Jerry Jones sounds off after Cowboys lose to the Patriots
"It's frustrating just to be reminded that some of the fundamentals of football and coaching were what beat us out there today."
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was not pleased after his team’s 13-9 loss to the Patriots Sunday afternoon.
“It is a significant setback for our team,” Jones said at Gillette Stadium. “We needed this win. We needed to win against an opponent like this. We haven’t had them. Consequently, we’re very aware of that.”
The 6-5 Cowboys have yet to beat a team with a winning record this season, their six victories coming against the likes of the bottom-dwelling Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and Miami Dolphins. Four of their five losses have come against teams above .500, the lone exception being a 24-22 defeat to the New York Jets in Week 6.
Jones pinpointed that loss to the Jets as one of the reasons why he viewed Sunday’s matchup against the Patriots as a must-win. But the Cowboys couldn’t find the end zone in Foxborough, which Jones found surprising. Heading into Sunday, Dallas boasted the league’s top-ranked offense in total yards.
Against the Patriots Sunday, the Cowboys did have a chance to tie the game with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Coach Jason Garrett, however, elected to kick a 29-yard field goal instead of going for it on 4th-and-7 at New England’s 11-yard line. Asked about the decision, Jones didn’t want to second-guess the play call, but he still made sure to express his displeasure with the team’s performance, particularly on offense and special teams.
“This is very frustrating,” Jones said. “It’s frustrating just to be reminded that some of the fundamentals of football and coaching were what beat us out there today.”
Jones also mentioned the weather and tipped his hat to Patriots coach Bill Belichick for taking advantage of the sloppy conditions.
“I think you’re going to get out-coached during this era when you come to New England,” he said. “There’s no question that [Belichick] saw the ball was going to be hard to handle. There’s no question he put pressure on the people returning the kicks and the people handling the ball on special teams. There’s no question that he used that to really put some special emphasis on it. So, yeah, I’m frustrated.”
Jones noted he should not be feeling such levels of frustration, given the talent on the Cowboys’ roster. On Sunday, top receiver Amari Cooper was held without a catch on two targets. Running back Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 86 yards on 21 carries, adding four receptions for 40 yards.
Even though the Cowboys were a drive away from potentially tying things up, Jones doesn’t take solace in achieving a one-score result. There are no moral victories in his eyes.
“You can’t be satisfied,” Jones said. “I don’t care if it is New England this year, with their record and their coach and all that.”
Among the opponents left on the Cowboys’ schedule are the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Dak Prescott disagreed with Jones that Sunday’s loss is a setback, saying the team needs to stay confident and turn the page.
“That was a championship team we played right there,” Prescott said. “This one’s behind us. We definitely can’t say it’s a setback when we have a game [on Thursday]. So, not at all is it a setback.”
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