The Dallas Cowboys had a chance to keep pace with the NFC East’s two other 2-1 teams in their late afternoon tilt at the Seattle Seahawks. The team hoped to build on the workmanlike performance in last week’s 20-13 victory over the New York Giants. Instead Womens Deonte Thompson Jersey , we witnessed a sloppy, undisciplined, unimpressive performance that has fans legitimately questioning if this team has hope for a successful season. Let’s look at the grades.OVERALL: C-It’s tempting to give a lower grade here due to the many bad plays and performances on display Sunday. But there were some good things that happened. Dallas actually out-gained Seattle on the day 303 to 295. The team also gained 166 yards on the ground and averaged 8.7 yards per rush. The defense allowed only 4.4 yards per play by the Seahawks. In between all the ugliness there were some things to like. Unfortunately, the ugly happened more often and the bad individual plays had much more impact than the positive plays.Specifically, the Cowboys committed three turnovers and generated zero. It’s virtually impossible to win in the NFL with a negative three turnover ratio. Add untimely penalties, blown defensive assignments, additional defensive confusion and your best player making three monumental blunders and you have Sunday’s result. COACHING: C-Our own Dave Halprin makes the case for why the players bear the brunt of the blame for Sunday’s loss. He’s right that the player’s simply failed to execute basic fundamentals on numerous plays. But the Cowboys weren’t ready to play Sunday. They were sloppy, undisciplined and unprepared. And they had numerous units play below expectations. Whenever you have such widespread failure to meet expectations leadership has to bear some responsibility. The preparation and readiness of the Cowboys simply wasn’t there against the Seahawks. Yes, Ezekiel Elliott is the player who stepped out of bounds, negating what should have been a key second quarter touchdown. But why did that happen? How is the team practicing and preparing where he makes such a fundamental mistake?Special teams penalties have plagued this team throughout both the preseason and the regular season and they reared their head again Sunday. Why aren’t the coaches correcting these errors? Why were the Cowboys’ defense repeatedly unprepared when the Seahawks snapped the ball? This resulted in wasting timeouts and allowing big plays to a Seahawks offense that largely struggled otherwise. Something isn’t right in the way this team prepares. There’s too many players, too many units, not meeting reasonable expectations. Quarterback: CMany are ready to pull the plug on Dak Prescott and it’s understandable why. Prescott threw for 170 yards or less for the third consecutive game. He’s on pace to throw for less than 2,700 yards in 2018. Dak seems completely unable or unwilling to force the ball downfield and teams have no fear of flooding the short zone with defenders. The team hasn’t done him many favors in terms of scheme or personnel, however. The Dallas offense continues to be apredictable, unimaginative approach that fails to take advantage of the things Dak does well. The offensive line, supposedly the strength of this team and where draft picks and salary cap has been invested, has been below average in 2018. After being sacked six times in week one Prescott was sacked another five times against the Seahawks. He was also hit ten additional times and had very few plays where he was able to stand in the pocket and scan the field. On the rare occasions he was able to deliver the ball he was failed by his receivers. Michael Gallup converted a perfectly thrown first down pass into an interception. Ezekiel Elliott also contributed a drop, and then managed to step out of bounds negating a would-be touchdown catch-and-run. In short, the passing game has been bad in every phase: scheme, protection, receivers and Dak himself. It’s really hard to believe all of these elements are going to improve. Running back: CEzekiel Elliot was the running game Sunday, and he finally looked like All Pro Ezekiel Elliott. He ran hard, with purpose and speed and consistently reached the second level. He averaged nearly eight yards per attempt on his sixteen attempts. But no one’s going to remember that due to three monumental blunders that, combined, affected the game more than his 127 yards rushing. Many have legitimately criticized Scott Linehan for failing to effectively utilize Elliott in the passing game like others have done with Leveon Bell, David Johnson, Kareem Hunt and Todd Gurley. Sunday Elliot twice had opportunities to make big plays in the passing game and each time he failed miserably. First, on a third down play early in the second quarter in a 0-0 game Dallas got exactly what they wanted: Elliott isolated on a linebacker crossing the shallow zone. Elliott got a step on his man and Prescott delivered the ball for what would have certainly been a first down and probably a big play. Elliott simply dropped the ball, ending that possession. Second came probably the biggest play of the game. Trailing 7-0 late in the second period Dallas faced a 3rd-and-2 from the Seattle 31-yard line. Prescott scrambled right after being pressured yet again. Seahawks safety Earl Thomas was put in a hopeless position... defend Elliott for the pass or allow Prescott to run for the first down. He attacked Prescott, who responded by throwing a simple pass to Elliott, which he caught and then raced in for a tying touchdown. But as we all know http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/anthony-brown-jersey , Elliott lost track of the sideline and stepped out of bounds, negating the touchdown and resulting in a penalty. It was simply a dumb, undisciplined play from the team’s best player and it completely wiped out all the good that had happened on that drive up to that point. Finally, trailing 24-6 early in the fourth quarter and with things looking hopeless, Elliott provided some hope by breaking free from midfield for a run into the Seahawks’ red zone. However, Elliott struggled for extra yardage and fumbled at the end of the play, effectively ending the game. Elliott’s three bad plays more than negated the positives he contributed with his 138 total yards from scrimmage. The Cowboys’ have no chance of winning when their best player makes three huge, monumentally bad plays. TIGHT ENDS: BThere’s little to write about this nondescript group. Geoff Swaim did contribute 47 yards on seven targets, but none really made much of an impact. Rico Gathers continues to look for his first career reception. WIDE RECEIVERS: DWhether it’s scheme, Dak Prescott’s unwillingness to throw the ball downfield or the receivers not getting open, this low-pedigreed group of receivers simply isn’t making plays. The Cowboys’ passing attack not only isn’t making any deep plays (or even trying to make deep plays), it’s also not making any intermediate plays (or even trying to). The group combined for only 110 yards receiving Sunday. Worse, one of the team’s three turnovers came as a result of Michael Gallup dropping a ball that hit him directly in the hands for what should have been an easy catch. The rookie now has two drops and only three catches on the season. Tavon Austin did contribute an 18-yard run and his second touchdown as a Cowboy. But otherwise, this group is contributing almost nothing to the Cowboys’ offense. DEFENSIVE LINE: C-The Seahawks’ offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL. They had surrendered 11 sacks in their first two games. They had also failed to provide any running room for Seahawks’ runners. The Cowboys’ offensive line was expected to feast on an over-matched group. Instead, Russell Wilson was allowed to stand in the pocket without much pressure throughout the afternoon. In addition. the Seahawks rushed for 113 yards and had their first rushing touchdown of the season. In short, a supposedly outstanding Cowboys’ defensive line got soundly beat by a supposedly inept Seahawks’ offensive line. If you want a simple explanation for why this game didn’t go as planned, that sentence tells you all you need to know. Randy Gregory finally showed up, but not in a good way. Finally getting on the field for a full game, Gregory contributed zero sacks, zero tackles, zero quarterback hurries, zero fumbles caused, zero fumbles recovered, zero tackles for loss and zero passes defensed. He did, however, gift the Seahawks three points with a knuckle-headed penalty following a key Cowboys’ stop late in the first half. Demarcus Lawrence did contribute a half sack but otherwise was held in check most of the day. It was a very disappointing day for a unit that is supposed to be a strength of the team.LINEBACKERS: ASean Lee finally looked like Sean Lee, recording eleven tackles and a half sack. Unfortunately Lee suffered yet another soft-tissue injury and pretty much sat out the final quarter. No problem. Leighton Vander Esch stepped right in and did his best Lee impression. The Cowboys’ first-round draft pick led the team with eleven tackles. LVE has looked outstanding in his limited exposure thus far after a preseason that saw him limited by injury. The decision to draft a linebacker is looking prescient considering the fact Lee has been unable to finish two of three games this season. Finally, Jaylon Smith added a sack, eight tackles and hit Wilson hard several times. The three combined for thirty tackles and 1.5 sacks and were the only Cowboys’ unit to win their individual competition. SECONDARY: CThis very easily could have been a better grade as this group did many good things. But, like Elliott, a handful of breakdowns undid all the good the unit did throughout most of the day. Most egregious was Kavon Frazier’s mental blunder that allowed the Seahawks’ to score an easy 52-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. Frazier had nothing to gain by crowding the line of scrimmage in a misguided effort to disguise coverage. Instead http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/chris-jones-jersey , he put himself out of position to provide deep help on a play where cornerback Chidobie Awuzie was expecting help over the top. It was a monumentally stupid decision. This came after Xavier Woods was left in no-man’s land on the Seahawks’ first touchdown pass where he was forced to choose between defending one of two receivers where either choice was the wrong one. Funny how opponent’s are able to put Cowboys’ defender’s in such no-win situations but Cowboys’ coaches can’t do the same. SPECIAL TEAMS: CThis would be higher were it not for a key penalty that came in the third quarter. Tavon Austin fielded a long punt and returned it to midfield, setting up Dallas in good field position. However, a Byron Jones holding call set the team back to the Cowboys’ eleven yard line, forcing them to deal with a yet another long field. Going back to the preseason Cowboys’ return units have seemed to commit an inordinate amount of penalties.On the positive side of the ledger, Brett Maher hit both his field goals, including a 50-yarder following Ezekiel Elliott’s out-of-bounds goof. SUMMARYThe Cowboys have now played two bad games out of three and lost both. The team’s offense averages 170 yards passing and less than 14 points per game. The supposedly great defensive line just go beat up by a patchwork, substandard Seahawks’ offensive line. Unless things change significantly in fundamental ways, 2018 is going to be a long season for Cowboys’ fans. It is no secret the Cowboys offensive line has struggled throughout the 2018 season. With a brand new left guard, a fill-in at center, and a new offensive line coach, there were plenty of worries entering the year how this group would play. At times, they’ve played well. Take the Jacksonville game for example, you couldn’t have asked the Cowboys OL to handle that Jacksonville front any better than they did. Fast forward a week later, and they played their worst game of the season, in a game they desperately needed to win. Let’s take a look at the film and see what in the world is going on with the Dallas’ offensive line.Communication and consistency We’ve heard multiple times throughout the year that the Cowboys have struggled communicating protections and audibles on offense. That was on display yet again in Sunday’s matchup against the Redskins. There were multiple occasions where an offensive lineman either didn’t block anyone on a play or completely missed their assignment, thinking the play was going elsewhere. Play 1 - Washington rushes four, and the Cowboys struggling picking up the stuntThis exact play has happened far too often for the Cowboys offensive line this season. For whatever reasons, the Dallas’ tackles and guards have struggled passing these off, without giving up the pressures or the sacks. It didn’t help on this specific play that the only player Joe Looney touched was his own teammate Connor Williams. When watching the play, it looks as if Allen actually holds Williams on the play, but that rarely gets called in the NFL. Both Williams and Smith recognize the twist, but can’t pass it off cleanly which results in a sack.Regression at multiple positions has killed Cowboys OLWhen turning on the tape, it’s not just one or two players who have struggled for the Cowboys. You can look at all five of the lineman and point to mistakes they are making both in the passing game and running game. The sudden regression at multiple spots, and some of the things we’re hearing about people not enjoying Paul Alexander's new technique, leads me to believe that it may not be so much about the players themselves, but the way they are being taught to play.Play 1 - Collins gets walked back before routes can developDak Prescott was hoping to get the football to Michael Gallup hear who had Josh Norman beat at the top of his route, unfortunately for the Cowboys it did not matter, because Prescott was unable to get the ball off. La’el Collins gets beat here by a straight longarm bullrush from Ryan Kerrigan. Collins gets walked all the way back into Dak Prescott’s lap which forced him to pull the ball down, and try to escape Kerrigan. Play 2 - Tyron can’t get to his spot and loses against Smith’s speedIt’s not to often you see Tyron Smith get beat with a simple around-the-arch speed rush. Preston Smith does just that without really having to throw much of a move to fight off Smith’s punch. Tyron has struggled this year gaining depth in his initial kick step, which has resulted in him struggling with speed rushers more than he’s used to. If Tyron was able to gain more ground with his outside leg off the snap, he likely could have ridden Preston Smith up the arch and out of the play. Instead Authentic Zack Martin Jersey , he goes with a short choppy step, and gets beat to his spot. This was an easy win for Preston Smith.Play 2 - Even after a chip, Preston Smith almost gets homeYou know things are bad when you leave a tight end in to chip the pass rusher, and the rusher still hits the quarterback as he’s delivering the football. Tyron allows Smith to get to far into his chest here which allows Smith to get off his initial block, reset, and bend the edge for a clean shot at the quarterback. It seems as if Tyron also lost awareness of how close he was to the pocket/quarterback, and decided to let his guard down a little after the initial contact. Tyron has excellent length, and athleticism, but so far in 2018 he has yet to show that on a consistent basis.Running games struggles don’t always lead back to loaded boxesIt’s being reported that the Cowboys running game has struggled so much due to the amount of defenders in the box versus the amount of blockers the Cowboys have assigned. While that is a problem on some running plays, sometimes the OL just hasn’t been good enough.Play 1 - Nowhere to run to the right sideWhen you watch this play, you’ll notice La’el Collins getting crushed working to get to the second-level. While that is the main cause for concern on this play, you’ll also notice Tyron Smith failing to beat his man to his spot as well. Even if Collins does get to his man and does his job, #54 for the Redskins is right there behind him to make the tackle on Ezekiel Elliott.Play 2 - Tight End FailAs you may know, the Cowboys LOVE to ask their TE’s to block in the running game. Unfortunately, they don’t have a guy very good at that task. Surprisingly, it’s Rico Gathers that does a really nice job here turning his man and setting the edge for Ezekiel Elliott. Unfortunately, Connor Williams and Geoff Swaim can’t execute their blocks, and the plays gets blown up before it can even get started. Swaim gets knocked back off the snap, which forces Elliott to bounce the ball further outside than he wanted to, then when you add in Williams failing to reach his man, this play was absolutely doomed as soon as Swaim lost his battle. It’s unfortunate, because Rico Gathers and Zack Martin did a really nice job of winning their matchups on the play.With a bye week this week, the Cowboys will have an opportunity to regroup and figure things out while still being in the thick of the division race. For the personnel, it is unlikely you’ll see any significant changes, the only real change that could come is letting go of Paul Alexander, and promoting Marc Colombo, thought the opportunity for that has probably come and gone.