There’s a new coach in town, but this felt like the same Dallas Cowboys team we saw for the past decade with Jason Garrett. They made big mistakes when they couldn’t afford them and found ways to draw flags that ended drives and pushed them out of scoring range. And then when they needed to deliver in the clutch, they came up flat.
Mike McCarthy’s debut as the Cowboys head coach wasn’t anything to get excited about as the supposed high-powered offense mustered up just 17 points as they were nothing more than a dink and dunk offense that seemed scared to take chances.
That is until they had a shot at tying the game at 20 late in the second half. That’s when they decided to go for it on fourth-and-three and the end result was a failed attempt, which gave the Rams a shot to run the clock down and play keep away.
Having said all that, the Cowboys were one of the teams at a disadvantage as they were bringing in a new coaching staff. The problem is, their offense was supposed to stay strong since McCarthy retained Kellen Moore. The second-year head coach wasn’t able to adjust in this one, and while the defense made some moves on the fly and improved as the game went on, the offense never found their identity.
New year. New coach. Same Cowboys.