SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Less than 20 minutes after the Dallas Cowboys lost 30-24 to the San Francisco 49ers, Trevon Diggs was outside the visiting locker room in full uniform, visibly upset with a reporter for a post he made on X early in the third quarter.
“Out of that whole play, that’s what you took from that?” Diggs asked WFAA’s Mike Leslie. “You don’t know football. You can’t do nothing that I do. You can’t go out there and do nothing. Stay in your lane, buddy.”
The play in question was a 43-yard catch-and-run by 49ers tight end George Kittle. Diggs was not the primary defender on the play but as Kittle ran up the field after the catch, Diggs began to set up his pursuit angle. Throughout his career, but especially in recent weeks, Diggs has taken heat for shying away from contact and being hesitant to make tackles. Some of the most glaring examples came against the Detroit Lions before the bye week.
Leslie attempted to continue the exchange, saying “We can talk about it more.” Diggs responded by saying, “talk about these nuts” as he went back in the locker room. When the media was allowed in the locker room, Diggs was present but not available for comment.
Mr. George #NationalTightEndsDay Kittle!
📺: #DALvsSF on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/VevMayJnBK— NFL (@NFL) October 28, 2024
After the game, quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged that “frustration is very high” and that “it’s a long season.” The season is dwindling with every passing week. Nearly halfway through the season, the Cowboys are 3-4. They remain in the division race with the Washington Commanders (6-2) and Philadelphia Eagles (5-2). The Cowboys still have two head-to-head games against both teams, including one apiece in two of the next four games and the final two games of the season. So, yes, mathematically, the Cowboys are not out of it.
But the trends are troubling. There aren’t any quick fixes on the horizon, and that includes the anticipated returns of a handful of players from injury.
The 49ers racked up 223 rushing yards on 6.2 yards per attempt. Would Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Marshawn Kneeland fix that? All three were on the field when the New Orleans Saints rushed for 190 yards in Week 2 and the Baltimore Ravens gashed the Cowboys for 274 rushing yards in Week 3. Brandin Cooks has struggled to find his groove in Dallas since his arrival last year. Will his return make a difference, especially if Prescott continues to make careless mistakes?
Speaking of trends, Sunday night bucked one frequently discussed the past two weeks. Coming into Week 8, the Cowboys were 3-0 on the road and 0-3 at home. That discrepancy was framed as if the circumstances were the curious problems to solve, not the personnel. The Cowboys now have a loss on the road, and maybe it hasn’t been so much about where the games have been played as it has been who the Cowboys have played.
The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants are two of the worst teams in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers are respectable — they’re tied for the lead in the AFC North — and figuring out their quarterback situation. That Week 5 matchup in Pittsburgh had some exceptional challenges, given the lengthy weather delay, and still took a great play in the last minute for the Cowboys to win the game. The losses have come against a Saints team when they were still healthy, one of the best teams in the AFC (Ravens), arguably the best team in the NFC (Lions) and on Sunday, a 49ers team that, although banged up, still has enough in place to be a legitimate challenger in the NFC.
If these first seven games are to be taken as tests for where the Cowboys stand, the results say they are mediocre. They’re better than the basement teams like the Browns and Giants but not in the same class with the Ravens, Lions and 49ers. Dallas is a middling team whose ceiling may be a playoff berth.
If there’s still ambiguity about who the Cowboys are, there should be definitive answers by Thanksgiving. Here are the Cowboys’ next four games:
• A decent Atlanta Falcons (5-3) team that leads the NFC South.
• A crucial division game against the Eagles at AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys’ last win was Dec. 30, 2023.
• The AFC South-leading Houston Texans (6-2) visit for a Monday night matchup Nov. 18.
• The NFC East-leading Commanders on the road Nov. 24.
“The sun will rise tomorrow,” linebacker Eric Kendricks said. “You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror tonight. These next 24 hours are going to be big, as far as reflection, what we could have done better, individually, and collectively, as a team.”
As Prescott said, frustration is very high for the Cowboys. It’s already resulted in public outbursts from owner and GM Jerry Jones with the media over the bye week. A star player in Diggs was added to that list Sunday.
For a team that had high expectations entering the season, the frustration is understandable. Whether it will be channeled to spark change for the better or completely spiral out of control remains to be seen, but it may become evident — one way or the other — very soon.
(Photo of Trevon Diggs and Chris Conley: Kelley L Cox / Imagn Images)
