3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 7 Loss

When Dak Prescott was leading the Dallas Cowboys offense, it was a prolific unit. Now, they are enduring some struggles—as well as some continued misfortune.

On Sunday, the Cowboys lost to the Washington Football Team 25-3 at FedEx Field in their second game since Prescott underwent season-ending ankle surgery. Andy Dalton made his second start under center, but he was taken out of the game with a concussion in the third quarter, leading to rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci taking over.

Washington controlled the game from the start, while Dallas' lone points came on a 45-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein late in the first quarter. The Cowboys amassed only 142 yards of total offense while falling to 2-5.

Here are three takeaways from Dallas' tough loss Sunday.

The Unproven Rookie QB May Have to Lead the Offense

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It's unclear whether Dalton will play for the Cowboys in Week 8, when they have a Sunday night road game against the NFC East-rival Philadelphia Eagles. However, ESPN's Todd Archer reported that Dalton was "alert and doing much better than he was when he came off the field following the hit," and that he was in "good spirits" before flying home with the team.

If Dalton misses time, DiNucci will likely get more opportunities. And if things were going well for Dallas, it's unlikely the 23-year-old (who was a seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of James Madison) would have been playing any important minutes this season, if he even saw the field at all.

DiNucci didn't get much of a chance to prove himself at Washington, going 2-for-3 for 39 yards and rushing the ball once for no gain. He was also sacked three times and fumbled the ball twice, although the Cowboys recovered both.

If the rookie starts at Philadelphia, he will at least have had the week leading up to the game to prepare. And if Dalton ends up being inactive, Dallas' backup would be Garrett Gilbert, a 29-year-old with limited NFL experience who was signed by the Cowboys off the Cleveland Browns' practice squad earlier in October.

Dallas has a bunch of talented playmakers on offense, but nobody can get the ball to them. DiNucci may get a chance to try, but this isn't how the Cowboys envisioned their offense in 2020.

The Defense Struggled Against 1 of the NFL's Worst Offenses

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This looked like a matchup in which the Cowboys defense could finally get it going. Washington entered the day averaging only 275.3 yards of total offense per game, tied with the New York Giants for the least in the NFL. It's also already made a quarterback change, benching Dwayne Haskins Jr. in favor of Kyle Allen.

Instead, it was more of the same for the Cowboys. Washington had 397 yards of total offense (including 208 on the ground) as it scored 25 points for the first time since its 27-17 win in Week 1 over Philadelphia. Dallas had a pair of sacks, but it didn't force any turnovers.

Despite the struggles on that side of the football through seven weeks, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy isn't considering the idea of replacing defensive coordinator Mike Nolan.

"That hasn't crossed my mind," McCarthy told the media after Sunday's game. "I'm focused on getting better each and every day. That's where we are."

If the Cowboys are going to get back to winning, they need to improve on defense. They are allowing 408.1 total yards per game, the sixth-most in the NFL. And they have particularly struggled against the run, allowing a league-high 178.3 yards per game on the ground. Dallas is also tied for last with the Las Vegas Raiders in takeaways with three (one interception and two fumble recoveries).

The Cowboys Still Remain in the NFC East Race

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Despite all that isn't going right for the Cowboys, they are still in the NFC East race. In fact, they could even be on top of the division if they beat the Eagles, who are in the lead at 2-4-1, in Week 8.

The rest of the division has also struggled; Washington is tied with Dallas at 2-5, and the New York Giants are a game behind those two teams at 1-6. But that leaves the division title and a playoff berth up for grabs, as any of these four teams could go on a hot streak and end up at the top.

It's going to take some changes, though, for that team to be the Cowboys.

"We need more belief and more high spirits around this team, and really more fight," Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said, according to Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "That's really, I feel like, one of our weaknesses. We need to build a stronger backbone, fight [to] make sure that we brought everything possible to come out with a victory."

The Cowboys are 1-1 in divisional games this term and still have matchups remaining against the Eagles (Week 8 and Week 16), Washington (Week 12) and the Giants (Week 17). If Dallas starts to play better, particularly in those contests, making the playoffs is a realistic prospect.