ARLINGTON - This is nothing new. But that doesn't make it right.
Jerry Jones has his reason. But that doesn't make it smart.
With quarterback Dak Prescott out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, the Dallas Cowboys needed every possible advantage to keep up with the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
Instead, they ran themselves head-first into a disadvantage when the overmatched QB Cooper Rush tossed a potential touchdown pass in the vicinity of CeeDee Lamb, on the short list of best receivers in the game.
Why didn't Lamb score? Because of Jerry Jones' love of aesthetics.
Dallas, which ended up losing 34-6 to slip to 3-6 on the year, caught a rare break after All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons strip-sacked Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in the early going. That allowed the Cowboys to start a drive just six yards from the end zone. This is a poor red-zone offense ... but a great opportunity.
On third-and-goal from the 3, Rush tossed a pass to Lamb for what might've been an easy-pickings go-ahead touchdown. But ...
Lamb lost the football in the glare of the Texas sun that pours through the beautiful windows here at AT&T Stadium.
It so happens that the windows face east to west (an architectual error) and that they cast a gorgeous light over the field as the sun sets. Seriously, it is a lovely made-for-TV sight - which is exactly the problem with the setup - and, I have often argued, exactly the problem with the marketing-first Cowboys.
Jones has chosen TV aesthetics over football sense.
Lamb immediately gestured toward his own eyes to indicate that he couldn't see the football. ... a needless act to those of us who undetstand the deal.
