Jerry Jones points flaws in Brian Schottenheimer's gameplan allowing J.J. McCarthy to "have a big day on Cowboys"

The Dallas Cowboys suffered a potential season-ending 34-26 loss against the Minnesota Vikings over the weekend. The Cowboys' defense, which has been their Achilles heel all season, let the team down again.

While the Cowboys have one of the most efficient offenses in the league, their playoff dream is all but over because of their underwhelming defense. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who has struggled this season, registered career-best numbers against the Cowboys on Sunday.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones alluded to McCarthy's performance as "telling" of Brian Schottenheimer's defensive frailties.

“We let their quarterback have a big day on us," Jones said. "That wasn’t the plan. We could have used more pressure, without question, at different times. The result was that we let (J.J. McCarthy) make some pretty significant plays out there, plus, he played pretty well.

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"It seems like we’re always saying that about these (opposing) quarterbacks. Some of them hadn’t played as well, but when they play us, they play better. I think that’s telling, too.”

McCarthy, who entered Week 15 as one of the worst-ranked quarterbacks, threw for a career-high 250 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception, along with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott "frustrated" after Vikings loss

While the Cowboys defense failed to contain J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings had no such problems against Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, who was pressured a season-high 45% on his dropbacks.

Prescott, who struggled against Minnesota's league-best blitzes, shared his frustration after Sunday's loss.

"The frustration comes from honestly just not having a good enough plan to beat that Cover Zero [blitz] and seeing something over and over like that and not being able to gash it," Prescott said. "I'm frustrated for myself and I didn't have an answer for it."

The Cowboys remain second in the NFC East with a 6-7 record and need to win their three remaining games, while hoping division leaders, the Philadelphia Eagles, lose their three to have any chance of qualifying for the postseason.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash