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Even though the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) only lost by six points in Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons (6-3), the game wasn't as close as the scoreboard indicated. 

Here were just some of the ways the Cowboys were outmatched: Dallas went 3-for-13 on third down and 1-for-5 on fourth down; committed double the amount of penalties than the Falcons; and had miscommunications and missed tackles on defense -- all while losing quarterback Dak Prescott in the fourth quarter with hamstring and hand injuries. Prescott's day concluded with 133 passing yards and a touchdown on 18 of 24 passing.

Watching on the sideline late in the fourth quarter, Prescott appeared to turn to backup quarterback Trey Lance and say, "We f---ing suck."

McCarthy even spiked his tablet after looking at Lamb's failed fourth-down jet sweep in which the blocking up front went completely awry.  

His counterpart, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, tore up Mike Zimmer's Cowboys defense with 222 yards passing and three passing touchdowns by completing 19 of his 24 throws. Halfway through the second quarter, Cousins immediately picked up on miscommunication between Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs and his fellow Dallas defensive backs on fourth-and-3 in the second quarter, which led to him connecting with Atlanta receiver Darnell Mooney for a 36-yard, walk-in touchdown on a wheel route. Diggs talked at length earlier in the week about how he and fellow Cowboys defenders were still "getting used" to Zimmer's scheme. That was obvious on that play. Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson also balled out on Sunday for 145 yards from scrimmage with 86 yards rushing on 19 carries while catching all seven of his targets for 59 yards. 

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he "has some things in the mix" ahead of Tuesday afternoon's NFL's trade deadline to make upgrades along the margins to improve his roster. However, it likely won't be enough to remedy the multitude of issues the Cowboys have in 2024.