Cooper Rush bounced passes to open receivers while filling in for the injured Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott fumbled into the end zone for one of Dallas’ five turnovers, and owner Jerry Jones vented his frustration after another Cowboys loss.
The Cowboys (3-6) are still winless at home this season and have lost four in a row overall, the latest a 34-6 drubbing by NFC East rivals Philadelphia on Sunday. Dallas had only 146 total yards, their worst offensive performance at home since moving into AT&T Stadium 15 years ago.
Jerry Jones building a stadium that blinds his own players & causes losses is so on brand pic.twitter.com/Nb9VK3FbEQ
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) November 10, 2024
The Cowboys had a chance to take the lead when they trailed 7-3 in the second quarter but CeeDee Lamb, who was open in the end zone, missed a catch because the sun was in his eyes.
A frustrated Jerry Jones had some comments about the sun impacting play at AT&T Stadium: “By the way, we know where the sun is going to be when we decide to flip the coin or not. We do know where the damn sun is going to be in our own stadium.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 11, 2024
Why not put up curtains over the… pic.twitter.com/28skNrZYBq
After the game, Jones was asked if he had thought about putting curtains over the stadium’s windows to prevent glare from the sun.
“Well let’s tear the damn stadium down and build another one? Are you kidding me? Everybody has got the same thing. Every team that comes in here has the same issues,” said Jones of a stadium that cost $1.2bn to build.
He was also asked if Dallas coach Mike McCarthy should call plays depending on where the sun is in the sky. “I’m saying, the world knows where the sun is. You get to know that almost a year in advance,” said Jones. “Someone asked me about the sun. What about the sun? Where’s the moon?”
One person who would be in favor of curtains is Lamb. “Yes, 1,000%” he said when asked about bringing in curtains. He was less sure about asking Jones if he was willing to pay for them. “I mean y’all are doing my job right now,” Lamb said to reporters.
Jones also addressed other, more straightforward issues with the team. Rush had a 4-1 record filling in for Prescott two years ago, but was 13 of 23 passing for only 45 yards and lost two fumbles against the NFC East-leading Eagles. Trey Lance got his first regular-season action for the Cowboys and threw an interception. Jones was asked if Rush and Lance would remain the quarterback options for the rest of the season.
“Well, we’re gonna have to play better than we’re playing right now. I don’t know that there’s answers outside the organization, but we’re flat gonna have to play better at all positions than we played tonight,” Jones said. “It’s good to have [Micah] Parsons back. I thought he gave us a lift there. And of course, he’s wonderful to have on the field. But you know, one player can’t get it done.”
Dallas have lost five consecutive home games, a skid that began with a 48-32 home playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers last season, after Dallas had won 16 in a row at home over two seasons. The Cowboys were the only team other than New England since 2000 to have a home winning streak that long.
