The Dallas Cowboys (3-5) have an offense problem.

You know it. I know it. The issue on Monday night? The Cowboys also had a defense, or at least a third-down defense,

against the Tennessee Titans (4-4).

Fresh off a bye week where the team executed a blockbuster trade to bring in a 24-year-old, two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, the Cowboys put up a dud. The offense put together an uninspired performance against a stout Titans defense, and the Cowboys defense was sliced and diced repeatedly by a mediocre Titans offense.

It was an ugly loss for a team that desperately needed a win to stay in the playoff race. The Cowboys playoff hopes haven't totally disappeared, but the team has nearly no room for error.

The Cowboys disappointed, but that doesn't mean that there wasn't a lot to glean from the 28-14 loss. Let's take a look at a few things we learned.

Third-down defense kills Cowboys chances

The Cowboys defense gave up its highest third-down conversion percentage (78.57 percent) of the season against the Tennessee Titans. The Titans converted on 11 of 14 third downs on the back of some stellar play from Marcus Mariota. The former Heisman winner made timely and accurate throws all night.

Here is every successful Titans third-down conversion against the Cowboys defense. pic.twitter.com/qFCZ7EXZ5E — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 6, 2018

The Titans used an eclectic mix of concepts to roast the Cowboys defense on third down. Chidobe Awuzie and Byron Jones each gave up two third-down conversions when targeted. The Titans also leveraged a well-timed tunnel screen to convert on a third-and-long. Mariota's best throw of the night also came on third down, where he threaded the needle downfield between three Cowboys defenders. Mariota also used his feet on QB sneaks, zone reads and scrambles to convert on five third downs.

It's almost impossible to win a game when the defense allows the opposing team to convert on over 75 percent of their third-down chances. Not only does it allow the opposing team to extend drives and score, but it also wears down a defense.

Because they were able to consistently convert on third downs, the Titans were able to dominate the time-of-possession battle, controlling the ball for 34:26 to Dallas' 25:34. In a game without Randy Gregory and David Irving, that proved to be too much for Dallas' reduced defensive line rotation. Tennessee was able to find more and more success on the ground as the game wore on, and the Cowboys defensive line became more fatigued.

The Cowboys defense has battled valiantly throughout the season, but against the Titans, the defense was part of the problem, especially on third down. The Cowboys put together a losing effort against a mediocre offense.

Dak Prescott struggles when not utilized in running game

The Cowboys are 2-0 in games where Dak Prescott has at least 45 yards rushing. In games where Prescott has less than 45 rushing yards, the Cowboys are 1-5.

We have seen what Prescott's legs can do for the Cowboys offense in the past, but that was absent from the Cowboys' game plan against the Titans. He finished with two late scrambles for just 11 yards.

While the Titans were using Mariota's legs to convert on crucial third downs, the Cowboys decided to solely rely on Prescott's arm (and Cole Beasley's for a play) when they weren't handing the ball to Ezekiel Elliott.

It appears as though Prescott had a good performance against Tennessee at first glance. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns

an interception with a 99.3 passer rating. However, that neglects Prescott's lost fumble, which the Titans turned into seven points shortly thereafter. It also doesn't account for his poor pocket presence throughout the evening.

The biggest argument for not featuring the quarterback heavily in the running game is injuries. Typically, the quarterback is such an important part of a team that it's not worth it to risk injury to its most important player to manufacture more production from the offense.

In the Cowboys case, Prescott has proven that he's an average-to-below-average starting quarterback when solely relying on his arm. He lacks the accuracy to routinely make pinpoint throws, he struggles to navigate the pocket and he struggles with anticipation. Prescott is a see-it, throw-it quarterback who typically waits for his receiver to get open before pulling the trigger rather than anticipating his receiver and throwing him open -- one of the biggest things separating the elite quarterbacks from the average ones.

Taking Prescott's legs out of the game plan would be like

a sword before a duel. It doesn't mean failure is a certainty, but it definitely makes it much more likely.

Amari Cooper's route running

Five catches on eight targets (no drops) for 58 yards and a touchdown isn't the most impressive performance on its face, but it's how Cooper accumulated those stats that makes Dallas excited about its future with Alabama product.

Cooper wrote the next chapter in his route-running manifesto against Tennessee, as he consistently created separation with his routes against the Titans defensive backs. To get an idea of what Cooper's skill set brings to the Cowboys offense, let's take a look at each of his catches from Monday night.

First catch

On his first catch as a Cowboy, Cooper's nuanced route-running allowed him to get open on a slant, which Cooper turned into a first down on account of his yards-after-catch ability:

Amari Cooper's 1st catch vs TEN pic.twitter.com/53bOdpb1vV — Jim Jeff (@CowboysGifs) November 6, 2018

Here, Cooper is matched up with Malcolm Butler, who is in tight man coverage. After the ball is snapped, Cooper initially shuffles inside before releasing outside and selling the vertical route (head over knees), which gets Butler to turn his hips toward the sideline. This is exactly what Cooper wants, as he effortlessly sticks his outside foot in the ground and darts inside on the quick slant, creating at least three yards of separation at the catch point.

On Amari Cooper's first reception of the game, look at how much separation he created on the slant route. It's what allows him to turn upfield and get the 1st down. pic.twitter.com/S9GnpjpmT9 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 6, 2018

Because he was able to create so much separation with his route, Cooper had the requisite space to turn a short slant into a medium gain on a first down, as he was able to race toward the sideline before cutting upfield to get beyond the sticks.

Second catch

Cooper's second catch was another demonstration of his ability to create separation with his route-running ability, but this time it was inside the 5-yard line. That's arguably one of the toughest situations to create separation as a route runner:

Amari Cooper's 2nd catch vs TEN pic.twitter.com/9267mVxgxe — Jim Jeff (@CowboysGifs) November 6, 2018

Cooper is once again matched up with Butler in tight man coverage on this play. Once the ball is snapped, Butler actually does an excellent job of jamming Cooper at the line of scrimmage, which typically disrupts the timing of the route. However, Cooper is able to fight through the contact to release inside on what appears to be a slant.

But it's a trap!

After stemming inside, Cooper quickly throws on the brakes and breaks back toward the sideline on a pivot, or 'whip' route, forcing Butler to utilize a speed turn, which allows Cooper gain enough separation on his route to make the catch and run it in for a touchdown.

Third catch

Cooper was once again able to beat Butler on a slant. He was able to get open using a nifty move at the top of his route:

Amari Cooper's 3rd catch vs TEN pic.twitter.com/jGJ9H1L8x6 — Jim Jeff (@CowboysGifs) November 6, 2018

On this play, Cooper is aligned with a plus split with Butler opposite him in soft-press coverage. After the snap, Cooper mimics the initial steps of a fade route, as he's attempting to fool Butler into opening his hips toward the sideline. That's exactly what happens.

At the instant Butler opens his hips toward the sideline, Cooper sticks his outside foot in the ground and cuts inside on the slant route, giving Prescott an easy throwing window that Cooper converts into a first down.

Fourth catch

Cooper was able to leverage the releases he used to get open on the slant routes to get open on the comeback route. This play illustrates Cooper's aptitude for running routes -- both physically and conceptually:

Amari Cooper's 4th catch vs TEN pic.twitter.com/NBoSP94aP6 — Jim Jeff (@CowboysGifs) November 6, 2018

Cooper is once again locked in man coverage against Butler outside the numbers. Once the ball is snapped, Cooper uses the same release he used to get open on the slant routes above. After initially shuffling inside, Cooper veers outside. Notice how Butler noticeably cheats inside to defend the slant route that Cooper has bested him on earlier in the game.

Instead of running a slant route, Cooper explodes

. He sells the vertical route by turning his eyes toward the quarterback, which makes Butler believe a throw is imminent. Once Butler accelerates to try and get in position to make a play on the ball, Cooper throws on the brakes, breaking his route back toward the line of scrimmage on the comeback route, creating two yards of separation and giving Prescott an easy throw for the first down.

Fifth catch

On his fifth and final catch of the game, Cooper showed his ability to create separation against off coverage on a dig route:

Amari Cooper's 5th catch vs TEN pic.twitter.com/nv12rABkHP — Jim Jeff (@CowboysGifs) November 6, 2018

On this play, Cooper is aligned in a plus split with Adoree' Jackson in off-man coverage. After the ball is snapped, Cooper quickly eats up Jackson's cushion in coverage. Once Cooper reaches the breakpoint, he executed a nifty power-skip into a single-move release to cross Jackson's face, who has inside leverage, which creates nearly four yards of separation from Jackson. Cooper uses the power-skip to slow his momentum so that he can execute the single move release.

In fact, Cooper beat Jackson so bad that Logan Ryan (No. 26), who was in man coverage against Cole Beasley, was in a better position to defend Cooper at the catch point. The

or

technique Cooper used at the top of the route was special, and something that few receivers in the NFL can actually execute.

Final thoughts on Cooper

Being a good route runner is not just about physically running a route with an effective release, stem

break-point, it's also about knowing

when

and

how

to use those releases, stems and break-points given the matchup, situation and play call, which Cooper demonstrates well in the plays above.

Cooper is not only good at running routes, but it's his conceptual understanding of how and when to use them which separates him from most receivers in the NFL.

It may have been in a loss, but Cooper proved that his future will be extremely bright with the Cowboys.

John Owning writes about NFL player evaluation for SportsDayDFW.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnOwning.