The Cowboys are on edge after two straight home losses with slow starts and big deficits

FRISCO, Texas – Star quarterback Dak Prescott said the Dallas Cowboys need to be more professional and focused.

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis used a few profanities to explain his belief that the team was seriously lacking in attention to detail.

A third straight home loss by a three-touchdown deficit has the defending NFC East champions on edge as they face a short week before their division opener against the New York Giants on Thursday night.

“We’re not detail-oriented,” Lewis said Monday, a day after a 28-25 loss to Baltimore that was narrow only because the Cowboys had a 19-0 fourth-quarter advantage. “You can take advantage of the details. That’s how you win in this league. Everybody’s good in this league. It’s the details that make you different.”

The Cowboys (1-2) gave up 274 rushing yards in Baltimore, the most since one of the worst defenses in franchise history gave up two games of at least 294 rushing yards in 2020.

The Ravens scored easy touchdowns on their first two drives a week after the Saints reached the end zone the first six times they had the ball in New Orleans’ 44-19 victory.

Dallas’ offense did a good job of trying to keep up with New Orleans early. The Cowboys settled for too many field goals.

Before the late rally fueled by a rare kickoff recovery against the Ravens, Prescott and his teammates weren’t as effective.

All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb, who was not available to reporters after the game or when the locker room opened Monday, had a fumble and one of three false starts for an offense that also had three holding penalties.

For now, the Cowboys can argue that it’s still early for a club that has posted three straight 12-win regular seasons under coach Mike McCarthy, who is in the final year of his contract.

Things will change dramatically if Prescott’s personal 12-game winning streak against the Giants (1-2) ends.

If there is any hint of trouble on the horizon, it would be with both Prescott and Lewis, hinting at players not getting enough time away from practice to prepare for games.

“It’s a job, and you have to be ready for every part of the job, no matter what the situation is,” Prescott said. “Spending time away from the building to be in the building. Being a pro and understanding that you can get so many practice reps. But you can watch film, you can do all these other things that will help you compensate. We just have to be more focused.”

What works

While Lamb has had a less than stellar start to the season after missing all of training camp due to an unsigned contract, Prescott is getting familiar with other options. Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin both caught touchdowns late in the game. Tolbert was just a week away from his career highs in receptions and yards.

What needs help

The Cowboys haven’t stopped the run and have allowed five passes of at least 30 yards in their back-to-back home losses. As a result, the Saints and Ravens have completed just 31 pass attempts combined. That’s the fewest pass attempts in two games against the Cowboys since 1990.

Derek Carr and Lamar Jackson combined to complete 23 of 31 passes for 425 yards, or more than 18 yards per carry. Dallas, which has just one sack in the last two games, has given up 484 yards rushing on nearly 6 yards per carry.

Store

Kicker Brandon Aubrey can’t be more expensive. He made a 65-yard field goal against the Ravens, one yard shy of the NFL record. He’s made 15 of 15 field goals from 50 yards or more in his career, the league’s all-time record at 46 of 48.

Stocks down

The sample size is growing on a nearly nonexistent running game. The Cowboys finished the weekend 29th in yards per carry at 3.56 after seeing Derrick Henry run for 151 yards and two touchdowns against them. Henry was a free agent last offseason, but owner/GM Jerry Jones said after the game that Dallas couldn’t afford him.

The Cowboys could afford Ezekiel Elliott, but the return of their two-time rushing champion didn’t help. He had a career-low three carries for 6 yards against the Ravens, and that included a single season in New England where Elliott was underutilized in 2023. Elliott didn’t get his first touch until Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn in Dallas’ running back-by-committee approach.

Injuries

TE Jake Ferguson returned to form after missing one game with a knee injury. … S Markquese Bell injured his ankle against Baltimore and did not return.

Key number

0:00 — Length of time Dallas has led in its last three home games. That includes the 48-32 playoff loss to Green Bay that ended last season and snapped a 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium.

Next steps

Four of the next five games will be away from home for the Cowboys over a six-week stretch that includes the bye period. The Cowboys have won 13 of their last 14 games against the Giants. The loss came in New York to end the 2020 season, McCarthy’s first in Dallas.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL