The Dallas Cowboys suffered an embarrassing 31-10 loss against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
Just as they seemed to be finding their offensive rhythm and Dak Prescott had been playing lights out for weeks, nothing went right for the Cowboys as their run defense was non-existent, and their offense just could not get anything going.
The Cowboys faced heavy criticism following the game, including from sports television personality Stephen A. Smith.
Cowboys Face Criticism After Embarrassing Loss
Bills running back James Cook outplayed the entire Cowboys team, as he had 221 scrimmage yards, and Dallas had just 195 total yards. Additionally, the Cowboys only crossed the 50-yard line three times over the entire game.
Entering the contest as the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, averaging 32.4 points per game, it was a different story in Buffalo as Dallas was completely shut down, and its five-game win streak was snapped.
Dak Prescott struggled to deal with Buffalo’s defensive line pressure and had one of his worst performances of the season. He completed 61.8% of his passes for 134 yards, a season-low, no touchdowns, and a fourth-quarter interception.
After the Bills’ dominant victory over the Cowboys, Smith had a lot to say as he posted a video to X (formerly Twitter) laughing about the loss with the caption, “How ‘bout them Cowboys!!!”
How ‘bout them Cowboys!!! pic.twitter.com/Rt0yjwqSpq
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) December 18, 2023
“You sat up there listening to old Stevie A [Stephen A. Smith] tell you Dak Prescott MVP candidate… I didn’t tell you about the running game of Buffalo,” Smith said in the video. “I ain’t tell you about the inclement weather. I ain’t tell you about Western New York and how the Dallas Cowboys ain’t fit to deal with such adverse conditions.
“I let it set up there and believe that those Dallas Cowboys gonna be special… And they got stomped. What did I tell you? I’m gonna leave you alone for now.”
On social media, fans expressed frustration and disappointment after the loss. Dallas has struggled to win on the road this season and looked like a completely different team than they have at home in recent weeks.
After a 33-13 win over Philadelphia that had fans’ hopes high, it was a shock for many to see how poorly they performed against the Bills.
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“Every year, there’s one ‘This team is two entirely separate teams at home and on the road’ team, and every year it’s the Cowboys,” one fan posted.
Many joked about how the Cowboys’ defense just could not stop Cook, who had a career day.
The Dallas Cowboys defense trying to stop James Cook pic.twitter.com/TlsDwJyYKM
— Cutter Whitley (@iamcutterbutter) December 17, 2023
James Cook vs. the Cowboys defense pic.twitter.com/63wQanns2D
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) December 17, 2023
The result of Sunday’s matchup will damage Prescott’s MVP odds, especially when fellow frontrunner Brock Purdy threw for four touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The team’s away record is now 3-4, and they play two of their last three on the road.
While the team clinched a playoff berth earlier in the day when the Carolina Panthers upset the Atlanta Falcons, the Philadelphia Eagles can now regain control of the NFC East after Dallas fell to 10-4 on the season.
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