The Dallas Cowboys made just enough plays to eke out a win over the lowly Cleveland Browns, 23-20 in overtime Sunday.
However, they almost blew the game when they broke the huddle with only nine players on the field on the most important defensive possession in the fourth quarter and were forced to rush two men on the field .
"The coaches and the players just got to get on the same page," linebacker Bruce Carter said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "It wasn't a big issue."
Carter called the mix-up "a little communication problem."
As we enter Week 12, the Cowboys are still trying to get on the same page. The exasperation is understandable.
Coach Jason Garrett didn't cool his seat with the shaky victory, but his team is in position to make a run at the playoffs.
Cowboys' Vice President Stephen Jones called the miscommunication between the coaches and players "not acceptable."
"I know our staff's not happy about that," Jones said on KRLD-FM Monday, via the Morning News. "That's not the type of football or the type of product we want to put on the field when the game's on the line and we're trying to run two guys out there, and obviously, probably not in place and certainly not ready to get in a football position to make a play. Those are the types of things that cost you from getting in the playoffs. We've got to do better than that."
Owner Jerry Jones has backed up Garrett through all the mistakes, but his flirtation with potential replacements already seems to have started. If a miscommunication goof costs the Cowboys a game, that innocent chatter could ramp up into a full-fledged affair.
Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.
