Cowboys surrender NFL lead in total defense; Carr express frustration with lack of forced turnovers

The Cowboys came into tonight’s game against Chicago with the top-ranked defense in the NFL. But they lost ground tonight by allowing 360 yards in a 34-18 loss to the Bears.

The Cowboys fell to fourth overall in total defense, allowing an average of 277.5 points per game. They also backtracked in turnover ratio by forcing only one (a lost fumble) and losing five: all interceptions by quarterback Tony Romo.

Dallas is now minus-7 in turnover ratio – ranking next-to-last among NFL teams. Much of that, said cornerback Brandon Carr, is on the defense.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m frustrated,” said Carr, who let out a long, loud sigh. “I don’t like to lose. I don’t like to get embarrassed, especially on national television.

“We need more as a defense. We need more turnovers. We had a lot of success in the pre-season (forcing turnovers). We’ve got to find that and get it back and try to get the ball back. That’s the bottom line. I don’t even know what our turnover ratio is. But I know it’s not good.”

Carr said the Cowboys were so bad Monday night that he understood why fans bailed early, allowing the fourth quarter to have the feel of Soldier Field South.

“That’s what happens when you don’t give them anything to cheer for,” Carr said. “They paid their heard-earned money and weren’t satisfied. We weren’t satisfied, either. They got out of here before we did.”

_ Jimmy Burch