Were Cowboys exposed in loss to Packers?

The Dallas Cowboys have been in the NFL since 1960. They’d gone that entire time without blowing a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter — this despite 195 opportunities. Aaron Rodgers changed all that Sunday, in Mike McCarthy’s return to Lambeau Field no less.

While Rodgers has tormented the Cowboys for years, this game felt a bit different. Dallas was in position to bury the Green Bay Packers’ dwindling playoff hopes. But in a span of about 20 minutes, the Cowboys’ offense went cold, Green Bay’s roared to life to force overtime, Dak Prescott failed to convert on a fourth-down attempt in OT, and the middling Packers earned a 31-28 victory.

For Colin Cowherd, the come-from-ahead defeat was just the latest example of why the Cowboys (6-3) don’t deliver in the clutch.

“Dallas is the $50,000-a-year millionaire,” Cowherd said Monday on “The Herd.” “He’s got a big, fancy car, but if you followed him home, he lives in a tiny apartment. Lot of flash, lot of splash, some ego, look closer. This was your classic Dallas Cowboys game: national TV, facing another big brand, Cowboys probably had the second-best quarterback on the field. And here it was, there for the taking in Lambeau, McCarthy coming home, had the lead and folded.

“This is why they haven’t had back-to-back double-digit winning seasons since ’96. It was all there for them, and they lost it the way Dallas tends to lose games like this: costly penalties and failure at quarterback in a high-leverage moment. You can bang on McCarthy, but I would’ve gone for it too. They couldn’t stop Green Bay.”

Cowboys blow 14-point lead in Mike McCarthy’s return to Green Bay

Colin Cowherd breaks down why the Cowboys are the same Cowboys who cannot win in big spots.

For Cowherd, the loss exposed not only McCarthy but also the $40 million signal-caller and the Cowboys defense.

“This is about Dallas allowing a wobbly Green Bay offense who didn’t have their best receiver to get over 200 yards rushing and over 200 yards passing,” Cowherd asserted. “Thirty-five minutes of time of possession, almost 50% on third down. It was like watching … the Packers over the last two years. … What’s interesting about Dallas is you knew what Green Bay was going to do, they were going to try to run the ball … because that is how you slow down a really good pass rush. … And they still did it whenever they wanted to.

“I just don’t trust Dallas in big spots. This year for Dak is a great example: Third downs and fourth downs for Dak, he’s completing 43% of his throws. That is the worst since Tim Tebow was in the league. … You start looking around this team and Micah [Parsons] is great, Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb. There are individual players I like, there are moments I like, there are halves I like. … With Dallas it’s always head coach, quarterback and culture. I just don’t trust them in big spots. [How you win Super Bowls] is the big games … often on the road, facing a great quarterback, who is going to make you look unprepared if you don’t have it buttoned up.”