Although the Dallas Cowboys weren’t expected to beat the New England Patriots, their 13-9 loss Sunday was exceedingly frustrating to watch.

In a game where poor weather conditions limited both offenses, the Cowboys were certainly on par with the Patriots talent-wise. It was the stark differences in coaching and game management that proved to shift the balance in the game (along with some incredibly questionable penalties called against Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick).

Dak Prescott seemed to be extremely affected by the poor weather conditions, finishing 19 of 33 for 212 yards and an interception. Prescott began the game throwing without gloves but struggled to control the wet ball in a rainy environment. While a switch to gloves made a difference, it wasn’t enough for the Cowboys to mount much tangible offense.

The Cowboys’ defense actually performed pretty well, all things considered, though they were aided by New England’s two missed field goals. The defense was just outexecuted in certain situations, which allowed New England to chew up the clock and set up scoring opportunities.

With that in mind, let’s dive into a few things we learned from the Cowboys’ loss.

Cowboys need to make change to special teams staff

In a tightly contested game, the coaching battle was a one-sided beatdown, as Bill Belichick took Jason Garrett and Co. to school throughout.

The coaching difference was most stark in terms of special teams, where New England continually took advantage of Dallas’ struggling unit.

The windy and rainy conditions hampered each offense’s ability to move the ball, so the Patriots leaned on their special teams to put the odds in their favor.

Not only did the Patriots block a punt to give their offense a short field ahead of their only touchdown drive of the game, but they consistently outfoxed the Cowboys to accumulate hidden yardage on special teams.

Take this punting sequence in the third quarter, for example:

First, the Cowboys were not ready for the Patriots’ punt coverage call, which created confusion and led Dallas to taking a delay of game penalty.

While that would be worrisome on its own, the Cowboys compounded it with an illegal motion on their very next snap as they tried to get cute to defend New England’s punt block scheme, which invalidated a Chris Jones punt that was downed at the 18-yard line.

The third time was the charm for the Cowboys in this dubious sequence. The good news is that they finally executed the punt without a penalty, as the Patriots did the Cowboys a favor by eschewing their punt block scheme for a normal return look. The bad news is that it was fairly caught at the 38-yard line, meaning the Cowboys lost 20 yards of field position through the three-play punting sequence.

On top of that, the Cowboys couldn’t come up with an adequate adjustment to New England’s short kickoffs into the wind. Tony Pollard and Dalton Schultz muffed one apiece while Jamize Olawale let another bounce off the turf. Luckily, the Cowboys were able to recover the ball on all three occasions. However, the muffs limited Dallas’ ability to pick up yards on the return.

Instead of making the adjustment to move Pollard up to the 5- or 10-yard line so he could be in a better position to catch and return when New England was kicking into the wind, the Cowboys opted to leave him at his usual return depth against the high and short kickoffs. This meant either Pollard had to cover a ton of distance to get in position to catch the kickoff (the first muff), one of the blockers had to haul in the kickoff despite the rain and wind and not being trained to field kickoffs (the second muff), or a combination of both (the last muff).

It’s never fun to call for someone to lose their job, but this performance was embarrassing enough that the Cowboys should consider parting ways with special teams coach Keith O’Quinn. If this was a one-time occurrence, then it wouldn’t be as big of a deal, but Dallas’ special teams units have been struggling all season, coming into this game ranked near the bottom in almost every statistical category.

The Cowboys’ issues on special teams are a coaching issue, and Jerry Jones seems to agree, saying postgame: “To me, special teams is 100% coaching. It’s 100% coaching. It’s strategy. It’s having players ready... Special teams is nothing but coaching. Special teams is effort. Special teams is savvy. Special teams is thinking.”

The Cowboys need to make changes on special teams -- fast.

Jason Garrett’s lack of aggression is an issue

Outside of being severely outschemed and outcoached on special teams, Garrett failed to optimize his scoring opportunities by playing it safe and settling for field goals when the Cowboys crossed into Patriots territory.

The decision to kick a field goal from the 11-yard line in the fourth quarter was especially egregious. The Cowboys were down by seven points and the offense had trouble moving the ball on New England for the entire game. So when they were finally able to pierce the red zone, it should have been four-down territory for the offense.

Faced with a fourth-and-7, instead of looking to pick up a first down or tie the game, Garrett opted to stay conservative and take the field goal with six minutes left, turning a one-score game into ... still a one-score game.

The Cowboys unquestionably paid for this conservative call, as the Patriots were able to eat up nearly four minutes of game clock while also pinning Dallas inside the 10-yard line with 2:38 left in the game.

The Cowboys undeniably had a better chance to score a touchdown on fourth-and-7 from the 11-yard line than drive 92 yards with 2:38 left in the game.

Now, it shouldn’t be assumed that Dallas converts on the fourth down in that situation, but the reality is they were going to need a touchdown to tie or win the game regardless of the field goal. The result of a failed fourth down would have been similar to the result from the made field goal, as in both situations, the Cowboys had to rely on their defense to make a stop then needed the offense to score a touchdown.

It’s becoming a trend where despite being one of the most talented teams in the league, poor situational play-calling and decision-making limited Dallas’ chances to win a close game. Jones said it best postgame when he stated: "With the makeup of this team, I shouldn’t be this frustrated.”

Scared money don’t make money in the NFL, and Garrett forced the Cowboys to play scared Sunday.

4 horsemen on D-line continue to make impact

Though there aren’t many positives coming out of this game, let’s focus on one by discussing how some of the key cogs on the defensive line were able to impact the game.

Say what you want about Maliek Collins’ ability against the run, but he deserves more credit for his ability to rush the passer. Coming into this game, Collins was tied for first on the team and sixth among all NFL interior defenders in pressures (36).

While Collins still struggled against the run vs the Patriots, he did make a positive impact as a pass rusher. Collins was able to notch his fourth sack of the season against the Patriots (above clip). He executed a beautifully violent club-rip move to beat Shaq Mason, who had only given up one sack all season coming into the game.

Robert Quinn was screaming off the edge in the first half. NE had to adjust by sending frequent chips Quinn's way. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/v9MwqwO6HX — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 25, 2019

Robert Quinn also continued his sack streak against the Patriots, giving him at least 0.5 sacks in six straight games.

Quinn was a major thorn in the Patriots’ side throughout the first half, as he continually generated pressure on Brady in the pocket. In fact, Quinn had an absurd 54% pass-rush win rate, meaning he beat his blocker within 2.5 seconds on over half of his rushes in the first half, according to ESPN’s Seth Walder. The Patriots adjusted by frequently sending a chip block Quinn’s way the rest of the game, but he still ended the game with a sack and a bevy of pressures, as his potent speed rush and hand technique gave Patriots left tackle Isaiah Wynn fits off the edge.

Robert Quinn using the euro cross chop that's oh so hot right now to carve the corner and attack the pocket. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/q3VGbZLxdX — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 25, 2019

On his sack (above clip), Quinn used a euro step -- where he steps inside before leaping outside in concert with his hand technique -- to set up his cross chop. This enabled him to beat Wynn’s hands, capture the corner and flatten to the quarterback. Even though he didn’t bring Brady down, Quinn was able to knock the ball loose, creating a sack-fumble.

Unfortunately, Brady was able to quickly recover before being brought down by DeMarcus Lawrence to end the play.

It was another disruptive performance from DeMarcus Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/1wwpfk2T6I — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 25, 2019

Speaking of Lawrence, it was another disruptive performance from the best defender on the team, as he finished with five tackles, two for loss, a few pressures and a QB hit.

While Lawrence has always been lauded for his ability to rush the passer, his ability to be a high-impact run defender in recent games has been incredibly impressive. Teams are doing whatever they can to limit Lawrence’s impact as a pass rusher, but just like any elite player, he is finding other ways to provide value.

Michael Bennett was able to make a couple impactful plays against his old team. pic.twitter.com/MjkQL3YuCu — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 25, 2019

Not to be forgotten, Michael Bennett continued his disruptive ways, as both of the tackles were for losses. Bennett’s versatility to play multiple positions while maintaining his effectiveness has been huge for the Cowboys’ defensive line rotation, enabling them to have playmakers on the line even when Lawrence, Collins and/or Quinn need a breather.

Overall, it was a forgettable performance by the team as a whole, but Dallas’ four horsemen on the defensive line put together a winning performance.

Enjoy this post? More film studies:

— How Robert Quinn has become the Cowboys’ most productive pass rusher

— 3 things we learned from Cowboys-Lions, including how Dak put together another MVP effort

— Why the Cowboys should be encouraged by Travis Frederick’s play this season