In a game marked by injuries to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, the actual results of Week 9 are far less dramatic but just as concerning. The Cowboys’ 27-21 loss to Atlanta on Sunday was similar to their other losses.

Their inability to stop the run was a constant for the defense, and missed tackles made matters worse. The Dallas offense didn’t fare much better. Prescott’s offense only managed 13 points. No. 4 went 18 for 24 for 133 yards and a touchdown before suffering a hamstring injury in the third quarter.

Prescott was immediately ruled out, suggesting this injury may linger in the coming weeks. Lamb’s shoulder injury also kept him out of action, but he managed to come back late, even though the game seemed out of control at that point. Rico Dowdle and Jake Ferguson both showed off their playing ability, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Dallas’ many other problems.

Some of these issues are our findings from Week 9.

Pre-snap penalties

Pre-snap penalties are the types of unforced errors that a good team should avoid. They slow down the drive and interrupt the momentum while pushing back attacks. The Cowboys, no strangers to pre-snap penalties, seemingly committed six of those unforced errors in Week 9.

Given that the Cowboys were on the road and playing with two rookie starters on offense, some degree of these pre-snap penalties is understandable, but at some point players have to realize what a drive-killer they are and what discipline they require Having them is as much a factor in the NFL as playmaking ability.

First down luck

First downs were a focus of these postgame reports in 2024. The Cowboys consistently performed poorly on first downs and the offense consistently fell short of the eight-ball as a result. In Week 9, the Cowboys appeared to fix that problem, if only for a week.

Before Prescott left that day, the Cowboys were 13 for 20 on first downs, giving them a 64 percent success rate per first down. The passing game started red hot, opened the way for the running game and gave the Cowboys a balanced attack for what felt like the first time this season.

Late failures

Unfortunately, any gains made on the first descent were lost on the third and fourth descents. The Cowboys, usually efficient on third downs, were anything but efficient in Atlanta. The Cowboys scored just 3 of 13 on third down. Fourth downs were even worse as they only managed 1 of 5. Combined, they had a 22 percent success rate on late downs. That rarely leads to victories.

Remember, Dallas failed to complete a punt fake pass on fourth down, they were tackled for loss on a Lamb Jet sweep, and they were flagged for 12 men in the huddle. Yikes.

Overshows is the most consistent defensive playmaker

In a year where almost all of the top defensive players were sidelined due to injury, it was first-year starter DeMarvion Overshown who was the most consistent. While the highest-paid and most experienced player, Trevon Diggs, had ups and downs, Overshown thrived in both phases of the game, energizing his teammates and typically delivering crucial shots.

As the Cowboys look to reshape and rebuild their roster for the coming seasons, it’s clear that Overshown is a cornerstone for any defensive system to build upon.

Related articles

This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Unforced errors outweigh first-down success among takeaways from Cowboys’ Week 9 loss