FRISCO — Frustration comes in many forms.
Dak Prescott used the word multiple times in the wake of the Cowboys’ loss to San Francisco as he acknowledged and discussed the mistakes that continue to happen.
Trevon Diggs emerged to confront a reporter before the locker room at Levi’s Stadium was open to the media. Diggs took exception to a social media post from the team’s 30-24 loss and told the reporter to stay in his lane and stop playing him. When the cornerback turned his back to return to the locker room, the reporter said they could talk about it.
“Talk about deez nuts,’’ Diggs responded.
Frustration was to be expected. Sunday night’s loss dropped the Cowboys to 3-4, the latest the team has been under .500 since the end of Mike McCarthy’s first season as head coach in January 2021.
That emotion in and of itself isn’t a concern. It’s an expectation after a loss.
How a team handles that frustration in the following days and weeks speaks to its ability to work through the issues that exist.
“Clearly, I would say frustration is accurate,’’ McCarthy said. “It’s very natural. Common, post-game.
“I don’t see it being an issue at all going forward.’’
Maybe. But some of the same issues that have plagued the Cowboys in this disappointing start were evident again. Attention to detail and the need for better communication were among them. McCarthy mentioned both coming out of the 38-point loss to Detroit.
It was déjà vu Monday from that standpoint, as he echoed the themes he did one week earlier.
“We had communication errors on plays four, five, six and seven in the first offensive drive,’’ McCarthy said. “These are the things ...
“We’re just staying on top of the facts and the exacts of what happened in the game. Because it’s a specific to how we want to play and everything is affected by that when you don’t get into the rhythm and the run game doesn’t get going and the action pass doesn’t come off that. All those things tie together.
“So going back to the first part, I just think clearly the details and then the communication and from that you have production and then the confidence grows and then the physicality grows, winning production and everything takes care of itself.’’
Another issue is turnovers. Prescott threw two interceptions in the loss while the defense failed to force any turnovers. He has now thrown two interceptions in three consecutive games for the first time in his career.
It’s been 32 years since another quarterback in a Cowboys uniform did that. His name was Troy Aikman.
“I don’t have to be perfect, but I damn sure can’t be having the turnovers,’’ Prescott said.
San Francisco’s defensive pressure, a constant irritant in Sunday’s game, pushed Prescott off his spot and forced him to throw deep while being hit. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown jumped and intercepted the ball with little to no resistance from receiver KaVontae Turpin.
“You would love for Turp to break that thing up,’’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer conceded. “At that point, when you realize you can’t get to the ball you’ve got to become a defender to knock it down.’’
Prescott’s second interception came when he tried to find CeeDee Lamb along the sideline on a third-and-four in the third quarter. The receiver was blanketed by corner Deommodore Lenoir.
It was a ball he never should have thrown.
“The second one was as bonehead of an interception as I feel like I’ve had,’’ Prescott said. “Trying to make the play. Too much confidence in myself in that moment right there.’’
The Cowboys are a minus-8 in turnover ratio heading into next weekend’s game with Atlanta. Schottenheimer called it “a losing formula.’’
Schottenheimer’s father was NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer. McCarthy, who studied under the elder Schottenheimer, said the son told him that dad was probably turning over in his grave watching the two preside over an offense that’s a minus-8.
“Once again, we put ourselves behind on the turnover battle and that one’s on me,’’ Prescott said. “You can’t have that if you plan to win games.
“I’ve got to clean that up. Period.’’
There’s more to clean up. The Cowboys can’t afford too many more third quarters like the one they had Sunday, when they were outscored 21-0 and outgained in yards 167 to 12.
And Diggs? McCarthy is always talking to his players about staying on the high road and representing the organization properly. The head coach spoke again of the frustration that was evident for his team coming out of the game but added, “we have to be better in those moments.’’
Those are individual discussions that take place when a team hits a rough patch like this one. The key is not to let those frustrations fester.
“We’ve got to move forward,’’ McCarthy said.
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