SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When the season started, the Dallas Cowboys never believed they would be in such a predicament after seven games.
With Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Cowboys are 3-4 and closer to the bottom of the NFC than a Super Bowl contender at the moment.
“We’re disappointed,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “Our men really had a good week of preparation. I thought there were areas of improvement. But still, we have a ton to work on.”
The last time the Cowboys had a 3-4 record with a healthy Dak Prescott at quarterback was 2018. In 2020, the Cowboys were 2-5 on their way to 2-7, but Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle in the fifth game of the season.
The 2018 Cowboys were jump-started by a midseason trade for wide receiver Amari Cooper and finished the campaign with a 10-6 record, winning the NFC East and a playoff game. Only five players active on Sunday remain from the 2018 roster — Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott, right guard Zack Martin, cornerback Jourdan Lewis and special-teamer C.J. Goodwin.
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The Cowboys will play at the Atlanta Falcons, leaders of the NFC South, next week.
“We know what it takes in this league,” Prescott said. “You got hot, you get rolling, that’s all you’re looking to do. That’s my point, that this is frustrating but nobody is giving up. Nobody is shook, as you can say, from where we’re at. We just got to focus up, get ready to go on the road and got another good team coming up and do whatever we can do make sure we come out with a victory. Get even. Then worry about after that after this next road game.”
The Cowboys’ next four opponents — the Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans and Washington Commanders — are a combined 22-9 after each won on Sunday.
“We’ve got to go every Sunday by Sunday,” Lewis said. “We can’t think about the future. That’s where we are now: thinking about that next game and that next opportunity.”
Frustration, however, is growing. The Cowboys have lost four straight games to the 49ers, including two postseason contests and three in a row at Levi’s Stadium.
Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs, still in uniform, came out of the locker room to confront a television reporter about a tweet during the game that appeared to question his effort.
“It really sucks,” wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said. “Especially coming here three times in the last three years. It’s sickening.”
Despite falling behind 27-10 after being outscored 21-0 and outgained 167 yards to 16 in the third quarter, the Cowboys still had a chance to pull out an improbable victory, but Prescott had four straight incompletions after taking over with 3:05 to play.
It was the end to a game Prescott would like to forget. While he threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Lamb, Prescott became the first Cowboys quarterback with two interceptions in three straight games since Troy Aikman in 1992, according to ESPN Research.
Prescott finished 25-of-38 for 243 yards and was sacked twice.
“I mean me, personally frustrated. Frustrated myself in my play. I imagine the rest of the guys are,” Prescott said. “Not getting the win, two in a row now, sitting at 3-4. But I can definitely tell you that nobody’s shaken or giving up. Frustration is very high. But it’s a long season. I mean it’s a long season. Division games, a lot are still ahead of us.
“Frustrated. That’s the best way that I can put it.”
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Beanie Bishop Jr. manages to hold onto an errant Daniel Jones pass to seal the Steelers’ 22nd straight Monday Night Football victory. (0:28)
- Brooke Pryor
- Jordan Raanan
Oct 28, 2024, 11:34 PM ET
PITTSBURGH — On a Monday night when kickers dominated, the Pittsburgh Steelers muscled past the New York Giants 26-18 thanks to two trips to the end zone courtesy of Calvin Austin III.
Not only did Austin score the franchise’s first punt return touchdown in nearly five years in the third quarter, but he later caught another signature Russell Wilson moon ball in the fourth for his second receiving TD of the season.
And though the Steelers defense allowed Giants rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. to erupt for a career rushing night with 145 yards and a touchdown, T.J. Watt came through — as he’s apt to do — with a massive strip sack of Daniel Jones and fumble recovery to keep the Giants from capitalizing on Wilson’s fourth-quarter fumble. Beanie Bishop Jr. had a game-sealing interception on the Giants’ last drive.
Calvin Austin III scored two touchdowns to help lead the Steelers to their sixth win. Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
QB breakdown: In his second start as a Steeler, Russell Wilson had no problem building on his 245-yard performance from a week ago with 278 passing yards and one touchdown. Wilson unleashed his moon ball several times in the win, most notably with a pair of deep passes to Van Jefferson to end the third quarter and a 29-yard bomb to Austin early in the fourth for the first offensive touchdown by either team. At the point of that touchdown, Wilson was 4-of-6 with a TD on passes of at least 20 air yards this season. Wilson was sacked four times and lost a fumble, but showed increased mobility and escapability.
Promising trend: Though they only put up nine first-half points, the Steelers were moving the ball at an impressive clip, recording 14 plays of at least 10 yards. It was their most in a half since Week 2 of 2018 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, when they also had 14, per ESPN Research. Prior to this week, the Steelers had trouble moving the ball in the first half, but they recorded 237 yards of offense — including 104 rushing yards — in the first two quarters, a sign that perhaps the slow starts are behind them. The Steelers also scored field goals on each of their first three drives, marking the first time since Week 10 of the 2023 season against the Packers that they opened with three straight scores.
Pivotal play: House call. Austin’s third-quarter, 73-yard touchdown was the Steelers’ first punt return for a TD since Diontae Johnson scored one in Week 14 of the 2019 season against the Arizona Cardinals. Not only did it give the Steelers their first touchdown of the night and a 16-9 lead after their first two were called back, but it was another feather in the cap of longtime Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith, whose unit blocked kicks in three consecutive games entering Monday night. Austin found the end zone again a quarter later on a 29-yard moon ball from Wilson.
Next game: at Commanders (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 10)
Daniel Jones fell to 1-15 in prime time, including seven straight losses. Joe Sargent/Getty Images
New York Giants (2-6)
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. The Giants are a team that needs to play close to perfect to beat quality opponents like the Steelers on the road. They didn’t do that Monday night.
Far from it. The Giants and their struggling offense committed six penalties on the first two drives. One negated a touchdown.
And then their special teams, which seems to be competing with their offense for the worst unit on the team, allowed a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown to Austin. This is how you end up losing six of your first eight for the second straight year.
QB breakdown: Daniel Jones had a productive first half despite being under heavy pressure. He went 11-of-16 passing for 141 yards, but was unable to get his team into the end zone. The pressure was too much in the second half, though. Jones was sacked four times, including a strip sack by Watt in the fourth quarter. Jones finished 24-of-38 passing for 264 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in Steelers territory in the final moments. Not good enough. Jones fell to a woeful 1-15 in prime time, which includes seven straight losses.
Biggest hole in game plan: Where’s the run defense? The Giants still can’t seem to get this right. Coach Brian Daboll continues to lament the team’s run fits. Not good enough again as they allowed 104 yards and 6.5 yards per carry in the first half alone. The Giants came into the contest 32nd in the NFL, allowing 5.43 yards per rush. They allowed 167 yards on the ground Monday.
Most surprising performance: Tyrone Tracy Jr. The Giants seem to have found a running back. Tracy, a rookie fifth-round pick, had his second 100-yard game in four weeks and the first against the Steelers this season. He rushed for 145 yards on 20 carries before leaving with an injury. That includes five runs of at least 10 yards, with a 45-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Eye-popping stat: 34.2 air yards to Darius Slayton. The Giants needed to hit some explosive plays and Jones and Slayton connected on a deep ball on the Giants’ opening drive that went for a 43-yard gain. It was just the second pass thrown over 30-plus air yards that Jones has completed this season. He was 1-of-11 passing on throws of 30-plus air yards prior to the first-quarter toss Monday. The Giants finished with three explosive plays (20-plus yards), but Jones was just 1-of-3 on deep balls.
Troubling trend: Deonte Banks’ play. The Giants’ second-year cornerback was pulled from the game in the second quarter after some shaky tackling and soft coverage. The team did not report an injury. Instead, the 2023 first-round pick was replaced by Greg Stroman Jr. just one week after Banks gave poor effort trying to tackle Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Not encouraging.
Next game: vs. Commanders (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 3)
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© ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.Tyrique Stevenson apologizes to Bears for lapse on Hail Mary
Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson says that he apologized to the team for his lax play during the Commanders’ game-winning Hail Mary. (0:19)
Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff WriterOct 28, 2024, 04:14 PM ET
Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson apologized to teammates Monday morning for his role in giving up a Hail Mary touchdown that resulted in the Washington Commanders’ 18-15 victory Sunday.
Stevenson jawed back and forth with fans as the final play began from the Commanders’ 48-yard line. The cornerback had his back turned to the play for over four seconds as he yelled at fans in the stands before sprinting toward where Bears and Commanders players were gathered in the front of the end zone.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus confirmed that Stevenson was supposed to box out Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown, who was left unguarded behind seven players. Safety Kevin Byard III was then supposed to knock the ball down.
Instead, the cornerback tipped the pass at the front of the scrum that fell into Brown’s hands to decide the game.
“Honestly, I don’t I feel like I should probably share what intimate side of me that I shared with the guys because I know I let them down and those guys hold me to a higher standard such as everybody in this building,” Stevenson said. “But the brief message is I apologize to the boys for letting them down. I let the moment get too big, and it’s something that can never happen again and won’t ever happen again.”
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CBS’ broadcast did not show the angle of Stevenson interacting with fans — he said he was “cheering with” them, not taunting them — before being late to the play. Videos taken by fans and posted on social media showing how the events late in the fourth quarter unfolded drew intense criticism aimed at the cornerback, who tweeted an apology shortly after the game.
“Can’t worry about it, honestly,” Stevenson said. “My focus is on this building and how the people in this building feel. I understand there’s anger. I understand somebody’s ticked. I understand the things that go on outside of the building that could possibly affect how somebody feels and all that. But to be honest I’m going to worry about the opinion of the building and if these guys got my back, and that’s how I’m moving forward.”
Stevenson also drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct earlier in the fourth quarter for jawing with Commanders players.
“I would say the only regret I have from yesterday is just letting this team down from working hard and coming back and putting ourselves in the W column,” Stevenson said. “You know, just for me to be out of place and, you know, do something that’s out of character for me and cost us the loss.”
Eberflus said that Stevenson addressing the team showed “responsibility and accountability” but declined to say whether the cornerback would face any additional consequences decided by the team.
“We’ll look at that,” Eberflus said. “Those things are always going to be internal as we work with our players as we go forward. It’s really about development and making everybody better. We’ll get to that answer as we go through the week.”
Tight end Cole Kmet, who is one of eight Bears captains, said players appreciated Stevenson choosing to get up in front of the team on his own accord and noted the lessons the cornerback could take from how the play unfolded.
“That’s the unfortunate [part], and I would also say beauty, of this game is that you disrespect it in a certain way, and it will come to haunt you in some form or fashion,” Kmet said. “So, I think it’s a learning experience for everybody. We all play with a lot of passion. Tyrique plays with a lot of passion, and we all love him for that. But there’s definitely a respect level of the game and knowing that you’ve got to finish it out until those double zeros hit the clock.”
Although the way Chicago defended Washington’s Hail Mary ultimately decided the game, the play before put Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels — who was dealing with an injury to his ribs — in position to complete the pass that traveled 52.9 air yards.
Immediately after the game, Eberflus said that the play where Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin for a 13-yard reception on a quick out route “really doesn’t matter.”
“You’re defending a touchdown there, and them throwing a ball for 13 yards or 10 yards, whatever it is, really doesn’t matter,” Eberflus said Sunday night. “It’s always going to come down to that last play, and it came down to a two-second play to the last play, and we’ve got to execute on that one.”
The Bears coach doubled down on his decision Monday.
“In that particular situation, you always know that they’re gonna do — with six seconds to go at the 35, they’re gonna either go for the end zone there or just try to get more yards and do that,” Eberflus said. “So, if you want to play sideline defense, what they’re gonna do is convert to the Hail Mary there and just run everybody off the sideline. Then you’ve got to pick them up from the sideline and do the same job that you’re going to do in the Hail Mary. To me, we wanted to bring them up so we wouldn’t give them something that was too far down the field, which it was to the 48, and then we set up for the Hail Mary at the end.”
Not everyone felt the same about how Chicago defended the penultimate play of the game. Byard, an 11-year veteran, said he had a conversation with Eberflus about the team’s strategy.
“He has his feelings about it,” Byard said. “I think it’s a lot of different ways you can defend those plays. Me personally, I think that in that scenario possibly could’ve had the corners pressed up there because they just ran two out cuts, and the play was called just to get a couple more yards to throw it down the field. If you had the guys pressed up, maybe they convert to verticals and they actually run the Hail Mary [then], but even if they do that, our corners run with those guys — I’m not saying he doesn’t have the arm strength — but you think about the ball maybe landing 10 yards shorter and it may be a little different. I’m not saying that — we don’t know, it’s always looking back at it, woulda coulda shoulda. But at the end of the day, things happened the way it happened. Could we have sent pressure? Maybe. But he made the call and that’s what it was.”