The Dallas Cowboys had the misperception that they gained ground on the NFC East during their bye last week.
In Week 4, the Giants offense continued to struggle in an ugly win over the Bears, while the Redskins slugged out a 17-12 victory over the Eagles.
Entering Sunday’s game, the Cowboys were only a half game behind the entire division and were 3-0 the weeks after their regular-season byes under head coach Wade Phillips.
But the reality after the Cowboys’ 34-27 loss to the Titans on Sunday is that Dallas has some Texas-sized issues.
One problem for the Cowboys is how impressive the rest of the division looked on Sunday — all improving to 3-2. The Giants held an explosive Texans’ offense to 10 points. The Redskins were victorious over the Packers — a trendy preseason Super Bowl pick. And the Eagles flew across country to defeat the 49ers in San Francisco.
The Cowboys have stumbled to a 1-3 start because they have taken on the persona of their talented, but mistake-prone quarterback.
The blame for the three losses can’t solely be placed on Tony Romo, but he does have a knack for being involved in game-altering decisions.
In Week 1 against the Redskins, it was Tashard Choice‘s fumble that led to DeAngelo Hall‘s touchdown as the first half expired. But Romo made the poor decision to throw a short swing pass with the ball on their own 30-yard line.
Roy Williams lost a fumble against the Bears that would have kept the game close, but Romo threw two first-half interceptions and led Dallas to only six second-half points as the team abandoned the running game.
On Sunday, Dallas had 12 penalties for 133 yards. But Romo’s fourth-quarter interception — which was returned to the 1-yard line — led to Tennessee going up 27-20 with 7:26 left.
The Cowboys are No. 2 in the league in total offense and have outgained opponents by 121 yards a game. But a minus-4 turnover margin — only the 0-5 Niners are worse — and key blunders have only amounted to one victory.
It’s time for the Cowboys to hit the panic button.
