Greg Cosell's Week 4 review: Cowboys' mistakes cost them in OT loss

The Dallas Cowboys needed to figure out ways to win without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, but they're 0-2 since Romo got hurt.

Against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night, some key mistakes cost them as they lost in overtime.

Let's start on that last play. C.J. Spiller got free for an 80-yard touchdown at the beginning of overtime, and it was because a rookie got lost in his assignment.

The Saints lined up in an empty set with Spiller in the tight slot to the boundary, just inside of Brandin Cooks. The Cowboys were in a base 4-3, and were hurrying to get aligned and call the defense. The call was man free, with rookie outside linebacker Damien Wilson on Spiller. But Wilson didn't recognize Spiller was his assignment quickly enough and was beaten right at the snap by Spiller's wheel route.

Wilson played a lot of snaps at outside linebacker for a defense that was without suspended linebacker Rolando McClain and also linebacker Sean Lee, who suffered a concussion in the first quarter.

A lot of focus is on the Cowboys offense because of key injuries, and there were some things to clean up there. Let's start with the passing game.

The Saints use a high percentage of man-to-man coverage, and that forced the Cowboys' receivers to run excellent routes to create separation and demanded Brandon Weeden make precise ball placement throws to the right receiver at the right time. That didn't always happen.

Here's an example, on Dallas' first possession, of a great throw by Weeden that should have been a touchdown but Terrance Williams (who is essentially the Cowboys' top receiver with Bryant out) ran a terrible route. Williams looked back after his fourth step and slowed himself down. It should have been a score, but was incomplete. The Cowboys settled for a field goal instead.

Weeden looks very slow and deliberate physically, and he also looks a little slow recognizing and isolating where to go with the ball. But he made some great throws too. His 67-yard pass to Brice Butler and the game-tying touchdown to Williams on fourth down late in regulation stand out as really good throws.

But the foundation of the Cowboys' offense should be the run game, and it wasn't great against the Saints. Dallas' offensive line, considered the best in the NFL, did not move people in the run game. They were not getting beaten and driven back, but they were not winning individual blocks and creating holes either.

The Saints defensive line and linebackers looked quicker and faster than the Cowboys' offensive line in this game. A great example was on a key third-and-1 play midway through the fourth quarter, when the Saints stopped Christine Michael for a 1-yard loss. The Saints' front seven won on this play.

The Cowboys were in a close game on Sunday night against the Saints and had plenty of opportunities to win. But they need to play very well to make up for some key injuries. In a few instances at New Orleans, that just didn't happen.

- - - - - - -

NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.