Jerry Jones Said Cowboys 'Top Players' Didn't Step Up When Needed in Big Games Last Season

The Dallas Cowboys enter yet another offseason with plenty of optimism about finally making their first Super Bowl since 1996. That was the expectation last year, but they fell off the wagon and barely missed out on a playoff berth, resulting in the firing of head coach Jason Garrett.

While owner Jerry Jones has been famous for standing up for his players, specifically his stars, he did a 180 on Tuesday, saying the Cowboys' failures last season was due to "top players" not performing against the better teams in the league.

Jerry Jones on the Cowboys’ disappointing 2019 season: “At critical times, critical games we didn’t meet the mark. Across the board, we had top players that didn’t step up. And when I say step up, (I mean) have big games against some of the better teams.” https://t.co/n21XRWpLvv
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 3, 2020

There are no lies there from Jones.

The Cowboys had the easiest schedule to start off the season, as they faced the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, and Miami Dolphins in their first three games of the season. After feeling themselves a little too much, they were brought back to reality when losing their following three games to the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and New York Jets.

Jerry Jones is so committed to keeping Dak Prescott as the team’s QB that he just compared him to his son, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones: “(I feel) the same I feel about Stephen. There’s no going forward without Stephen or one of your family members. You got to figure it out.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) February 27, 2020

At points of the season, running back Ezekiel Elliott was non-existent during contests, while wide receiver Amari Cooper pulled disappearing acts in big games. As for quarterback Dak Prescott, he had his highs and lows, but never single-handedly brought the Cowboys back into games when it mattered the most. He's not the guy to be able to pull out victories on his own, like a Patrick Mahomes.

Given that Cooper and Prescott are due for huge contracts, Jones has a rather difficult choice to make. Can these guys bring the franchise their sixth Lombardi Trophy? He has two weeks to figure that out.