The Cowboys' inability to stop the New York Giants and Denver Broncos in the closing moments resulted in losses. Kansas City drove 74 yards to tie the score near the end of regulation but lost in overtime because of Miles Austin and because, well, because they're the Chiefs.
Lapses against the Broncos and Chiefs tainted what were otherwise strong defensive performances. The Cowboys defense had a chance to win the game against the Giants and failed.
Sounds like the Cowboys have a project for the bye week.
"Yeah, it's bothering me because I've been around teams where that was our strength, that we made plays at those times and that helped win games," coach Wade Phillips said. "And we've done that here.
"It's something that we're going to emphasize more and more, and we're going to work on it more and more."
The emphasis began last week, when Phillips doubled the time spent in practice on his two-minute defense. Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was not impressed, and neither was anyone else who watched a Kansas City team that failed to gain more than 38 yards on any previous possession march down the field to tie the score with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
"They got that big play at the end, and I felt like everything we did to that moment was all for nothing," linebacker Bradie James said.
Phillips vows "to triple-up" the practice time devoted to his two-minute defense this week. First, he must discern what has gone wrong.
The Cowboys have been good on third down. Opponents convert only 30.2 percent of those downs, a statistic that places the Cowboys in the top five. The coverage scheme is the same in the team's two-minute defense. So how did the Chiefs, Giants and Broncos combine to produce eight plays of 10 or more yards against that defense?
Kansas City and New York combined to convert 3-of-4 third-down situations. After Kansas City failed to pick up the first down, it scored on fourth down.
Denver didn't need a third down. Brandon Marshall's 51-yard touchdown reception with 1:46 left was enough.
This is what perplexes Phillips.
"Now, whether it's a mentality that we're softer, that's what we're trying to work out," Phillips said. "I mean, we're trying to get that done. We're making mistakes on the same defenses that we're not making mistakes on in third down."
James has a theory.
"You know what it is?" he asked, ready to answer his own question. "I think it's gambling at the wrong time.
"Some guys are just really trying to make that big play and in that particular situation, if you gamble, either you make that play or you don't. If you don't, they score.
"I think that's something we've got to talk about, that's what's been happening. Guys want to make the play to seal off or win the game. We've got to play sound and not take that risk at the wrong time."
So which is it? Are mistakes made because the defense is too cautious late in games as it plays off the receiver and doesn't blitz as often? Or does their desire to be aggressive, to put their stamp on the game, lead to gambles that aren't worth the risks?
This is what Phillips and his defensive staff must assess during the bye week. In addition to more repetition in practice, Phillips intends to call the defense with less time on the clock, forcing his players to think and react quicker.
"I think we could play really dominating defense if we could clean that up because I think we can play the run well," Phillips said. "We have to do better."
It's going to take a lot longer than two minutes to work it all out.
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