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ARLINGTON -- The Cowboys looked like they were going to blow out the Rams early Sunday afternoon, and then everything fell apart.
Here are my thoughts on the Cowboys' 35-30 loss at AT&T Stadium.
1. Stalled offense
As you have probably figured out by now, the Cowboys are built around their offense. They go as that group goes. And that group was playing lights out for most of the first half, as they helped build a 17-6 lead. Dallas scored on each of its first four possessions.
But then they came out in the second half and punted three consecutive times. The defense was then put in position to where they were going to have to win the game. They just couldn't get off the field without allowing second half scores.
Getting David Irving back from suspension will help, but the Cowboys will still go as the offense goes. It wasn't really going anywhere in the second half. And the result is Dallas falling to 2-2.
2. Momentum shift
Ryan Switzer's muffed punt might have been the biggest play Sunday afternoon.
The Cowboys had all of the momentum and looked well on their way to a potential blowout. The Rams recovered the ball, trailing 17-6. They scored a touchdown on that drive and made it a ballgame the rest of the way.
Switzer is usually praised for his aggressiveness, but it might have cost him on that play midway through the second quarter. The Rams scored on all but one possession after recovering that turnover.
3. Zeke
Think Ezekiel Elliott has lost a step? The first half showed you he hasn't.
Last season's rushing champ had 56 yards on 14 carries, caught two passes for 41 yards and scored twice. The problem for the Cowboys is that they couldn't get him involved in the third quarter. The Rams rallied to take the lead, removing much of the run game from the Cowboys offense.
Had the Cowboys held a lead in the second half, Elliott would've went well over 100 yards on the ground. Elliott's fine. As long as he's on the field, the Cowboys have one of the most valuable weapons in the game. Problem is, the Rams have one of the others in Todd Gurley.
4. Dez
Dez Bryant showed you what happens when he's not being checked by an elite corner. Trumaine Johnson had seven interceptions two years ago, but he's not on the same level as Janoris Jenkins, Aqib Talib and Patrick Peterson. Bryant had three catches for 68 yards in the first half alone. That's more yards than he had in any of the first three games.
It was obvious early on the Cowboys were trying to attack that matchup. For the Dallas offense to reach its potential, Bryant has to be a big part of it. He wasn't in the third quarter and the results were three consecutive punts.
5. Tank
DeMarcus Lawrence's dominant play continued. The most productive pass rusher in the NFL this season recorded another sack, forced a fumble, had another tackle for loss and added a QB hit.
Lawrence has a league-leading 7.5 sacks through four games. He's already one sack away from topping his previous career-high (eight in 2015). Lawrence needs 15.5 more sacks over the final 12 games to break Michael Stahan's single season sack record. Of course, that will be more and more difficult to do as the season goes one because he will continue to see more double-teams, which the Rams did quite a bit on third downs.
