Bad coaching decisions and self-inflicted wounds cost the Cowboys a chance to upset Detroit.

The Dallas Cowboys couldn’t finish off their gauntlet run with a 3-0 record. After coming back to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, they lost to the Detroit Lions, 44-30, in what amounted to an elimination game for both teams. Detroit was the better-prepared team and out-executed Dallas in all three phases of the game. The Cowboys couldn’t overcome their woes on the road, and the Lions took advantage.

The major takeaway from this game could be the 9% chance the Cowboys now have to make the playoffs. Even if the team wins out, their percentage never exceeds 40%. The team will still need to try to win and hope things fall their way, but they have to review what happened against the Lions and figure out whether they can fix it for the final four games of the season.

Coaching decisions were the most significant reason the team lost

Brian Schottenheimer is still a rookie coach, so mistakes are expected, and on the road, they continue to plague Dallas. The team was way too conservative on offense and defense. The perfect example of this on offense was before the half, when the team was already down two scores and settled for a field goal without even attempting to draw them offside. They didn’t even fake the play to run down the clock. The second Aubrey was coming on the field, Lions head coach Dan Campbell called a timeout, and his offense then had time to drive for a field goal in the final minute.

The defense blitzed Jared Goff on half of his first six passes and registered four pressures, then went conservative with only five blitzes over the subsequent 29 passes. They only had four more pressures in the game. Special teams were the opposite. They continued to kickoff to Detroit despite multiple excellent kickoff returns, even though they were fully capable of just kicking the ball out of bounds. These coaching decisions helped doom Dallas.

Self-inflicted mistakes killed the offense

A 15-yard offensive pass interference penalty negated a big play. A hands-to-the-face penalty negated a pass interference call that would’ve put Dallas inside the five-yard line. The offensive line added their own penalties to kill drives, and of course, the turnovers. Two passes that hit in the receiver’s hands that became interceptions, and a Jake Ferguson fumble at midfield where Aubrey’s presence nearly guarantees the team points once they get in that area.

The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot routinely, helping lead to another disappointing road loss in the Prescott era.

Defense reverted back to the pre-Quinnen Williams version

This was probably the most disappointing part for Dallas fans. Offenses start slowly; it happens in games all the time, even in offenses led by Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. For those teams, the defenses can routinely make enough stops that the great quarterbacks can get going and win the games with an offensive surge in the second half. Not a thing in Dallas, though.

The Dallas offense scored on four straight offensive drives, including two touchdowns, but the defense allowed a field goal and two touchdowns in return. The Cowboys scored 30 and had it down to a three-point deficit, but the defense couldn’t get any stops to give them a chance to win the game.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast