a combination of the Detroit Lions winning on Saturday and the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons both losing earlier in the day. But this was a huge opportunity squandered as it makes it all but certain that Dallas will have to find a way to win on the road against good teams.
The Cowboys were on defense to start the game, and it didn’t go well for them. Josh Allen used both his legs and arm, with Stephon Diggs and James Cook doing most of the hard work. Dallas almost forced the Bills into a field goal attempt, but DeMarcus Lawrence was flagged for roughing Allen to set up first and goal from the three-yard line, and they punched it in two plays later to take a 7-0 lead in what was a harbinger of the way this would unfold. The Cowboys needed a counterpunch, and tried to get it done on a deep throw targeting Brandin Cooks on 2nd and 6, but Dak Prescott was just a bit too long on the throw. Prescott avoided a three and out with a 13-yard scramble that also saw offsetting penalties, but the end result was a first down at the Dallas 42. However, Tyler Smith would draw the third flag of the game that would wipe out a Tony Pollard first down gain, and after a loss by Rico Dowdle and a sack of Prescott, Bryan Anger had to come on to punt. It was a frustrating but all too familiar story in a season that, despite the record, has been plagued by the Cowboys getting called for excessive infractions almost every game.
Their defense managed to force a three and out on the next Buffalo possession, as Stephon Gilmore denied Diggs on third down. But Zack Martin would be injured on second down, and Prescott would throw three consecutive incompletions as the Bills applied smothering coverage in the secondary. Dallas would counter with their pass rush to stop Buffalo, but their fourth big penalty of the game would come as Sam Williams would be called for roughing the punter as he just missed a blocked kick. That would extend the drive, and Allen would wind up finding James Cook coming out of the backfield to push the Buffalo lead to 14-0 with a bit under 13 minutes left in the second quarter.
In their first two losses, the Cowboys could not handle a big deficit, and now they faced one again with Martin sitting on the sidelines, his thigh iced up. A big flag would go against the Bills this time, as they were called for an illegal hit on Prescott for the second time in the game. A deep completion to CeeDee Lamb would get them to the Bills’ 32. The run game would start to contribute, but Pollard would be thrown for a loss on second and a yard. Prescott would nearly have a pass picked off for the third time in the game, and they would have to bring Brandon Aubrey out to try and get on the board. This was a mere chip shot for him, but it left them trailing by 11.
