10 truths from Cowboys' loss: Mike McCarthy was supposed to give Dallas an edge, but that hasn’t happened yet - The Dallas Morning News

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Here are 10 truths from the Cowboys' 38-31 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at CenturyLink Field.

1. Dak Prescott, for the most part, was terrific against Seattle. He passed for a career-high 472 yards with three touchdowns to become the first quarterback in franchise history with consecutive 450-yard games. But it’s the mistakes he’ll probably focus on as he prepares for Cleveland next week. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Two turnovers led directly to 14 points and the interception on third-and-14 with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter essentially ended the game. Russell Wilson didn’t make any mistakes, which is why his team won. Prescott is close to being an elite player, really close, but we see the difference.

2. Coach Mike McCarthy’s team has looked sloppy and unprepared too often this season. There have been too many blown coverages, too many special teams miscues and too many penalties. There has also been some questionable strategy. He was supposed to give the Cowboys an edge on the sideline. Through three games, it hasn’t happened yet.

3. DeMarcus Lawrence has been one of the best players in the NFL. That’s no longer the case, although his $21 million average salary suggests that he’s supposed to be one of the best. This is not about hustle or any other intangible. He is the NFL’s third-highest paid defensive end because his job is to sack the quarterback. He hasn’t had a full sack in nine games, after going without a sack on Sunday, and he has just two sacks in the last 13 games. It has been 31 games since he had two sacks in a game. When Wilson has all day to throw on a game-winning 29-yard pass to D.K. Metcalf, you wonder why Lawrence can’t get to the quarterback.

4. Cedrick Wilson? Really? Injuries limited the former sixth-round pick to eight games and five catches for 46 yards in his first two seasons. Well, he played well in training camp and drew praise from those in the front office, but it would be hard to think anyone at The Star figured after three games Wilson would be tied for the team lead with two touchdown catches. He recorded his first 100-yard game against Seattle, catching five passes for 107 yards and scoring on receptions of 42 and 40 yards. He’s a speedster and he ran way from defenders on each play. Just so you know, in two seasons at Boise St., he averaged 19 yards per catch and scored 18 touchdowns on just 139 catches.

5. Aldon Smith continues to have one of the great NFL comeback stories. Smith finished the game with four tackles, three sacks, two tackles for loss and four hits on Russell Wilson. That’s a terrific performance, and he was a big reason why the Cowboys sacked Wilson four times and hit him eight other times. Issues related to drugs and alcohol kept Smith off the field from 2015 until this season. He signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys, and through three games he has easily been their most valuable defensive player.

6. Rookie right tackle Terence Steele, an undrafted free agent, who started the first three games, regressed so much since the opener the Cowboys had to bench him against Seattle. When they did, the Cowboys moved All-Pro guard Zack Martin to right tackle and Joe Looney from center to right guard. Rookie Tyler Biadasz played center with Connor Williams at left guard and Brandon Knight at left tackle. That’s a far cry from what the Cowboys envisioned as their offensive line when training camp began in August. Still, they racked up 522 yards and 31 points, and Prescott was sacked just twice.

7. Trevon Diggs made an outstanding effort play late in the first quarter. Metcalf beat him deep for what should have been a 63-yard touchdown, but a loafing Metcalf didn’t secure the ball and Diggs punched it out from behind. The ball sailed out of the end zone for a touchback. That said, Diggs was beaten deep last week but Julio Jones dropped and he was beaten earlier against the Falcons but showed tremendous closing speed to break the pass up. He finished with nine tackles, a pass deflection and a forced fumble. He’s getting better.

8. The Cowboys have played 180 minutes of football, and they have led for 9:51. That’s pathetic. They didn’t lead the Falcons until the game’s final play, and they led for a total of 3:43 against Seattle. They’re trailing, which means Prescott has to throw more than the Cowboys want him to throw. His three-game total of 143 pass attempts is the highest of his career. Here’s the problem: The Cowboys are 4-9 when he throws more than 40 times in a game, including 1-1 this season. There’s no balance to the Cowboys' offense because they have yet to play their game.

9. The special teams were atrocious. John Fassel was hired to fix that, but the special teams cost the Cowboys four important points in the first half. Tony Pollard muffed a kickoff and pounced on it at the Dallas 1, averting disaster. But Elliott was dropped for a safety on first down. Greg Zuerlein banged an extra point off the right upright and had another blocked. They were also penalized twice, once for delay of game when Pollard didn’t know he was supposed to be on the field.

10. Elliott had one of his least productive days as a pro. It’s hard to believe the Cowboys had the lead with four minutes left, considering Elliott’s tough day. Elliott gained just 34 yards rushing — the third-lowest total of his career — and averaged just 2.4 yards per carry. He also dropped three passes and caught just six of the 12 passes directed his way for 24 yards. All you need to know is Prescott had a 56.2 passer rating throwing to Elliott and a 97.4 passer rating throwing to anybody else.

Jean-Jacques Taylor, a former SportsDay columnist, is the host of JaM Session from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays on 103.3 KESN-FM.

Find more Cowboys stories from The Dallas Morning News here.

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