FRISCO, Texas – Watching the Cowboys crumble Thursday night at the start of the second half against Tampa Bay made me think of how this movie title relates to the eventual 24-16 loss:

“How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.”

As for the Cowboys, well, their sequence became this:

“How To Lose A Game In 7 Minutes, 36 Seconds.”

Seriously. Could you even believe your very eyes, as if Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Just one blunder after another in that short period of time turned a 10-7 lead into a second loss in three games, resulting in a 2-3 record. And now air raid sirens are going off even if 12 games remain in the 2026 NFL season.

The Big M is real … Momentum.

Why, the first offensive play of the second half, the Cowboys, in their best Keystone Cops imitation in trying to defend Bucs running back Bucky Irving on a mere handoff running the ball, began falling at the line of scrimmage, tripping over one another. They took themselves out of the play more so than blocks being thrown by the Tampa Bay offensive line, allowing a season-high 72-yard run, which matched last year’s season-high 72-yard run at Washington by Jacory Croskey-Merritt on Christmas. Both of those are the longest opponent runs since 2008 in the final game at Texas Stadium when the Ravens’ Willis McGhee ran for 77 yards and LeRon McClain went for 82.

Then, of all things, on the very next play, second of the half, Emeka Egbuka takes an end around 14 yards for the touchdown, 14-10 Bucs, all taking exactly 1 minute, two plays, 86 yards.

Then 3:17 later, on third-and-3 at the Tampa 27, the Cowboys driving and at least in field goal range, Dak Prescott’s pass for a crossing Rayn Flournoy is triple-tipped up in the air and intercepted by Yaya Diaby at the Tampa 25-yard line.

The Cowboys put the Bucs in a second-and-14 at the Tampa Bay 21 during that possession. Four-man rush. Cowboys in man coverage. They allow Tez Johnson in the slot a free release. DaRon Bland has him one-on-one. And when Johnson breaks at the 32, Bland turns to go with him, and then falls down. Johnson is left wide open for the 64-yard pass completion from Jalon Daniels to the Cowboys’ 15. Can’t make this stuff up. Three plays later, touchdown, Bucs up 21-10, only 7:29 expired.

Took the Cowboys just another seven seconds for another folly. On the kickoff return, KaVontae Turpin is about to break through a wide-open gap, setting his sights on going one-on-one with kicker Chase McLaughlin. But Cowboys Caelen Carson gets run over by Bucs safety Miles Killebrew, who sideswipes Turpin almost from behind. Fumble, and of course Tampa Bay’s Kevin Knowles recovers at the Cowboys 27-yard line.

Ballgame. In a mere 7:36.

And as if to put a cherry on top of this, uh, sundae, the Cowboys give up a third-and-21 when once again Bland, breaking on Egbuka while playing at the sticks, slips again. Completion, 21 yards. First down, the Buccaneers on their way to kicking a field goal, 24-10.

That’s it, all it took to lose a game.

Who’s In Charge? Of course, the Cowboys’ hiring of Mike Pettine as their senior defensive assistant has created a sounding board for Cowboys’ first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker, although the move also created a firestorm out there about just who will be running the defense. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who pointed out on Monday that the Cowboys have been wanting to add an experienced defensive coach since hiring Parker, had to clear the air, saying, “Christian Parker is our defensive coordinator, and all decisions will run through him.” Come on, like a guy here for two days was going to run the show by Sunday in Green Bay.Study Hall: There seems to be some expectation that Pettine would immediately be on the field for practice on Wednesday. Not so. Pettine just got here Wednesday morning, and the former NFL defensive coordinator with the Jets, Bills and Packers will be in more of an advisory role. So he spent the day like in study hall, watching tape of what the Cowboys have been doing and what maybe they need to do, just getting himself acquainted with the team on the defensive personnel. As should have been expected.History Lesson: The Cowboys first played the Packers in their inaugural 1960 season, losing 41-7 in Green Bay. That would be the first of six consecutive losses to the Packers, including the 1966 and 1967 NFL Championship Games. The first was at the Cotton Bowl, 34-27, with the Packers intercepting Don Meredith in the end zone in the final seconds, and then, of course, the Ice Bowl at Lambeau Field, 21-17, on the Packers’ Bart Starr quarterback sneak in the final seconds. I’m one of a few people who remember having watched both of those games on TV growing up.Health Watch: While linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has said this week he’s ready to go, the Cowboys still are slow-playing his return, Overshown among a group of five players not practicing on Wednesday. At least he has begun going through some individual drills, so a step in the right direction. That defensive back Cobie Durant, offensive tackle Drew Shelton and cornerback Ameer Speed did not practice on Wednesday came as no surprise, but added to the DNP list was Von Miller, though listed as “rest” after being off four of the past five days. Good, though, to see Joey Porter Jr. back on his feet (limited), saying he did get sick to his stomach on his Uber ride to AT&T Stadium Thursday night. Called his sickness brutal, but has recovered, though not in time for mom and dad to see him play at the game they attended.Dope Sheet: That is exactly what the Packers have been calling their weekly game release since way back in 1921, in the old days “dope” meaning giving the facts. Now, the Packers are indeed 3-2 heading into Sunday night’s game at Lambeau, but it’s not like the offense has been lighting the world on fire. Sure, they beat the Bears Sunday 31-7, but that’s the first game they scored more than 22 points. Seems the fact that quarterback Jordan Love threw touchdown passes of 42 and 53 yards against the Bears, with two other completions of 50 and 46 yards, is why they are now being labeled as a big-play offense. We’ll see if the Bears, who turned the ball over five times against the Packers, are the barometer of what the Green Bay offense is capable of.This & That: Still with 12 games to play, the Cowboys only have two of their allotted eight IR-Designated To Returns available, certainly waiting for safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke to return, along with Jonathan Bullard … Began to wonder if Cowboys 2023 first-round draft choice Mazi Smith really liked playing football when including him in the Quinnen Williams trade with the Jets, then released there and signed to the Miami practice squad at the end of August. He’s now getting released again by the Dolphins from their practice squad after appearing in just one game this season … No big deal it seems, not around here nor in Green Bay that Cowboys’ 2021 first-round draft choice Micah Parsons, traded to the Packers the first week of last season, will not be playing Sunday, still rehabbing from his torn ACL suffered in December of last year … The Cowboys’ second first-round draft choice this year, Malachi Lawrence, having played just 35.3 percent of the defensive snaps, just might be getting more on Sunday, Schottenheimer pointing this out after Lawrence recorded the team’s only sack (his career first) in the Tampa Bay game, along with 1 TFL, 1 QB Hit and a PBU near the line of scrimmage … And let’s not forget last year’s Cowboys-Packers meeting ending in a 40-40 tie, their first tie since 24-24 in 1969 with San Francisco on Thanksgiving, a blocked Cowboys kicker Mike Clark 22-yard field goal attempt with 12 seconds left sealing the deadlock.

This last word is on me, wanting to pay tribute to Dee Brock, the creator of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders back in 1961, who passed away Sept. 23 at the age of 96. My goodness, I had the privilege of interviewing Miss Brock several years ago at her home in Tyler, Texas, and what a walk through history it was, over at least an hour, maybe two, her mind still sharp, her enthusiasm still unmatched. What a whippersnapper.

She told me the story of how what served as the Cowboys’ cheerleaders, made up of a bunch of high school students, transitioned into what they have become known now as the most popular in the world. Cowboys president and general manager Tex Schramm came to Dee in the early 1970s and wanted to put on more of a sideline show, and asked Dee if she could gather enough models to produce a squad.

Dee told Tex models could never withstand the rigors of sideline dancing, and she in turn opened up trials for dancers interested in becoming Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. And in 1972 the Original Seven formed the team: Deloris McCada, Anna Carpenter, Vonciel Baker, Rosy Hall, Carrie O’Brien, Dixie Smith and Deanovoy Nichols. They were a hit, and stories in the papers claimed: “The Cowboys have hired professional dancers to adorn the sidelines at games.”

And here is what Dee told Tex to make the transition from high school cheerleaders to world-renowned:

“I said, ‘You know, I think we’ve got to go to an older girl.’ And he was like, ‘An older girl, what do you mean?’ I said, “18, 18 to 22 (in age). We’re not talking old maids, you know.’ And I said, ‘We need to get more sophisticated uniforms. I think we need to just give up the idea of cheering and say we’re going to be a dance team and we’re going to be really entertaining.'”

And the rest is history, thanks to Dee Brock.