There's only so much you can analyze and break down about the Dallas Cowboys' loss to the Washington Football Team. The Cowboys scored three points against Washington. The least Washington had allowed in a single game were 20 points against the New York Giants. Meanwhile, although Washington had never scored more than 20 against its opponents this season, they had 22 by halftime.

The Dallas Cowboys sit in third place in the NFC East, but does it even matter? Since Dak Prescott's injury, we've discussed how this football team was still in it because of their division. But after Week 7, it doesn't feel like they're in the conversation. It feels like maybe they won't turn it around at all.

And it's hard to blame something or someone. Anytime a football team starts 2-5, fans will question the head coach.

But as I wrote after the Cowboys' loss to the Arizona Cardinals, it's still early to evaluate Mike McCarthy's performance. He's coaching a team plagued with injuries, including the quarterback position. It's his first year in Dallas. And he's coaching a pretty bad defense. It's a bad situation.

But there are reasons to be concerned, as we saw against the Washington Football Team. We're talking about a divisional rival. We're talking about a bad 1-5 football team that was the perfect opponent to bounce back from a terrible loss. But this team missed tackles, dropped passes, and blew coverages.

Mike McCarthy said it best after the game: The Dallas Cowboys aren't getting the fundamentals of football right.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy: We're not doing the basics. Let's quit candy coating it. …We need improvement each day, each week, especially before we get to Philadelphia."

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 25, 2020

While it's easy to criticize Defensive Coordinator Mike Nolan, the truth is the Cowboys have a players problem. The roster lacks defensive tackles, cornerbacks, and even linebackers. It's time to quit making excuses for Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch, who have not looked like their 2018 selves. Many said Nolan's scheme was complicated, so he simplified it. Yet Cowboys' players are still blowing their assignments week in and week out.

This isn't to say that Nolan is the solution. But many are trying to tell us that switching coordinators will solve the defensive woes, and that's nothing but wishful thinking.

On the other side of the ball, you can't expect much from an offense that features only one starter. Four of the Cowboys' linemen were originally backups and Left Tackle Cam Erving was a backup's backup. Not to mention, Andy Dalton was in at quarterback and later it was seventh-round Draft pick Ben DiNucci under center.

But even still, the Cowboys had a very conservative gameplan. They stuck with check down passes and leaned on an unsuccessful running game. They averaged 5.18 yards per pass attempt. But it gets worse.

Usually, when a team is trailing, there's no alternative but to throw the ball to try and catch up. Well, the Cowboys trailed by 19 at halftime. Yet they ended the day with only 22 pass attempts. To put it into perspective, that's the least any team attempted prior to Sunday Night Football on Week 7. Granted, the Cowboys accepted six sacks.

Sure, the offense is plagued with injuries, but at some point, you gotta work with what you have.

Defensive End Everson Griffen said after the game that this team's morale was high. He said they had to play better and that they don't quit. I leave it up to you to decide if that's true or not.

Everson Griffen when asked if fans say this team has quit: "We never quit so that's it. We don’t quit."

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) October 25, 2020

Last but not least, one of the most frustrating things about the Dallas Cowboys loss happened after the dirty hit on QB Andy Dalton. McCarthy called out his players for not being combative or responsive after the cheap shot on their quarterback. They did absolutely nothing to defend him.

Not one #Cowboys player did anything to defend QB Andy Dalton, after he took an ugly, egregious hit from Jon Bostic.

Mike McCarthy’s thoughts: "We speak all the time about playing for one another, protecting one another. It definitely was not the response you would expect."

— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) October 25, 2020

Last week, anonymous players called out coaches. Now the head coach is calling out players. Yet nothing has changed. The Dallas Cowboys play the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday night. And with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers waiting on the second half of the schedule, time's running out even for the NFC East.

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