Cowboys and Packers BATTLE to SHOCKING Tie | Did Dallas SQUANDER Chance To Win?

Summary

Locked On Cowboys Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Cowboys and Packers BATTLE to SHOCKING Tie | Did Dallas SQUANDER Chance To Win?
Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool
Game: Cowboys 40, Packers 40 (Week 4 Tie)
Podcast Network: Locked On Podcast Network

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Episode Overview

The hosts break down the Cowboys' thrilling 40-40 tie against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. The episode features in-depth analysis of both the Cowboys' offense and defense, acknowledgment of key player performances (notably Dak Prescott and George Pickens), and reflects on pivotal coaching and in-game decisions that led to the tie. The tone balances disappointment and optimism, spotlighting the resilience and growth of the young Dallas roster despite a missed opportunity to secure a statement win.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Emotional Impact and Expectations (01:44–03:12)

• Disappointment with Tie: Both hosts admit the tie leaves a feeling of dissatisfaction but note that Green Bay, a 7-point favorite, likely feels worse than Dallas.
  • “You play hard all game long and you thought you had this game won and it ends up in a tie.” – Marcus (02:39)
• Context Matters: Cowboys were major underdogs, missing several starters (WR CeeDee Lamb, OL Tyler Booker, Cooper Beebe, and more). Despite this, they kept pace with a Super Bowl contender.

2. Game Flow & Missed Opportunities (03:12–06:57)

• Momentum Swings: Game began as a defensive struggle and became an offensive shootout in the second half.
• Crucial Moments: Dallas had chances to win in regulation (great field position with 43 seconds left) and in overtime (Jalen Tolbert catch at the five), but could not close.
  • “You just felt like, man, maybe if you do one thing differently, you're two and two rather than one, two and one.” – Marcus (06:35)

3. Cowboys’ Grit & Unexpected Performances (07:17–09:10)

• Unexpected Competitiveness: Despite being short-handed, Dallas' backups performed well, especially along the offensive line.
  • “The Cowboys had opportunities to put the game away and didn’t quite get the job done. But… they showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight.” – Landon (06:57)
• Offensive Line Standouts: Brock Hoffman, Nate Thomas, and others held their own vs. Green Bay’s heralded pass rush.
  • “Javonte Williams looked fantastic. The offensive line…didn’t really seem to miss a beat.” – Landon (13:56)

4. Coaching Decisions & First-Half Conservatism (09:10–10:56)

• First-Half Play Calling: Some frustration aired with Brian Schottenheimer's conservative approach (multiple early punts, limited creativity).
  • “Every first down was a run…they, they played so conservative in the first half.” – Marcus (10:00)
• Strategic Defense: Landon defends the coaches, noting the ultra-conservative script was designed to keep the game close due to injuries.

5. Dak Prescott’s Performance (13:29–16:31)

• Statement Game: Dak Prescott delivered one of the best performances of his career, carrying the offense in the absence of CeeDee Lamb.
  • “Just one of the greatest Dak games I think we’ll ever see, to be honest.” – Landon (08:24)
  • “Dak is just a certified baller…there’s only so many quarterbacks in the league that can keep you in these shootouts. And it seems like Dak Prescott is doing it almost every week now.” – Marcus (15:14)

6. George Pickens Breakout (14:44–17:35)

• Filling the No. 1 Role: Pickens stepped up with 8 catches, 134 yards, and 2 TDs, displaying the traits Dallas needs in a top receiver.
  • “This was a game in which Pickens needed to prove he was worth the contract…and after this game, I think you kind of need to invite George to the office and have a conversation.” – Landon (15:22)
  • “I’ve seen every single snap Pickens has played since high school. This is probably the most complete game he’s played in his life.” – Marcus (16:31)
• Impact Beyond Stats: His presence created opportunities for Ferguson, Turpin, Tolbert, and Williams.

7. Backup Offensive Line Dominance (18:02–20:24)

• Surprising Depth: Despite missing three Week 1 starters, Dallas’ patchwork line allowed just one sack and limited pressures against a ferocious Packers front.
  • “It’s so rare to have two backup offensive linemen that have this much experience. TJ Bass and Brock Hoffman…were awesome in the run game.” – Marcus (19:38)
• Key Contributions: Nate Thomas played both left and right tackle, faring well against top competition, as did rookie Tyler Guyton before his concussion.
  • “He [Nate Thomas] locked up Parsons by himself…good things ahead.” – Landon (19:28)

8. Defensive Struggles & Linebacker Woes (23:39–27:13)

• Ongoing Defensive Problems: Gave up 489 yards and 40 points; the unit never established rhythm and was particularly poor on third downs and in the final drives of regulation and overtime.
  • “The Cowboys defense is playing and has played very, very poorly…They could not get off the field on third down.” – Landon (24:26)
• Linebacker Issues: Multiple hosts cited the linebacker group (Jack Sanborn, Leo Fowl, etc.) as a liability.
  • “This linebacker room…might be one of the worst I’ve ever seen for the Cowboys.” – Marcus (25:45)
  • “All of them are high variance…except for Sanborn, who unfortunately I just think is bad.” – Landon (26:42)

9. Defensive Line & Pressure (27:44–29:26)

• Lack of Consistency: Pressure was sporadic; James Houston’s strip sack was a rare positive but overall pass rush impact was muted.
  • “Still not getting sacks or, you know, affecting the quarterback too much…you’re gonna need more pressure.” – Landon (28:29)

10. Looking Ahead & Big Picture

• Silver Linings: Despite frustration, the hosts value the heart shown by the young, undermanned roster and see promise in emerging talent, especially at receiver and across the offensive line.
• Urgency to Address Defense: Linebacker and pass rush deficiencies could shape draft and free agency priorities.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the tie and missed chances:
  “You just felt like, man, maybe if you do one thing differently, you’re two and two rather than one, two and one.” – Marcus, (06:35)

• On Dak’s leadership and importance:
  “Dak is just a certified baller…There’s only so many quarterbacks in the league that can keep you in these shootouts.” – Marcus, (15:14)

• On Pickens’ importance going forward:
  “This was a game in which Pickens needed to prove he was worth the contract he’s going to be asking for…after this game, I think you kind of need to invite George to the office and have a conversation…” – Landon, (15:22)

• On the offensive line’s depth:
  “Backup offensive line—the Cowboys are lucky to have the kind of depth [at] offensive line that they’ve got.” – Landon, (19:28)

• On the defense’s woes:
  “This linebacker room…might be one of the worst I’ve ever seen for the Cowboys.” – Marcus, (25:45)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:44] – Initial reactions, emotional impact of the tie
• [03:12] – Momentum swings and missed opportunities
• [07:17] – Cowboys’ grit, context for underdog performance
• [09:10] – Coaching decisions, conservative play-calling
• [13:29] – Dak’s performance, offensive explosion
• [15:22] – George Pickens’ breakout game & contract talk
• [18:02] – Offensive line depth, backups’ impact
• [23:39] – Defensive review, struggles and linebacker issues
• [27:44] – Defensive line, pressure analysis

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Conclusion

This episode offers a comprehensive breakdown of a wild, frustrating, but promising night for the Dallas Cowboys. The hosts blend critical analysis with optimism, highlighting standout performances (especially by Dak Prescott and George Pickens) and underlying concerns on defense, particularly at linebacker. The discussion sets the stage for a season where the Cowboys’ resilience and roster depth could push them through adversity—if the defense can be shored up as the season progresses.

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Transcript

[Landon McCool]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Landon McCool]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Marcus Mosher]

The Dallas Cowboys tied the packers in week four. We'll break it down next. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome back to the Locked On Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. I am your host, Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool. And on today's show, we're breaking down the Cowboys 40 to 40 tie against the Green Bay packers on Sunday Night Football. We're going to talk about the Cowboys offense. We'll talk about the defense, which continues to struggle. But to Quote John Malkovich in one of my favorite movies. I feel so unsatisfied later. You play hard all game rounders, by the way. You play hard all game long and you thought you had this game one and it ends up in a time.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, you know, I mean, I don't know if as far as ties go, this is about as thrilled as I think I could be with the tie because at least the packers are walking away from AT&T Stadium. Disappointment, disappointed. The Cowboys are too, but I, I.

[Marcus Mosher]

Do, I agree with you. I think the packers feel much worse about this tie than what the Cowboys do.

[Landon McCool]

And they should. Right. Like, you know, especially since they were seven point favorites and, and you know, look, I think that they obviously had a, had the Cowboys in a, in the spot a couple different times where they probably should have put this game away. And, and once again, you know, it was. Somebody tweeted at me, you know, and said when the Cowboys, I think scored their first touchdown, well, congratulations, you only lose by 15 points. And I, and I very easily replied, yes. It's not like the packers are known to let lesser teams play with them and into games. And sure enough, that's what happened over and over again. The packers, despite having a really good offensive performance for most of the game, their defense fell apart at certain points. And after the initial portion of the game for the, the Cowboys offense where they really kind of struggled at different points, they, they, they went on a run which I think they only punted one time for the rest of the game. So yeah, just a crazy game in the way it swung back and forth and also just the, the way the game was going. It was a low scoring affair early and then obviously as the game got to the end, these two teams were just trading, you know, huge right hooks to each other's face. So it was, it was quite a fun game.

[Marcus Mosher]

It was a really fun game. I think the, the frustrating point or part for me is it felt like the Cowboys had this game won a couple different times and they just weren't able to quite put them away for like, for example, I thought when the Cowboys got the ball for the last time in regulation, they had a really good kickoff return by Kavonte Turpin. Ferguson had a nice catch, Tolbert had a really nice catch. So they had first down and 10 from Green Bay's 28 yard line with 43 seconds left. I'm like, oh, this is perfect. Dallas has a timeout. You can play the clock and you can score with no time left and pick and Scores. Touchdown. I thought he could maybe go down to one, but still you're up by three points with 40 seconds left. And of course Green Bay kicks the field goal. And then in overtime, right, you had the awesome play to Jalen Tolbert where he catches the ball at the five yard line and you felt like, okay, hey, the Cowboys are going to score a touchdown now. They haven't been stopped at the red zone all day, and then they don't gain another yard for the rest of the game. I'm not saying I'm disappointed, but it felt like, it just felt like they had their chances to win it and they couldn't make that last play to get over the hump.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, they're not, they're not, they're not that team yet. You know what I'm saying? Like, they're still a young group and they're still working towards that. And honestly, that was what the packers were supposed to be doing. Like, if anything, that's what the, the packers have to be really disappointed that they weren't the team because they're the, the team that's, you know, the super bowl contender, the, the, the NFC favorite type talk team. So the fact that the Cowboys weren't able to kind of put it all together and finish without CD Lamb and without, you know, the key offensive lineman, that's not shocking. I think what is shocking is that they were able to put together a game in which they were competitive and stuck in this entire game. And frankly, to be even in a spot, to be winning it, you know, is, is a little bit shocking and surprising. The fact that they couldn't, you know, make the last second decision. I mean, look, Pickens not making the smart on field decision to, to finish the game, like, well, and to be.

[Marcus Mosher]

Honest, I don't know if that was coached or not. Like, I don't know if the Cowboys were telling him to go down at the one or not. Like, I think.

[Landon McCool]

No. Oh, I'm sure that's, that's a little.

[Marcus Mosher]

Tricky when you're down by four not to score. But I mean, I do think your win probability is higher if you go down to the one. But also it's not like you're just lining up to kick a field goal either. So I, I, I'm not totally blaming him for that one. It just, there's little moments like that in this game where you just felt like, man, maybe if you do one thing differently, you're two and two rather than one, two and one.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, look, I mean, I think I'll take this game the way it played out, but I certainly agree that there were moments that it felt like despite all the odds, the Cowboys had opportunities to put the game away and didn't quite get the job done. But, you know, like, the fact that they were even in this game, I think showed a lot of heart and a lot of fight. So I was certainly thrilled with that part.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, and let's, let's talk about that because I, I do agree with that. If The Cowboys were six and a half points underdogs on FanDuel, and you came into this game without CD Lamb, without Tyler Booker, without Cooper Bibi, you know, but obviously without over showing on defense and you were already really banged up on both sides of the ball and you get into this game and Tyler Guyton has a concussion he's dealing with. So now you've got a bunch of backup offensive linemen in the game and you go toe to toe with a team that we think, you know, has a good chance to win the super bowl this year.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And some of those guys, including Nate Thomas completely were locking up Micah Parsons, you know, so, yeah, it felt like it was, it was a really good performance by several of your young offensive linemen. The backups look like they played great football, which, you know, you're not shocked because you've seen them play well before. Brock Hoffman specifically felt like he had a really fantastic game. So. Yeah, and then you, you got to see some Nate Thomas on both sides, you know, playing on the left and the right because he went in for, he rotated in for Steel at one point, played well and then he went in for Guyton when Guyton was in the concussion protocol for a little bit. So. Yeah, and did, did well. Like they didn't let him down. So. Yeah, just incredible supporting performances for Dak Prescott tonight and allowing him to kind of go absolutely nuclear. I mean, just one of the greatest DAC games I think we'll, we'll ever see, to be honest.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And I wanna, I wanna talk about Dak Prescott going nuclear on against the Packers. One more thing. I thought this was a very up and down game for the coaching staff. I thought there were some moments, especially in the first half, where I thought Brian Schottenheimer was a little too conservative. It feels like they remedied that a little bit in the second half. They got way more aggressive. I just think their opening game plan of like, run, run, run. That's great in theory. Can't.

[Landon McCool]

The, the three run thing is, is not good. But I will say I, I do think that too many folks were too quick to call the Kim conservative early in this half because I think the point of being of the early game was to just not let it get away from you. Like you needed to keep the game closed.

[Marcus Mosher]

But it almost did though. Like they would.

[Landon McCool]

But it didn't though. Like that's the kind of if they, if you go for it on fourth down and then they have the ball on the 3013 yard line, right. They score a touchdown anyways. Like then you're down. Like what is it, 20 to 2? I think it is at that point. And, and then suddenly you have to get into a game script that you don't want to get by. By keeping the game close, at least close enough, they were able to continue to play a balanced game script which took, kept them out of the danger zone.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, it was so it was 70 on the 1 4th and 1 that the Cowboys didn't go for. But here's where I got a Little bit frustrated. First three drives of the game. 3 play, 6 yards punt, 5 plays, 15 yards punt, 3 plays, 4 yards punt. Like they were just so conservative. Conservative. Every first noun was a run. They had some second and long runs and then things got going a little bit. I mean not a little bit, a lot after that. Yeah, man, they, they, they, they played so conservative in the first half. Like they were just afraid of the packers. And I think as the game settled in and really as they got that strip sack on Jordan Love, things changed a little bit. But you can't go into these games being that conservative.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean I, I get it, but I also think that they were going in like extremely short handed with, with rookie, with young offensive linemen, you know, short handed on talent. I, I, I'm not going to badge them for, for being conservative early when they were just trying to keep it a close game.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, let's talk about the Cowboys offense, which was incredible in the second half. We will get to that next. This episode is brought to you by Prize picks. Every day we make decisions, but on prize picks, being right can actually get you paid. Don't miss excitement this football season with prize picks where it's good to be right. Playing prize picks is so much fun. It's simple and it can add more enjoyment to your Sundays. You just have to pick more or less on player projections like Josh Allen passing yards or Saquon Barkley rushing for a touchdown and you are in the game. I love it because it's so easy and it's the best way to add just a little bit more juice to your Sundays. So download the Prize Fix app today. Use Promo Code lot NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That is promo code lot NFL for $50 in lineups after you Play your first $5 lineup. Price picks it's good to be right this episode is brought to you by Rugia. What do you get when you have a bald eagle standing on top of a silver back gorilla riding a T Rex? Confidence. Pure confidence. And if you're looking for something beyond the usual pill, it's time to meet R guys. You've probably heard of Viagra or Cialis. Maybe you've even tried them. But if you're looking for something beyond the usual pill, it's time to meet Rougy it. Go Long. And if you're looking for something different, check out Rugia Go long. That's exactly where Rujia comes in. It's not just another ED pill. It's a total game changer. For confidence Go Long combines two doctor trusted medications in one dual action formula so you can get hard and go the distance. And if you're ready to level up your confidence in the bedroom, head to rugiate.com and use promo code lot NFL for 15 off your first order that is R U G I E-T.com promo code lot NFL and make sure to use our code so they know that we sent you. Welcome back to the Lot on Cowboys Podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. Lane, let's talk about the Cowboys offense because we mentioned the slow start. Okay, I want to go from the third quarter on. They started the game, or they started the third quarter with a punt after getting the ball. Then they went touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal. In overtime. Dak Prescott played, honestly one of the best games I've ever seen him play.

[Landon McCool]

I mean, honestly, you should go back before that because like after the first three punts, they basically went touchdown, touchdown, punt, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal. Which is absolutely bonkers. Right? Just. Yeah, Dak accounted for four touchdowns, if I'm not mistaken, with, with one on the ground, three through the air or wait. Yeah, yeah. And four touchdowns and then another and then another one for Javante Williams. So yeah, the, the, the offensive game plan was really balanced, especially in the second half. They were able to run the football with really high levels of efficiency. Javante Williams looked fantastic. The offensive line was not, didn't really seem to miss a Beat in the run game. They were, you know, they were blocking everything up and getting, getting to their spots. They weren't, you know, finishing guys on the ground like they, like you saw near the end of last week, but they were able to do what they needed to do. And it felt like specifically the early part of the game plan was to attack specifically Micah in the run game with power. And they were, they were, they were running a lot of power to his side, trying to kick him out. And it, it seemed like that was effective. And then Dak and Pickens absolutely went nuts, especially as the end of the game arrived. He was, I think he ended up with eight catches and 134 yards and two touchdowns or something like that.

[Marcus Mosher]

So that's my big takeaway coming out of this game. First of all, Dak is just a certified baller and kind of forget and not forget, but like, football can be so boring when you don't have one of these quarterbacks. And I remember the second half of last year like it was just such a slog to even have like a 15 yard completion. And actually I was watching Cooper Rush on Sunday.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

And it got back PTSD a little bit. It's just so much fun to have a quarterback that can help win you these types of games or keep you competitive, even if your defense is so poor. There's only so many quarterbacks in the league that can keep you in these shootouts. And it seems like Dak Prescott is doing it almost every week now.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And without his top receiver, too. Right. Like, just what an incredible performance. Right. And Pickens, you know, again, we, we talked about it all week. Right. This was a game in which Pickens needed to prove that he was worth the contract that he's going to be asking for. Jerry, get your pen ready, buddy, because after this game, I think you kind of need to invite Georgia to the office and have a conversation because this was exactly the kind of performance you needed out of him. In the absence of CD Lamb, he was able to support the passing game as a threat, scoring. And then especially in that kind of middle part of the fourth quarter when it felt like they had to go to Turpin and Ferguson a lot. That was because they were basically having to double Pickens and he was providing underneath. So, yeah, I mean, just exactly the kind of performance you needed from a guy like Pickens to step up and provide that gravity role that allows the rest of the offense to roll. And. And it showed in all the performances of all the other players. Like you said in the offense, Turpin, Tolbert, who had a huge catch at the end of the game, Ferguson, as we said, and then obviously Williams in both running and receiving was. Was really effective as well.

[Marcus Mosher]

Back to Pickens, really quickly. We talked about on Thursday and Friday show how this is going to be a big month for Pickens to show that not only can he be a good receiver, but somebody that you want to invest in long term. Right. And there's a lot of other things that come with George Pickens that you have to manage. Right. But this is why you live with that, because of what he can do. Eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns. He did have a drop. That happens. Or you're going to live with drops when you can have eight catches for 134 yards. There was. He made some unreal catches down the sideline. He did a good job of settling into some zones. Honestly, this I, I've seen, I think every single snap Pickens has played since high school. This is probably the most complete game he's played of his life.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it certainly felt like it, right where he was the focus of the passing game and the defense was focusing on him as well, and they still couldn't stop him. I mean, you know, it. He didn't fade at the end. He was the one who scored the, the go ahead touchdown. Or was it go ahead touchdown at the. In the fourth quarter?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, the go ahead touchdown.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. Yeah. So. So, yeah, I mean, and, and, you know, we, I think he just continued to show up as the game went on. I think he also had a catch in, in the overtime period as well. That was pretty big. So. Yeah, it's just, it's, you know, you asked him to, to answer the bell. He answered the bell. You know, I think we've been through about a quarter of the season so far, and I think that it's pretty clear that the George Pickett straight was. Is a resounding success. Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

Now it's just. What does the number look like? Can you get him under a contract? Does he want to sign a contract? Do the Cowboys want to do it right now? But based on everything we've seen over the last couple games, like, we're certainly inching towards that. I did want to talk about the Cowboys offensive line because they had, they had a lot of different guys playing in this one. The only guy out there that was like, I guess there's two guys, right? Tyler Smith and Taren Steele are your only two starters going into week one. And honestly, Tyler Smith might have been the worst of all five of your offensive linemen. Which is saying actually how well all the backups play like Dak Prescott. I know sacks are a quarterback sack a stat. He had one sack is at the very end of the game is on that Micah Parsons play and only barely. Yeah. They gave up two combined hits according to Pro football Focus.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And considering the fact that all the talk was all week long was about this Green Bay pass rush, about the, the Micah Parsons, what they were going to do to this offensive line. An outstanding day and. And even Terrence Steele was out for a good portion of the game. I thought Tyler Smith had a good game. Just, just those two terrible holding pennies in the fall as well. Yeah, yeah. And the false start as well. Yeah. And then. But he was actually the only starter who whole game, if I'm not mistaken, the full time starter. Right. The rest of the guys were, you know, the backups and, and then Steel rotating in with Thomas at certain points. And Nate Thomas, we're going to see more of him I think in these next coming weeks because he played outstanding like I said several times where he locked up Parsons by himself. So yeah, good, good things ahead. And the Cowboys are lucky to have the kind of depth the offensive lines that they've got.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. 17 snaps for Nate Thomas for the most part. Again, for a guy that's playing left and right tackle in this game, I thought he did well. We. We've heard from the Cowboys that they're going to start mixing Nate Thomas in. I don't think Tyler Guyton played bad by any stretch. He was dealing with a concussion, but somebody that the Cowboys clearly have long term plans for it. I just, I want to mention Brock Hoffman and TJ Bass one more time because it's so rare to have two backup offensive linemen that have this much experience. I thought they, especially in the run game. Like those guys were awesome in the run game. One of Javante's big runs, he just. TJ Bass opened up a huge hole. You hopefully you don't have to rely on those guys all season. But what a luxury to have.

[Landon McCool]

And last thing too Guyton, you know, besides we mentioned he had the concussion but before he went on the concussion, that was later in the game, he played fantastic like he. I thought at least from what we could see from the sideline tape, there were several different times that he was on dealing with. With Parsons. So you know, part of Parsons not having any sacks or hits, you know, must have been guiding out there he got lots of opportunity. So kudos to everybody on that offensive line.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, let's talk about the Cowboys defense, which I think Landon and I are gonna have some differing opinions on the unit. We will get to that next. This episode is brought to you by 5 Hour Energy caffeine just got a flavor upgrade. 5 Hour Energy shots deliver tasty caffeine and 17 bold flavors. Each 2 ounce shot packs the caffeine of a premium 12 ounce coffee plus B vitamins and nutrients with zero sugar and zero crashes. What I love the most about 5 Hour Energy is how portable they are. Big taste, tiny shot and you can take it anywhere and get that boost you need to power through. Like for me, I love just stashing them in my truck or in my golf bag to help me get through that. Those last couple holes where you're always dragging a little bit. I love how fast it kicks in and it's sugar free, which means you don't have to worry about crashing later. Enough with the boring, flavorless caffeine. It's time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5 hour energy shots. Get the favorites that you love or be bold and try something new in store and online at 5hourenergy.com or Amazon today. This episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NFL season is here and FanDuel has an offer that you don't want to miss right now. New customers can bet just $5 and if you you can get 300 in bonus bets if you win. That's right, pick a bet, put down five bucks and if it hits, you'll unlock 300 in bonus bets to use across the app. One of the things about FanDuel that I love is that you have so many different ways you can play. Like parlays, player props, and I even love to follow the live lines during the game. I was checking it out all game long with the Cowboys and the packers on that final drive when the Cowboys were down by third but they're up by three, packers were still favored at that moment. I was checking the lines on FanDuel. Unbelievable. It's crazy that this game ended in the tie. Whether you're a casual fan or let's just love diving into the stats, FanDuel makes the game day experience so much better. So what are you waiting for? Visit FanDuel.com and download the FanDuel app today and get started. Welcome back to the Lockdown Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. For your second listen, check out the Loton NFL show. Two shows every single day. One in the morning with Tyler Roland, one in the afternoon with Tony Wiggins. Available wherever you get your podcast. All right, let's talk about The Cowboys defense. 40 points allowed in this one, including 17 in the fourth quarter. They gave up. Was it 500 yards of offense? 489. That's all. Not quite 500 yards. 489 yards. What were your thoughts, Landon?

[Landon McCool]

Well, first of all, I'd like to clear up what Marcus said in the last segment. I think we both can agree that the Cowboys defense is playing and has played very, very poorly. I think where you and I disagree is I think that they played better than they did last week. That's just not a very high bar to clear. Yeah, and I think that that's the case. You know, to me, it felt like they were giving up plays for sure. Maybe not quite as many chunk plays, I. I don't think. But. But I felt like, to me, the difference was, was. Was that they were making plays occasionally. You know, they were. You know, they could not get off the field on third down. That was problematic. But it did feel like they were at least producing more third downs. They were getting the third downs at times.

[Marcus Mosher]

For Green Bay in this game.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And. And it just felt like it. It felt like they were at least giving them a shot in this game, you know, to make a play or to do something or to, you know, to at least slow them down. Whereas it felt like in the last game they were just doing. They were. You know, it was a knife through hot butter. So. Yeah, just terrible defense again this week. Nothing much is. I mean, you know, not much is improved. It's probably a little bit better, but to me. But, you know, is it noticeably better or is it. Is it. Is it hopeful better? No, it's not.

[Marcus Mosher]

The hard part here is, like, there's just so many chances for the Cowboys to win this game, Right. Like, on that. The last drive of the game, the first fourth down, it's fourth and six. You just need, you know, a pressure, a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, something, and you win the game. Instead, Matthew Golden's wide open over the middle of the field, and then, you know, you just. All you need is something to happen in this game. That final drive in overtime, right. They walked about ball down the field. You know, they throw the ball short to. It might have been Josh Jacobs. It might have been Emmanuel Wilson.

[Landon McCool]

It was. I think it was Jacobs. Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

And he gets 24 easy yards and like. And I honestly, that's the big thing for me is like this linebacker room.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

Might be one of the worst I've ever seen for the, for the Cowboys.

[Landon McCool]

I, I think that's maybe where it is. Right. Is that to me, it, it shifted the worry. I feel like the, the corners played a little bit better this week and I feel like the linebackers played a lot worse. Right. And it felt like it was everyone, you know, whether it was even Shemar James, who only got in there for a couple reps, like, you know, took a bad angle, which gave up a big play. Lots of missed tackles. Jack Sanborn, they've got to find a way to get him off the field. He just looks old and slow right now.

[Marcus Mosher]

And it's that 100 agree. Like, he's, I think, the worst linebacker. But the problem is, like, who do.

[Landon McCool]

You put in for him?

[Marcus Mosher]

Because, like put in Leo Fowl comes into the game and we're all excited about Leo foul in. The first two plays he has in the fourth quarter are a missed tackle that gives up a first down and then he immediately comes back and gets a 15 yard penalty. And it's just like, my gosh, Leefl. Like you can make these big plays.

[Landon McCool]

But all of them are high variants. You know, all the linebackers are just, just extremely high, except for Sanborn, who unfortunately I just think is bad. So. But yeah, Leo Fowl comes in, makes a couple plays, has a nice big hit on special teams, makes it, has a huge penalty on a late hit, misses a tackle. You know, he gives up two first rounds, I think in a row, basically. So, yeah, it's, you know, it's. We're kind of holding our breath until Overshone gets back, which, you know, is a guy coming off of an ACL injury.

[Marcus Mosher]

So it's multiple ligament.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, multiple ligament injuries. So it's not like it's, it's, it's, it's a ton of hope there. But you just, honestly, I think you have to continue to roll with Lia Fowl because you just gotta roll with the punches and because to me, you're gonna get Murray making similar kind of mistakes. Maybe not as many boneheaded mistakes, but at least with Leo foul, like it's a young player who's getting learning these lessons and, and improving as opposed to a guy that is, you know, we know what he, who he is. I don't know that you're going to get a better version of Murray down the road by Playing him now?

[Marcus Mosher]

No. And honestly, I wonder if linebacker is just not their biggest issue going into, like, the off season. It feels like, you know my thoughts on drafting linebackers in round one, but you could honestly talk me into it because it's that bad right now. James Houston had a really nice strip set, which really changed the game. Outside of that, man, it's just. It's a lot of the same. Right. Like, nobody's creating consistent pressure. Sam Williams finally gets a pressure, then he gets a face mask. It just. It's all frustrating.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I thought. I thought is easy had a better game this week. I think you saw him cause a couple different pressures, and it was good in the run game too, which was. Which was good to see.

[Marcus Mosher]

Absolutely.

[Landon McCool]

So, yeah, that was nice to see. But yeah, I mean, again, especially early in the game, they really just weren't like getting any pressure on them at all. It felt like as the game went on, you were starting to see a little bit more pressure. Fowler had a little bit better game than he's had. It felt like it for a while, but still not good. Still not getting sacks or. Or, you know, affecting the quarterback too much. So I do think that the Cowboys after, you know, especially early in the game, feeling like they were unable to kind of even pressure Love. It does feel like as the game went on in key situations, except for third downs, they were able to get pressure on Love and at least affect the quarterback and, you know, make him have a couple bad throws. So. But yeah, again, it's still not good enough considering where the. The state of your cornerback room is, where the state of your linebacker room is. You're gonna need more pressure. And. And you know, that's. That's just gonna be a thing that's gonna have to develop. And who knows if that's a this year thing.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, that is it for today's show. We want to thank you for making lots on Cowboys your first listen every. Every day. Check out the channel on YouTube, download the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We are free and available on all platforms and we'll see you right back here on Tuesday.

[Landon McCool]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Landon McCool]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Landon McCool]

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