Tyler Smith Takes Blame For Cowboys’ Mistakes After Loss To Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Dallas Cowboys left guard Tyler Smith pointed to one overset after Sunday night’s 23-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field and said those are the moments he has to own.

Dallas fell to 2-4 with its second straight loss. The Cowboys ran 15 times for 48 yards, were flagged 11 times for 108 yards, and did not score until the third quarter. Smith said he could only speak for himself.

“I can’t speak for everybody, but I can definitely speak for myself. I just feel like cleaning up the mistakes. And then just situationally just doing better. Like, I hold myself accountable. I just feel like in these moments that we really need to be at our best. Sometimes, like, we just have little mental lapses or an overset here,” Smith said. “Like, one overset in the grand scheme of the game, like maybe that wasn’t what lost us the game, but at the same time, like, I have to dominate those moments.”

“Like, those are the moments where the team needs me, us, to dominate so that we can be who we’re supposed to be, and I just feel like the mistakes are killing us right now,” Smith continued.

Green Bay was credited with 7 quarterback hits on Dak Prescott and sacked him once. Smith said there were some inconsistencies up front.

“I mean, they brought pressure like any other team, but ultimately picking up that pressure is going to be huge for us,” Smith explained. “No, I really have to see what happens. I haven’t seen the All-22 or whatever, but we’ll correct what we need to correct, and we’ll kind of see what we need to see.”

Dallas was flagged for a false start and an ineligible-man-downfield penalty on its second possession, both on offensive linemen. Smith said he holds himself accountable.

“I do feel like at times a team has played [complementary] football. I mean, we lost some close ball games, like when you go back and look at it. But I think we just need to be a little bit more consistent,” Smith said. “I can speak for myself for sure, just consistent in our technique, consistent in our fundamentals, consistent in our communication, consistent in picking up blitzes here and there and things like that.”

“Because ultimately, like, the teams that are going to be in the playoffs, the teams that are going to be [vying] for that trophy are the most consistent teams,” Smith continued. “So I just feel like we just got to challenge our consistency and continue to work.”

Dallas punted on its opening drive after a third-and-4 pass to Javonte Williams went for no gain at the Green Bay 47. Green Bay then went 90 yards for a touchdown. Smith said Dallas has to take advantage of opportunities as they come.

“I mean, it’s extremely frustrating. Obviously, that’s why I talk about opportunities. I mean, you have to take advantage of those opportunities as they come,” Smith said. “Ultimately, sometimes the flow of the game won’t let you play the football that you want to play. I think for us, obviously, we have to get in there, look at the tapes, see what we have to correct.”

The Cowboys won 2 of their first 4 games before losing 24-16 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 8 and falling at Green Bay. Smith said the Cowboys are not where they want to be.

“Ultimately, you only get so many opportunities to go out and showcase who you are as a team, and you have to take advantage of those opportunities, or you’ll get taken advantage of. That’s how I see it. So obviously we’re not where we want to be,” Smith said. “The only thing we can do is look forward to next week, challenge ourselves to make those corrections, challenge our work ethic, challenge the way that we approach the game.”

Five of Dallas’ 11 accepted penalties came on offensive snaps. Smith said the Cowboys have to keep communicating.

“As a competitor, it’s extremely tough. Like, obviously, losing hurts no matter when or where it is. But I think the focus that we need to, fixing these mistakes, like. Mistakes are gonna kill you until you fix them,” Smith said. “And so just continue to fix our mistakes, continue to communicate, figure out what we need to do better.”

The Philadelphia Eagles are also 2-4. Smith said everything is still in front of Dallas.

“I think that’s huge for us. I think everything is in front of us, and that’s something that perspective is everything to me. Like, what can I do now? What’s important now? Right now, obviously, this loss hurts. We have to get in there, watch the film, make the corrections,” Smith said. “But, ultimately, we got to look at the Eagles, Monday Night Football. Like, that’s our next opportunity. That’s our next opportunity to build upon some of the great things that we’ve done. And just continue to look forward. Like, we still got more opportunities. There’s a lot of ball left.”

Dallas visits Philadelphia on Monday, Oct. 26, at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN and ABC. The Eagles lost 25-14 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, their fourth straight loss.

This article first appeared on Dallas Sports Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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