3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 11 Loss

Hyped as a heavyweight battle between two Super Bowl contenders, Sunday's matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs was supposed to be a slugfest. But it was only the Chiefs that did much slugging, as they physically dominated the Cowboys in the trenches, flustered Dak Prescott and the offense and held Dallas out of the end zone.

What had the makings of a shootout on paper was anything but, as Kansas City held on for a 19-9 win. The Cowboys, meanwhile, lost by double digits for the second time in three games.

For the Chiefs, this game could be a sign that the previous week's blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders really was a turning point. For the Cowboys, it showed that there's a big difference between being the NFC East favorite and being a elite team.

The Cowboys were not at full strength, but good teams find ways to win short-handed. On Sunday, Dallas was out-coached, outplayed and outmuscled by a team that knows what it takes to win in big games.

Here's what we learned during Dallas' Week 11 loss to Kansas City.

Dallas Needs to Get Tyron Smith Healthy

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The Cowboys haven't had starting left tackle Tyron Smith available since Week 8 because of an ankle injury. His absence wasn't a major factor against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10, but it's proved to be huge in Dallas' past two losses.

On Sunday, Prescott constantly found himself under pressure, a problem exacerbated by the fact that his top two receivers weren't available by the end. Amari Cooper missed the game on the reserve/COVID-19 list, while CeeDee Lamb exited in concussion protocol.

With Cooper and Lamb both out, Prescott struggled to get the ball out and to the open man. He was sacked five times, threw two interceptions and completed just 28 of 43 attempts for 216 yards.

Smith's absence wasn't the only issue for Prescott's pass protection, and we will touch on that shortly. However, it's clear that the Cowboys offense simply isn't the same efficient unit when the offensive line isn't at full strength.

Prescott was left scrambling throughout the afternoon, and while Dallas averaged 5.1 yards per carry, it picked up just one first down on the ground.

The 4-Man Rush Could Be a Problem for Prescott

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The line has held up for Prescott more often than not this season. While he has been blitzed 105 times, according to Pro Football Reference, he has been under pressure on just 16.6 percent of his dropbacks.

Facing additional rushers has given Prescott opportunities to find receivers in space. The Chiefs, though, were able to have success by generating pressure when rushing only four.

"The Chiefs blitzed Dak Prescott 14 times, according to NextGenStats," Pat Doney of NBC 5 Dallas tweeted. "Dak had more TD passes vs the blitz (16) than any other QB in the NFL this season—by a lot. He was 8-for-14 for 55 yds vs the blitz in KC."

Moving Chris Jones to the interior paid dividends for the Kansas City defense, as he was a game-wrecker Sunday. It also allowed the Chiefs to get that aforementioned pressure with a four-man rush.

Prescott is a blitz-beater, and dropping seven into coverage might be the key to limiting him moving forward. Not every team can generate pressure with a four-man rush, but expect opponents to try moving forward.

It will be up to Prescott, head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to adjust.

Run Defense Is (Still) a Major Problem

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We touched on this one after the loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 9, but it's worth revisiting. The Cowboys run defense is becoming a major liability and could be bad enough to derail a Super Bowl bid.

It hasn't bitten the Cowboys often this season because teams aren't often willing to stick with the run. Dallas ranks 10th in rushing yards allowed but has also seen the fourth-fewest rushing attempts against them. On the season, they rank 19th in yards per carry allowed (4.4).

But like the Broncos before them, the Chiefs were able to cut through the Dallas defense on the ground. Kansas City ranks 18th in rushing yards per game and 19th in attempts. On Sunday, it rushed 26 times for an averaged of 4.8 yards per carry.

This allowed the Chiefs to control the tempo of the game and place additional pressure on Prescott and the offense to score. It also wore down the Dallas defense. The Chiefs were only 4-of-12 on third down, but they also racked up 22 first downs, eight of them on the ground.

We noted after Week 9 that attacking Dallas on the ground might not necessarily be the blueprint for beating the Cowboys. After watching the Chiefs do exactly that, it just might be. Teams that can run the ball effectively—such as the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals—could give Dallas trouble in the postseason.