3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 15 Loss vs. Jaguars

Talk about a mixed day for Dallas Cowboys fans. Dallas carried a 21-7 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars into halftime on Sunday and appeared to be cruising to a playoff berth. A win over Jacksonville would have secured Dallas' spot in the playoffs.

However, things fell apart in the second half. Jacksonville went on a 27-10 run to force overtime, which is where disaster struck.

Dak Prescott threw an ill-advised pass to Noah Brown near midfield. While it was a catchable ball, it was tightly contested. It bounced into the air, where it was plucked by Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins, who returned the pick for a walk-off overtime touchdown.

Whether Dallas simply went on cruise control in the second half or truly couldn't find an answer for Trevor Lawrence and the Jags, its collapse was remarkable—though not quite as baffling as the Indianapolis Colts' 33-point meltdown against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.

This was a game Dallas should have been able to put away, but it didn't. Jacksonville took advantage, The Cowboys did eventually clinch a playoff berth with the Washington Commanders' loss on Sunday night, but fans probably don't feel great about it after watching Dallas blow a big lead.

Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Cowboys' 40-34 loss to the Jaguars in Week 15.

Fans can blame this loss on Dallas' defense or on the uneven play of Prescott, who tossed two costly interceptions. However, the Cowboys did themselves no favors late in regulation by getting a little too aggressive late.

The Cowboys stopped a promising Jacksonville drive by stripping Lawrence of the football. This set up Dallas with a three-point lead and possession at its own 38-yard line. After two Tony Pollard runs, the Cowboys faced 3rd-and-10.

Instead of dialing up another run and forcing the Jaguars to use their final timeout, Prescott took a deep shot for Brown that fell incomplete. Instead of having roughly 40 seconds and no timeouts to mount a drive, Jacksonville had just over a minute and a clock stoppage.

The Jags hit a game-tying 48-yarder as time expired.

"The decision there [at the end of regulation] was, offensively, do you play conservative and run the ball to take time off [of the clock], or do you try to win the game?" head coach Mike McCarthy said, per Patrik Walker of the team's official website. "It's a simple decision. If it converts, it's a great call. If it doesn't, you get criticized for it."

Even if the Cowboys were intent on ending the game with a first down, why take a shot deep to Brown? A high-percentage throw to tight end Dalton Schultz or CeeDee Lamb—who caught all seven of his targets for 126 yards on the day—would have made a lot more sense. So would a run and a little more trust in the defense.

One play didn't cost Dallas the game, but the Cowboys' attempt to catch Jacksonville's secondary napping gave the Jags the time they needed to battle back.

While Dallas will be in the playoffs this season, it's beginning to feel like the Cowboys aren't serious contenders. Sunday's loss continued a troubling trend for Big D.

Yes, the Jaguars are a solid and improving football team, but they're still a 6-8 squad with only an outside shot at making the playoffs. Sunday's collapse against them came a week after Dallas had to mount a furious comeback against the Houston Texans.

Fans may point to the fact that the Kansas City Chiefs needed overtime to beat Houston on Sunday, and that's true. However, it doesn't change the fact that Dallas has not been great offensively or defensively over the last two weeks.

The Cowboys have committed five turnovers on offense over that span. The defense, meanwhile, surrendered a combined 830 yards and 63 points to the Texans and Jaguars. That's concerning heading into a brutal three-game stretch to finish the season.

Dallas will next face the rival Philadelphia Eagles, with games against the Tennessee Titans and Commanders to finish the year. If the Cowboys cannot win at least two of the final three, they're not going to carry any sort of momentum into the postseason.

While Dallas' recent struggles are a legitimate concern, its roster health is an even bigger one. Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch suffered a neck injury against the Jaguars, while pass-rusher Dorance Armstrong exited with a knee injury.

Hopefully, neither injury is serious, but Vander Esch is set to undergo an MRI, and Armstrong's injury did not look good in real time.

"Cowboys DE Dorance Armstrong was down about a minute," Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweeted. "Jaguars players and Cowboys teammates kneeled nearby in concern. Armstrong, who suffered an ankle sprain last Sunday, able to walk to sideline under own power."

Dallas was already without cornerbacks Anthony Brown (torn Achilles) and Jourdan Lewis (Lisfranc), and the defense could now find itself without four of its best players.

If Vander Esch and Armstrong do miss extended time, it could spell trouble over the next two weeks. The Cowboys rank just 24th in run defense and face two of the league's top running teams in Philadelphia and Tennessee.

Running teams like Philly and the San Francisco 49ers will be waiting in the postseason as well. There's a very real chance that Dallas simply won't be healthy enough to stop them.