4 Cowboys on Thin Ice After Unconvincing Win Over Chargers

Jourdan Lewis

Jourdan Lewis didn't have an awful game overall, but sometimes one play is enough to ruin the whole night.

NFL coaches are never going to be happy when you get beat, but it's going to make them a lot less mad if you get beat while making an effort. Deep down they know sometimes an opponent just makes a great play, and there's not much you can do about it.

That was absolutely not the case when Jourdan Lewis got burned for the Chargers' first touchdown of the game.

Check this out:

Lewis is trailing Keenan Allen in motion across the formation, and he's jogging like he thinks this is a practice rep.

The play is designed to have Chargers receiver Quentin Johnston drive his man back, causing an obstacle that Lewis can't get through to keep up with Allen. This didn't happen, but Lewis was so far behind the play that it didn't matter. By the time the ball left Justin Herbert's hand, Allen had what looks like roughly 4-5 yards of separation.

The extra salt in the wound? It was a pretty bad throw by Herbert, so far behind Allen that Lewis actually almost had time to catch up. If Lewis was even hustling a little bit he probably could've made a play and broken that up, and if he was really keeping up that's a throw that could have been intercepted.

Instead, that's 6 on the board for the Chargers that can be entirely attributed to Lewis.

Tyrus Wheat

Tyrus Wheat was never going to have a long leash, making his NFL debut after being elevated from the practice squad, and he may well have cost himself a chance at some increased playing time.

Wheat got in on a couple tackles, but what really stood out were the negatives.

First, a total mental error. It didn't end up costing the Cowboys, but coaches don't have a lot of patience for penalties that come from something simple like now knowing where you're supposed to line up.

Then he had some tackling issues, which is another rough look. Being a playmaker is great, but most coaches want to start with someone reliable and go from there. Missing tackles is a quick way to get yourself back on the bench, even if you've got the ability to make big plays as well.

Wheat has plenty of potential,