ARLINGTON, Texas _ The child prodigy offensive coordinator who has drawn up plays since he was a zygote inexplicably lost faith in his quarterback when all Dak Prescott had done was create confidence that he's "got this."
Dak deserved better from head coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
The dynamic duo of Garrett and Moore undercut their quarterback Sunday night.
The defense was abused, the NFL's highest-paid running back was busy running into butts and the only way the Dallas Cowboys were going to defeat the Minnesota Vikings was if their quarterback carried the entire team.
Doing that against a good team is the one thing Dak had not much done in his career as the starting quarterback.
He has plenty of fourth-quarter comeback wins. He's had many multi-touchdown passing nights. He's just never had the type of game where he had to do it all by himself against a legit opponent.
The Vikings aren't the New England Patriots, maybe not even the LSU Tigers, but Dak ... ya done good. It's just a shame your head coach didn't think you could pull it off.
The Cowboys dropped to 5-4 with a 28-24 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Dallas is now in a first-place tie in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Former Cowboys assistant and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer stuck it to his old team, and both Garrett and Moore should feel the burn for this loss. (As should the defense).
The Cowboys were "out-Cowboy'd."
Like so many defensive coaches and coordinators before him, Zimmer dared Dak to beat him. For maybe the first time in his career, Dak had to go it alone against a good defense to give his team a chance to win the game.
He was doing it, too, right up until the time his coach and coordinator neutered him at the most crucial point in the game.
Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott ran for 47 yards on 20 carries. Let's say that again: Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott ran the ball 20 times for 47 yards.
And for only the third time in the history of the franchise the Cowboys failed to gain a rushing first down.
The Vikings sold out to stop Zeke, and it was not his night. These things happen.
No matter; Dak passed for nearly 400 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. With receivers Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb catching passes that looked like they were thrown from Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, Dak was beating a good defense with his arm, and accuracy.
Consider this: On third-and-7 plays, Dak was 5 for 5 and averaged 17.8 yards per attempt.
He put the ball in places only his receivers could catch, and one cannot scream loudly enough to stress just how good Cooper and Cobb were against the Vikings.
After a defense that was abused by Vikings running back Dalvin Cook finally got the necessary fourth-quarter stop, Dak was driving his team down the field for the game-winning touchdown.
The Cowboys started their fateful drive at their own 6-yard line and trailed by four points with 4:34 remaining.
Dak passed the offense down to the Vikings' 11-yard line and faced a second and 2. The Cowboys then leaned on their running back, and Zeke gained no yards.
On the next play, Garrett and Moore leaned on the same running back, and this time Zeke was stopped for a 3-yard loss.
"I don't want to get into the particulars of the play," Garrett said.
Good idea. Best not to do that.
Zeke's longest carry of the game was for six yards. He was not going anywhere against the Vikings, and "Garrett Moore" insisted that running the ball was a better alternative to a passing game that had saved them.
On the fateful fourth-down play, then "Garrett Moore" reverted to the pass. Dak's pass was intended for Zeke on a screen, and of course the ball was batted away by linebacker Eric Kendricks.
Forty seconds later, the Cowboys had the ball back and had one final shot for a game-winning touchdown try. Given how the night transpired, it's a little surprising "Garrett Moore" didn't just hand the ball off to Zeke from midfield to see if he could pop that thing for the Hail Mary touchdown run.
(FYI: Dak's final heave was intercepted).
Of the four Cowboys losses this season, this was the most disheartening.
Losing to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers happens. The same for dropping a tight game in New Orleans. The loss against the Jets ... apparently was real, and not a hologram.
Unlike their loss against the Jets, the Cowboys were fully engaged Sunday night and playing the type of opponent they should beat if they are legit team. They trailed, re-gained the lead, and had it.
They were playing their football twin, and Minnesota simply beat up the Cowboys.
Almost by himself, Dak had the Cowboys in a position to win the game. It's too bad "Garrett Moore" didn't trust him to finish it off.
