Cowboys vs. Patriots: 8 Things We Learned from Dallas' 20-16 Loss

It seems that the Cowboys have become masters of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The Jets, Lions, and Patriots all represent games that the Cowboys should have won but for one reason or another they did not.

Dallas led the Pats late in the fourth quarter, but with a questionable drive orchestrated by Jason Garrett’s playcalling and his fear of a Tony Romo turnover, is what eventually led to the undoing of this Cowboys' victory. Don’t think for one second that Tony Romo wasn’t behind Garrett’s thinking on that last drive because he most certainly saw shades of New York and Detroit.

The Cowboys now stand at 2-3 and all conventional wisdom states that this Cowboys team should very well sit at five victories and zero losses. But due to their penchant for erratic play, turnovers, and penalties the Cowboys have fallen.

But even in darkness there is always some type of light.

Here are eight things we learned from the Cowboys loss to the Pats on Sunday.

Jason Garrett Doesn’t Trust Tony Romo

I think now it’s painfully obvious that Romo has lost the trust of his head coach and play-caller. I said last week that Garrett had to manage Romo better, but I had no idea that he would turn into a conservative wimp.

Romo’s stat line was nice, he had 317 passing yards and one touchdown and one interception. He did not play a bad game and from all looks of things he played like he usually does, well.

But there were a couple of drives in the game where Garrett decided to dial it back a bit in order to protect the lead or to protect his team from committing a turnover. The drive near the goal line where Garrett called a shovel pass instead of trying to connect on a fade route or a roll out.

Then there is the drive before the Patriots' game winning one where Garrett went all run and one short pass, instead of trying to play for the first down or the touchdown.

If Garrett wants to win a Super Bowl in Dallas, he has to be all in with and for his quarterback. It seems as if he’s not there with Tony anymore.

Tashard Choice May Be Done in Dallas

Choice had a drive killing fumble that may have produced points early in the first half. He’s always in team owner Jerry Jones doghouse or head coach Jason Garrett, and his early turnover may have sealed his fate with the Cowboys.

DeMarco Murray didn’t have a great impact on Sunday’s game, but he seemed to run hard and made a few plays to get the offense going.

I like Choice and I think that he can be a pretty good running back in this league, but its obvious that won’t happen in Dallas for him.

Dan Bailey Can Make Field Goals

Dan Bailey is 12 for 13 on the season and he was a perfect three for three on Sunday. May not sound like much, but the fact that Dallas has potentially found a guy who has a consistent leg to boot field goals is a thing of beauty.

The real test will come in week 12 or 13 when Dallas needs for him to make a pressure kick late in the game. If he makes it then great, I’ll give the ‘Boys credit for finding one, but if not then the search continues.

Dallas Caused Four Turnovers and Still Lost the Game

The Cowboys caused four New England turnovers and proceeded to score 16 points for the game. Whenever your defense is able to cause four turnovers from a team like the Patriots, its vital that the offense take advantage of those opportunities.

The Cowboys failed to do so and because of that and conservative play-calling, Dallas ended up losing the contest.

After such a dismal performance against the Lions in the second half of their game, the Cowboys' defense did a great job of controlling the pace and quarterback Tom Brady. Just too bad they couldn’t capitalize on the turnovers.

Dallas Caused Four Turnovers and Still Lost

Tony Romo’s Ribs Still Bother Him

This one comes straight out of the captain obvious book of quotes but it’s true. In the first half Romo looked timid and unsettled, and it showed with his throws.

He never found a comfort zone against New England in the first half, but he eventually got settled when the second half rolled around.

But Romo threw a few passes off of his back foot, and it was either due to his injury or his lack of trust in this offensive line.

Cowboys Defense Can Be Confusing

Brady threw two interceptions, something he doesn’t do often. He had a similar stat line to Romo the game as they both completed 27 passes on 41 attempts.

Brady found Cowboys' cornerback Terence Newman and linebacker Sean Lee to account for two Patriots' turnovers and he was thrown to the ground quite a few times. He was sacked three times and hit on eight different occasions.

The defense is still a work in progress, but it looked in pretty good against the Patriots.

Sean Lee Is Going to Be a Great Linebacker

I had the privilege of interviewing Sean Lee earlier this year for Bleacher Report and everything that this young man said is coming true.

Lee had 12 tackles and one interception to lead the ‘Boys on Sunday. He’s become one of the Cowboys' key defensive cogs and it's due in part to his hard work and the players around him.

In our interview, Lee said that he leaned a lot on Bradie James and Keith Brooking to help him along the way, and it seems that he’s taken everything that he could from them and applied it to the way he plays.

Lee is going to be a great linebacker for Dallas and as he continues to develop the Cowboys' defense will become more dangerous.

Felix Jones Is Injury Prone

After the Lions' loss, I said that Romo may not be the guy to lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl. Now I’m starting to question if Jones is the right running back to lead Dallas.

He hurt his ankle on a passing play in the first half and Dallas replaced him with DeMarco Murray and Tashard Choice.

I like Felix and I believe that’s a very talented back, but to say that he can carry the load for a time is a stretch. He’s already playing with a dislocated shoulder and now his ankle, and at this point I just don’t believe that he’s suited to be an every down NFL back.

Dallas Is 2-3

The Cowboys fall to 2-3 with a loss to the Pats and have an easier contest next week against the Rams. Not saying that it’s a guaranteed win as no game is guaranteed in the NFL.

But the Rams are winless this season and Dallas should have an easier time against St. Louis.

At least I hope they will.

Check out my previous Cowboys articles.

5 Ways Romo Must Attack Pats Defense

Keys to Cowboys Win vs. Patriots