The Jacksonville Jaguars entered Sunday's game against the Cowboys having lost 20 consecutive games to NFC teams. According to Cowboys radio analyst Babe Laufenberg, it was the longest non-conference losing streak in NFL history. But that streak is no more after Jacksonville beat Dallas 40-34 in overtime.
What's worse? According to ESPN, the Cowboys had won 39 straight games (including playoffs) when leading by at least 17 points. A Brett Maher 53-yard field goal gave Dallas a 27-10 lead with 5:21 left in the third quarter. The Jags would respond by scoring three touchdowns in less than nine minutes. The game eventually went to overtime and ended after Dak Prescott's pass went off Noah Brown's hands and into the arms of Jaguars defender Rayshawn Jenkins who returned it 52 yards for a walk-off touchdown.
After the game, several Cowboys spoke about how disappointing the loss was.
"Upset. Point blank. Period," wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said when asked to describe the mood in the locker room. "We felt like we should have won the game. We didn't. That's how it goes. We should have pulled it off in overtime. We had the opportunity. We just didn't capitalize."
One big concern coming out of Sunday's game is the Cowboys' injuries on defense. Defense end Dorance Armstrong and safety Donovan Wilson exited with injuries but were able to return. However, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch suffered a neck injury early in the game and never returned. That, in addition to nose tackle Johnathan Hankins being lost for the rest of the regular season due to a strained pec, contributed to the Cowboys getting shredded on the ground to the tune of 192 yards. Combine that with Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence having 318 yards passing and his first career four-touchdown game, and there's certainly a lot for the Cowboys to be discouraged about on the flight home.
"Sh*t. We lost. We didn't pull it off. We gotta be better. Gotta be better," cornerback Trevon Diggs said. "Sh*t. It sucked. I don't like losing. Nobody on my team likes losing. It sucked. We got to get the corrections and make sure that sh*t doesn't happen again.
"It's tough. It's bitter. You got to suck it up and finish the season strong. Obviously, not how we want to lose," Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons added. "We can't put the blame (on just one person). There's 11 people out there. Obviously, we got to do something different and go get better from it. Everything can't be perfect. But you strive for that type of execution. (Giving up) 34 isn't executing, so we got to get better. ... No excuse mentality. We got to fix our F-ups and you know, just go from there.”
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