ARLINGTON -- Dez Bryant doesn't throw up the X much these days.

The occasional first down now qualifies as a highlight.

The latest in a long line of pedestrian performances by the Cowboys receiver isn't the primary reason for Sunday night's humiliating 37-9 loss to Philadelphia. An uncharacteristically woeful game by quarterback Dak Prescott and a defense that unraveled in the second half after a strong start deserve the lion's share of the blame.

But don't discount Bryant's lack of production. A team desperate for someone to step up with a big play or two in Ezekiel Elliott's absence has nowhere to turn due to No. 88's slow decline.

The cold, hard truth is this: Bryant can no longer be classified as an elite receiver by any objective measure. He's still a very good player. But he's become a complementary player in this offense, not one who makes an impact or can be expected to carry the offense for crucial stretches.

You disagree? Elite receivers don't go more than a year without a 100-yard game. The last time Bryant broke that barrier came 17 regular season games ago when he had 116 yards in a win over Pittsburgh.

Bryant has gone over 100 yards just four times in his last 34 regular season games, a stretch that extends back to December of 2014.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett had no interest in taking such a big picture view after this brutal loss. So let's narrow the scope.

Bryant finished with eight catches for 63 yards. His longest reception of the evening was 17 yards.

That came in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys were already down by 28 points.

Even with Bryant's numbers in decline in recent years, he's remained a threat in the red zone. Those days are now on the wane.

The Cowboys had a second-and-nine on the Philadelphia 11-yard line on their second possession of the game. A short pass to Bryant in the flat picked up only two yards when he was unable to escape a tackle by cornerback Ronald Darby.

A fade to Bryant in the end zone on the next play had no chance of success. Darby easily broke up the pass.

Bryant's last touchdown came Oct. 22 against San Francisco. The Cowboys were up 33-3 at the time.

That's not a big play at a meaningful moment. That's padding your statistics.

Blame all this on a lack of rapport between Prescott and Bryant if you want. But there's more at work here.

Bryant dropped a pass on third down on the team's first possession to force the Cowboys to settle for a long field goal. He dropped another pass in the second half, giving him eight for the season.

That leads the Cowboys.

How often do you see Bryant burn defenses over the top? How many plays has he made down the field this season?

His biggest plays often come when he gets a pass interference call. Much of his work has been relegated to bubble screens and slants that he's unable to break for big yardage.

Opponents have held Bryant below 60 yards receiving in six of the team's 10 games this season.

Outcomes swing on big plays. The Eagles were down by two points to open the third quarter when tight end Brent Celek burned the Cowboys with a 28-yard gain and receiver Alshon Jeffery followed with one of 18 yards to fuel a touchdown drive.

Jay Ajayi ripped off a 71-yard run on Philadelphia's next possession to spark another score and blow the game open.

That's what the Cowboys offense needs in Elliott's absence.

Bryant isn't giving it to them.

There were 50 players in the NFL with more receiving yards than Bryant last season.

Fifty.

Pittsburgh's Antonio Bryant has 485 more receiving yards than Dez Bryant does at this stage of the season. Dez Bryant has only two multi-touchdown games since the start of the '15 season.

Throw up the X?

There's not much for Bryant or the Cowboys offense to celebrate these days.

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.

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