The Dallas Cowboys suffered their third straight loss with a 27-21 final score in Atlanta. On top of it all, both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb had potentially serious injuries that could impact their availability moving forward. There were a ton of big, impactful plays in this one, but these five deserve special attention for how they sum up the game and season: a general lack of detail.

Zack Martin misses huge block on screen pass

The Cowboys defense got off to a good start in this one, forcing a punt on the opening drive of the game. In turn, the offense came out scorching too, with Dak Prescott completing all five of his passes and quickly getting into scoring range.

After a first down run to Rico Dowdle, Dallas moved just inside the red zone at the Atlanta 19. On second down, Prescott hit Dowdle on a screen pass, but he was tackled immediately for a loss of four. Linebacker Kaden Elliss made the tackle after blowing right by Zack Martin, who completely whiffed on his block.

On the replay, the missed opportunity set in. Dowdle had a wide open field in front of him and very likely would’ve scored a touchdown if Martin had made his block. But on third and 12, Dallas was unable to move the chains and had to settle for a field goal. This was an early four-point swing in a game that was ultimately decided by six points.

Kaden Elliss left unblocked on fourth-down attempt

Credit where it’s due, as the Dallas defense did their best in this one despite being down so many key players. After recovering a strip sack, they set their offense up to retake the lead down 7-3, but miscommunication on a third-down run set up fourth and short.

Dallas opted to go for it, and the Falcons were loading up the middle of the defensive line. Dak Prescott appeared to make an audible at the line, and he brought CeeDee Lamb in motion for a jet sweep handoff. However, Kaden Elliss got to him right away and held him up for a turnover on downs.

The replay pointed out how few defenders were over on the side of the field that Lamb was running to. Had Elliss been blocked at all – no Cowboys player even touched him at the snap – Lamb would have easily had the first down and possibly even scored. Once again, the little things doomed Dallas here.

Trevon Diggs missed tackle sets up Falcons touchdown

Following the failed fourth down from Dallas, the Falcons took over right at midfield and had a chance to go up by two scores. They quickly started driving, but a holding call erased a big third-down conversion and instead set up third and 14.

Taking a shotgun snap, Kirk Cousins quickly hit Kyle Pitts for a catch-and-run. Trevon Diggs came up to meet Pitts at the 42-yard line, but opted to go for a big hit instead of wrapping up for the tackle. Pitts easily evaded him and picked up an additional six yards.

He still came up short of the first down, but Atlanta was now looking at fourth and three instead of fourth and nine. That made all the difference, as the Falcons went for it and ultimately scored a 36-yard touchdown after Diggs got caught up in traffic. However, that play likely never even happens if Diggs goes for a more sound tackle on third down.

Terence Steele false start kills drive before it even starts

The Cowboys got the ball to start the second half and things were somewhat trending their way. The defense had been solid, the offense was starting to gain traction, and they were only down 14-10. A touchdown to start the third quarter would put them in the lead.

Before they had even snapped the ball, and before a second had even come off the clock, Dallas found a way to go backwards. On first down, Terence Steele moved early and was promptly hit with a false start penalty. Pre-snap penalties are hard to stomach in general, but they’re especially inexcusable on the first play of the half right out of the break.

The penalty backed Dallas up five yards, starting them out behind schedule. They ended up punting after three plays, but they came up just two yards shy of the first down. They picked up 13 yards on plays where they actually snapped the ball, but the penalty from Steele ensured that it wouldn’t be enough and squandered their chance at retaking the lead.

KaVontae Turpin can’t stay in bounds on punt return

After Dak Prescott was ruled out for the game, Cooper Rush came in and predictably struggled, with the Cowboys punting. But the Falcons were also forced to punt, and that’s when KaVontae Turpin ripped off a solid punt return.

Turpin got outside to the edge and started tiptoeing down the sideline, picking up 16 yards in total before going out of bounds. The heartbreak came on the replay, when a wide open field was visible. If Turpin had managed to keep himself in bounds on the sideline, he very well could have scored on this return.

Down 27-13 with just under eight minutes left in the game, that play could’ve changed everything. The Cowboys were going to need some big plays to make a comeback with Rush under center, and a Turpin house call would certainly have fit the bill. As it turned out, though, Dallas ended up turning it over on downs on that drive, leaving everyone with thoughts of what could’ve been. And in that sense, it summed up a thematic throughline for this entire season as the team dropped to 3-5.

Morrissey’s Dallas concert took a chaotic turn on Nov. 2 when an unexpected rush of fans forced the singer to abruptly cancel his show.

The incident unfolded at Fair Park Music Hall, where Morrissey was performing “First of the Gang to Die” as an encore to an enthusiastic crowd when a single fan managed to get onstage to embrace him. While the singer initially appeared unfazed, security stepped in to guide the fan away.

Things soon spiraled out of control as other audience members began following suit and rushed the stage. As additional concertgoers attempted to join the impromptu meet-and-greet, security struggled to contain the crowd.

According to footage obtained by TMZ, at least one guard appeared to lose balance amidst the scuffle, reportedly injuring their leg in the commotion. Morrissey was quickly whisked offstage by his team, leaving the audience without further explanation. He’s yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.

It’s far from the first time Morrissey has walked off stage mid-performance. His career is peppered with similar exits, often for reasons ranging from vocal issues to environmental concerns and confrontations with fans.

In 2009, Morrissey famously left the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California due to the smell of burning meat from nearby food vendors. Disturbed by what he perceived as the scent of “burning flesh,” he commented, “I can smell burning flesh, and I hope to God it’s human,” before ending his set abruptly.

In 2014, he also ended his San Jose show prematurely after multiple audience members rushed onstage. While Morrissey initially seemed amused, he was forced to leave when a few overly eager fans inadvertently knocked him to the ground.

That same year, he cut short a concert in Warsaw, Poland, after just 25 minutes following an incident with a heckler. Although the exact nature of the heckling was unclear, it was enough for Morrissey to leave the stage without returning.

In 2017, he ended a performance in Tucson, Arizona, after only six songs, citing voice issues. The pattern repeated in 2022 at Los Angeles’s Greek Theatre, where he departed just 30 minutes into the show, leaving his band to inform the audience that the concert was over without any explanation.

And there you have it. The Dallas Cowboys 2024 season is likely over after the 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. We can put any rational thoughts of making the postseason this year to bed and start looking towards the future, even though there is still half of the regular-season to play this year.

This matchup against the Falcons was once again a bad all-around performance for the Cowboys if you’re only looking at how things stand presently. If you’re looking at it with the future in mind though, there’s actually some good we can take away from this loss. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the good, bad, and ugly after Dallas’ Week 9 loss.

THE GOOD – 2025 NFL Draft season starts early

Prepare yourselves, 2025 mock drafts for the Cowboys will start to pop up pretty regularly now that they have dwindling odds of making the playoffs after the 27-21 loss to the Falcons. This team really has nothing left to play for the rest of the season other than selecting as high as possible in the 2025 NFL Draft. The higher the pick, the better the player. This might be the only thing worth keeping track of the rest the year. Right now, it’s looking as if they will be a shoo-in to end up with a Top 10 selection.

THE BAD – Only at the halfway point in 2024

There is still half of the 2024 NFL regular-season to play, but for the Cowboys it feels like it is already over. Yes, they still have to play out the remainder of their schedule this year, but there is little hope they can turn things around to make the playoffs. That means things will probably start getting worse as the season progresses, making this team even harder to watch on a week-to-week basis. That’s especially true if they decide to try to finish the year strong, which will only hurt their draft position in the 2025 NFL Draft.

THE UGLY – Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury

Normally, the thought of Dak Prescott sidelined for any amount of time would be detrimental to the team’s success week in and week out. 2024 though isn’t a normal season for the Cowboys. This year has been bad from the start and it hasn’t really gotten any better over time. What Prescott’s injury does though is open the door for the Cowboys brass to start evaluating younger players with the future in mind. The opportunity to evaluate a few backups who could have starting potential could be invaluable for the draft/free agency. CeeDee Lamb’s injury might also be an issue to monitor,