Jerry Jones after Dallas Cowboys’ loss: ‘Maybe “change” would be just to try harder.’ Ouch

From his “perch” inside AT&T Stadium, Jerry Jones would have needed triple-strength ear plugs not to hear the alarming number of Detroit Lions fans cheering, “Let’s Go Lions! Let’s Go Lions!”

Jerry has lived long enough to see the Lions not only become a good NFL team, but he was around to watch them trounce his beloved toy inside his house, on his birthday. Jerry celebrated the big Eight-Two watching the Lions hand the Cowboys a defeat that would have made you thought Dave Campo was the head coach.

For the fourth time in their last four home games, the Dallas Cowboys embarrassed themselves, but somehow not their boss. No matter the outcome, Jerry’s glass is never half full. Jerry’s glass is always completely full (of your money).

“This was very concerning, this was very humbling,” Jerry said after the game.

“This” all started in an offseason where inactivity received high marks at The Star.

One week after impressing everyone in the NFL with a last-second road win at Pittsburgh, the Cowboys were out-classed in every category except kicker on Sunday in Arlington in their 47-9 loss to the Lions. Brandon Aubrey may want to demand to be traded; he doesn’t need to be associated with this mess.

“Maybe ‘change’ would be just to try harder,” Jerry said after the game.

That’s a direct shot at the roster, and coaching staff.

“We have to practice harder,” quarterback Dak Prescott said after the game.

That’s a direct shot at himself, his teammates, and his coaches, too.

As ugly as their home losses were to the Green Bay Packers in last season’s playoffs, their defeats this season in Arlington to the Saints and Ravens, what went down against the Lions was the Cowboys at their historic worst. The team that played so hard in Pittsburgh didn’t bother to even try against Detroit.

What went down on Sunday was a lopsided Big 12 game. Or, more like Oklahoma vs. Texas, without the corn dogs.

“It is a low feeling,” Prescott said after the game. “Humbling for sure. That’s the NFL.”

And it’s also very much on brand for this version of the Cowboys.

Thirty seconds after kickoff, there was no mystery which is the dramatically superior team. The Cowboys were easily demoralized. The only group on the Cowboys’ sidelines that showed any fight was the cheerleaders, who brought it for all four quarters, and every second of those 60 painful minutes.

There’s a better than 90 percent chance any one of the cheerleaders would have been a better option at defensive back over Trevon Diggs, whose “work” on Sunday will be included in his new instructional book, “How To Avoid Contact and Make Millions as an NFL Defender.”

When the Lions took a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter on a field goal, that insurmountable deficit felt too big for this Cowboys offense to catch. In most cases, a seven-point margin is about all this offense can realistically make up.

The Cowboys are 3-0 on the road, and 0-3 at home. With any luck, the Cowboys will finish with a tie this year to author one of those memorable Jason Garrett .500 seasons.

Jerry and the entire coaching staff may point to injuries to explain this yo-yo .500 season, but there are other developments here at play that need addressing for what is a just another average team:

▪ The quarterback. Now that he’s done leveling his home, Dak Prescott may want to return to work early during the upcoming bye week before he levels his career. On Sunday, he was 17-of-33 passing for 178 yards with two interceptions, and he was sacked four times.

The way the Cowboys are currently constructed, Dak needs to be some combination of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Roger Staubach or God.

He’s just Dak, and anywhere else he’s still not a 10. Dak isn’t a bum, but for the Cowboys to make a run at the playoffs he has to be better than how he’s played through the first six games. And he needs help from a supporting cast that isn’t helping.

▪ The offensive line. Right tackle Terence Steele has not been good, and when rookie first round pick Tyler Guyton can return from his injury, he may take that spot. Tyler Smith would remain at left tackle.

The other quiet problem on the line is veteran guard Zack Martin. The future Hall of Famer is starting to show a lot of signs of age. He has hinted about retirement, and at this rate it’s hard to see why he would want another year of this fun.

▪ The running backs do nothing. Go ahead; elevate Dalvin Cook from the practice squad. He can’t possibly be worse than Ezekiel Elliott, whose signing in the offseason is going worse than expected.

▪ The defense. Despite showing up well in wins against the Giants in New York and in Pittsburgh, this group was run over by the Lions.

Pick the stat and it’s ugly. The Lions threw for more than 300 yards, and nearly ran for 200. The Cowboys were minus-5 in turnovers on Sunday, which left Mike McCarthy only slightly seething.

According to the FOX Sports’ telecast, in their last four home games the Cowboys have allowed 167 points. That is the most in a four-game stretch by an NFL team since the 1972 Houston Oilers. At least the Cowboys kept this record in state.

The Cowboys have a week off before they play their next game, at San Francisco. Considering how the Cowboys’ recent games against the 49ers have gone, what happened on Sunday may ultimately not look so bad.

Happy Birthday, Jerry.