The Cowboys aren't very good. In a weak NFC East, they can't afford to bury themselves further

GREEN BAY, Wis. — What was confirmed Sunday night from Lambeau Field is the Cowboys are not a very good football team.

It doesn’t matter what the franchise decided to do with defensive coordinator Christian Parker, or who they hired to help him (Mike Pettine), or how many changes were made to the starting lineup.

The Cowboys are a football team that plays in a weak NFC East where the division leader, the New York Giants, is 3-2-1. After the Cowboys were just beaten 23-13 by the Packers, they’re in a hole few believe they can climb out of.

“I mean we’re in a hole,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “We put ourselves there. There’s one way out of it. So I told the guys, I said, ‘Got to work, got to find solutions. Can’t repeat mistakes.’ They understand that.”

The offense, once a strength of this team, is a mess. 

Quarterback Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, one thanks to slipping receiver CeeDee Lamb who planted with the wrong foot, which sent him to the ground.

The other pick was on a duck of a pass toward the end zone a play after Prescott got smashed on an incompletion. Schottenheimer thought about calling timeout after that hit to give his quarterback a breather. Prescott told him he was fine.

Prescott used to handle the blitz well as a veteran quarterback, but not on Sunday. He struggled to get the ball off on time and was hit seven times. He was sacked once by a Packers team that played without Micah Parsons, who was wearing a team-issued sweatsuit on the sideline.

Schottenheimer said he didn’t plan to throw the ball 54 times and attempt just 15 running plays on a night his team was outclassed.

He was hoping for some balance. The Cowboys were shut out in the first half, 17-0. In the second half, despite trailing by two scores, they ran the ball just seven times out of 47 second-half snaps.

You can’t find balance that way.

The defense saw some improvements, especially from defensive tackles Quinnen Williams (one sack and two tackles for loss) and Kenny Clark (a sack). 

But the secondary remains a problem.

Rookie defensive back Caleb Downs looked, well, like a rookie in some coverage busts and allowed a few completions. 

The Cowboys moved him from deep safety to nickel corner so he could make plays on the ball. The Packers made plays on him.

There was a near interception by cornerback DaRon Bland in the fourth quarter that was overturned by replay, which threw Schottenheimer into a fit with the officials on the sideline. With the Cowboys down by at least two scores most of the night, there wasn’t a belief that play would give the visitors momentum.

“Oh it’s frustrating,” edge rusher Rashan Gary said. “Understanding that the guys as a unit we could do a lot better.”

The Cowboys' defense allowed the Packers to convert their first nine third-down plays, which eventually turned into an 11-for-18 finish.

Linebacker Dee Winters had an interception, the Cowboys’ first of the season. It was thought to be a pick-six but it was instead determined that he was down by contact.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. got a start but came out numerous times because of a balky ankle. His backups, Shavon Revel and Ameer Speed, leave a lot to be desired.

“I mean, again, it’s obviously very frustrating, but again, we can’t repeat mistakes,” Schottenheimer said. 

When you talk about repeated mistakes, there’s only so much a coaching staff can do. A look at the type of players acquired in the offseason leads you to believe it’s not working out. A hard look at the core of this team must be addressed.

The front office did what was necessary to get the players for Schottenheimer and his staff.

At this stage of the year, it’s clear the roster isn’t good enough. 

With any team, bright spots are found, but at 2-4 and a road game at Philadelphia next Monday night, you need more from it.

“We put ourselves in this position,” Prescott said. “And so I mean, it’s what, 11 games or something like that left? We just got to take it one at a time. We just got to get a win and that’s the only way to work our way out of this hole and to get momentum going and just to get the confidence and roll on both sides of the ball and special teams included.”

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This article originally published at The Cowboys aren't very good. In a weak NFC East, they can't afford to bury themselves further.