The sun sets on stubborn Jerry Jones as it’s curtains for the Cowboys against the Eagles

Will the sun ever come up again in Dallas? The Cowboys’ opponents sure hope so.

CeeDee Lamb missed a touchdown catch Sunday late in the second quarter against the Eagles when he lost a pass in the setting sun, which blasts through the windows on the west end of AT&T Stadium. It is a flashy, retractable-roof stadium and the roof was closed Sunday. However, in a delicious example of hubris and obstinance, the 15-year-old, $1 billion monstrosity was constructed without regard to the players, who not only play on artificial turf but also have to deal with visibility issues when the Cowboys play afternoon home games. Most stadiums are built with end zones facing north and south to specifically avoid problems receiving passes and kicks.

Lamb’s TD might not have mattered. The Cowboys trailed 7-3 at the time, and kicked a field goal two plays later, but they ultimately lost, 34-6. At any rate, the Cowboys’ sixth loss and their fifth in a row has owner JerryJones babbling like a, er, lunatic. He appeared to blame his team for choosing the wrong end zone for the time of day when it would be driving toward the east (and looking back toward the west).

“We know where the sun is going to be when we decide to flip the coin or not. We do know where the damn sun is going to be in our own stadium,” Jones said, then he went a little batty. “Well, let’s tear the damn stadium down and build another one? Are you kidding me?”

Um. … Are you kidding me?

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Jalen Hurts played unevenly, but his resilience is what mattered in win vs. Cowboys

Jones spent 10 figures on the stadium, and paid Lamb nine figures to play in it. Does Lamb want shade?

“Yeah,” he said. “One thousand percent.”

Too bad, said Jones.

“Everybody has got the same thing. Every team that comes in here has the same issues. I’m saying, the world knows where the sun is. You get to know that almost a year in advance. Someone asked me about the sun. What about the sun? Where’s the moon?”

The moon?

We have yet to experience athletes being blinded by the moon.

Besides, the place apparently already has shades. They routinely are drawn for other daytime events. Jones just won’t use them for Cowboys games.

» READ MORE: Hurts, Carter lead Eagles’ humiliation of the Cowboys: ‘Those moments were the biggest part of the game’

Seriously.

This is a recurring problem for the ‘Pokes. Most notably, in a wild-card playoff loss after the 2021 season, Cedrick Wilson couldn’t see a pass from Dak Prescott, which cost the Cowboys at least a field-goal try. That incident was, er, overshadowed by coach Mike McCarthy calling a designed run by Prescott with no timeouts in the game’s last seconds that cost the Cowboys a chance to win.

And no, Jones said, even after Sunday’s humiliation, he’s not firing McCarthy any time soon.

This also is sunny news for Cowboys opponents.

On Aug. 31, 49ers rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall was shot in the chest during a struggle with a would-be Rolex robber at San Francisco’s Union Square.

On Sunday, Pearsall caught a pass on a crossing route from Brock Purdy in the middle of the field at the Buccaneers’ 30-yard line, sprinted down the left sideline, dead-legged safety Antoine Winfield Jr. at the 15, then bulled through Winfield’s tackle at the goal line. It was the first touchdown of the game, and much more significantly, the first NFL touchdown of Pearsall’s life, which nearly ended on a San Francisco street.

Pearsall was incredibly lucky. The bullet entered the right side of his chest and exited his back, but it missed all vital organs. He spent just one night in the hospital. He was able to stand on the sideline during the 49ers’ first game of the season on Sept. 9, a home game against the Jets, when he thanked San Francisco Police Sgt. Joelle Harrell, one of the first officers on the scene, and Dr. Lucy Kornblith, a surgeon at Zuckerberg San Francisco General.

The 49ers activated him from the reserve/non-football injury list on Oct. 9, he caught his first NFL pass the next day against the Kansas City Chiefs, and now he has his first TD. He’s a first-round pick out of Florida with 4.41-second speed in the 40-yard dash, but at 6-foot-3 and 192 pounds, he’s likely to make his NFL living as a possession receiver.

It’s amazing he has an NFL living to make.

» READ MORE: Dominating the Cowboys continued a post-bye trend for the Eagles. Up next, a chance to seize the division.

On the sideline of the same game, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel pushed long snapper Taybor Pepper by the neck and followed through with a swipe at kicker Jake Moody’s face mask after Moody, who has struggled in his first two seasons, missed three more field goals Sunday in Tampa. Samuel was berating Moody when Pepper swooped in to defend Moody.

“He just came over and wanted to be big bro,” said Samuel, who said his frustrations led him to act out of character.

Moody later hit the game-winner.

After overseeing continued regression from $160 million quarterback Daniel Jones, New York Giants coach Brian Daboll said he would “evaluate” the QB position during the Giants’ upcoming bye week. Daboll has been consistently supportive of Jones, in whom the Giants chose to invest instead of running back Saquon Barkley, who now is an Eagle.

Since his high-water mark in 2022, his fourth season, Jones is 3-13 as a starter, with a passer rating of 76.6. That’s the second-worst rating of any quarterback with at least 16 starts. The only one worse is Bryce Young, whose own story is as compellingly promising as Jones’ is compellingly ominous.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: The defense dismantled the Dak Prescott-less Cowboys

The Carolina Panthers drafted the 5-10 Alabama star first overall in 2023, but an atrocious rookie season and two bad starts to open 2024 sent Young to the bench in favor of Andy Dalton. Dalton then injured his thumb in a car accident, so Young got the call again. Young has started the last three games, including Sunday’s, when he beat Jones and the Giants in overtime and moved to 2-1 since his return. Panthers coach Dave Canales would not commit to Young when the Panthers return from their bye week, but his chances seem better than Jones’.

The Giants now are 2-8 and effectively have no playoff hopes. They could decide to shelve Jones for the season’s final seven games in order to protect themselves from Jones’ $23 million injury guarantee for 2025.

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson was asked to explain the circumstances that led to backup quarterback Mac Jones’ second interception Sunday, which sealed a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. (Starter Trevor Lawrence is hurt.)

“I’m not gonna go through the details of the play, because you guys wouldn’t figure it out,” Pederson said.

Of course, us guys not being able to figure it out is why us guys ask questions.

Unlike many coaches, Pederson, who spent five years as Eagles head coach and won the franchise’s only Super Bowl, often offers illuminating and immediate descriptions of what happened on the field. Historically, his willingness to do so decreases in direct proportion to how much losing his team is doing. Sunday, his team lost its third straight game and fell to 2-8, tied for last in the league.

When things turn bad, Pederson also lashes out at the press and says nonsensical stuff. Like that.

» READ MORE: The Eagles’ turnover bonanza vs. Cowboys was sparked by bargain LB Zack Baun

The Washington Commanders played a messy game but still came inches from giving themselves a better chance to win Sunday when, on fourth down, former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz was ruled down short of the line to gain. Extensive replay review did not change the call on the field, and that gave the ball to the Steelers with 1 minute, 18 seconds to play at the Steelers’ 42. The Commanders defense stiffened and forced fourth-and-1 at the Washington 49 with 1:02 left, but Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson enticed Commanders rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton to jump offside, which sealed the win for Pittsburgh.

The bigger story might concern how Wilson continued his second renaissance. After accruing Hall of Fame credentials over 10 seasons in Seattle, Wilson spent two turbulent seasons in Denver before landing in Pittsburgh. Injury kept the 35-year-old sidelined for the first six games. He controversially replaced Justin Fields, who’d gone 4-2, but since Wilson took over he’s gone 3-0 with six touchdown passes and one interception.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue to be one of the worst undefeated teams in NFL history. They survived a 16-14 home win over the Broncos on Sunday when they blocked a last-second, 35-yard field goal. … After the Indianapolis Colts lost their third straight game, cornerback Kenny Moore said some of his teammates aren’t trying: “I don’t think everybody’s going as hard as possible.” … Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell gave Sam Darnold a vote of confidence despite Darnold’s three interceptions — two in the end zone — in a 12-7 win over the Jaguars. Darnold leads the NFL with 13 turnovers, but he’s started every game for the 7-2 Vikings. … Sunday night in Houston, Jared Goff became the first quarterback since 2012 and the first Detroit Lions quarterback since 1944 to throw at least five interceptions and still win. … Nick Bosa, the pro-MAGA defensive end of the 49ers, was issued an $11,255 fine for displaying a pro-Trump hat during postgame on-field interviews, a violation of league rules regarding wearing personal messages on game day.