Defense runs out of gas and Cowboys run out of tricks in latest comeback attempt

The Cowboys do it every year, but it doesn’t make it any easier. Playing three games in 12 days is difficult regardless of who you face, and even more so when you’re facing three of the most lethal offenses in the league.

That’s what Thursday night in Detroit felt like: a Cowboys team that simply ran out of gas. The defense, especially, looked to be lacking any of the magic they’d displayed in their previous three games. They forced a punt at the 8:28 minute mark in the second quarter, and Lions punter Jack Fox took the rest of the night off as the Lions prevailed 44-30.

This game unfolded the way many Cowboys games have lately, at least early on. Slow starts on both sides of the ball led to an early hole for Dallas. Three promising drives in the first half ended in a field goal, and then another ended early thanks to a Jake Ferguson fumble. Between that and a Lions offense that’s seen a resurgence in production since head coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling, the Cowboys found themselves trailing 20-9 at halftime.

Of course, the Cowboys don’t flinch anymore in these situations. They’ve overcome worse, after all. But the first play of the third quarter – a routine slant to George Pickens that the defense popped up into the air and into the hands of a defender – was followed up with a Lions touchdown two plays later, making it 27-9. Just like when the Eagles went up 21-0, this one felt over in that moment.

In many ways, it was, but that didn’t keep the Cowboys from fighting. Dak Prescott hit a big play to CeeDee Lamb – who was injured a few plays later, not returning in the game with a concussion – before finding Pickens for a fourth-down conversion inside the 10-yard line. Javonte Williams rumbled in for a touchdown while crossing 1,000 rushing yards in the process.

Another long Lions drive ended with a blocked field goal, and that led to a successful kick from Brandon Aubrey not much later. Detroit responded with a field goal of their own, but Prescott found Ryan Flournoy for a 42-yard touchdown and then hit Ferguson on the two-point try. Suddenly, it was a three point game with just under 10 minutes left in the game.

Then, the bottom fell out.

The Lions scored another touchdown in just five plays, helped out by a 29-yard catch-and-run by Jameson Williams that saw an additional 13 yards tacked on for roughing the passer. The Cowboys moved the ball down the field fairly fast, and it looked as if they were about to get first-and-goal thanks to a pass interference penalty.

Well, pass interference was called, but in a move that befuddled even the on-air rules analyst Terry McAulay, referee Shawn Hochuli tagged Ferguson for offensive pass interference.

Instead of first down inside the five, the Cowboys settled for a field goal. That still made it a one-score game, trimming the Lions’ lead to 37-30. But a 42-yard kickoff return and a 37-yard catch-and-run for Amon-Ra St. Brown – who finished the game with 92 yards on six catches after barely managing to avoid the inactive list with an injury – helped the Lions score another touchdown.

In the end, the final score looks like as much of a runaway as it was early in the third quarter. Anyone who watched the game knows the Cowboys played with the same level of fight they have in the past three games, but at a certain point a team digs itself too deep of a hole to climb out.

That’s what happened Thursday, and it puts their playoff hopes on life support. The road the rest of the way gets a little easier, with just one opponent currently holding a winning record, but the Cowboys need even more help than they did 24 hours ago. Still, the fact that the Cowboys continue to fight suggests that they’re not ready to give up on the season just yet, no matter how bleak things look.

If this season has shown us anything, it’s that these Cowboys are never out of it until the final whistle blows.