JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The start was scintillating.
Two possessions. Two scores and an early double-digit lead on the road against a playoff team that won 12 games last season.
Then the Cowboys fell apart.
Drew Bledsoe played poorly. The offensive line struggled. And the secondary was torched.
Add nine penalties, a missed field goal and an apparent touchdown negated by penalty, and it was easy to see why the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Cowboys, 24-17, in front of 67,164 on Sunday at Alltel Stadium.
"Too many mistakes today. We just didn't concentrate well enough at the right time. We had our chances, but we just couldn't put it all together," Bill Parcells said. "Like I told the players, it's a long season. We have to learn from what we did today."
The season isn't over just because the Cowboys lost a road game to one of the AFC's best teams.
They can still become the special team owner Jerry Jones and Parcells spent much of training camp alluding to because they are loaded with productive No. 1 draft choices on defense and high-dollar free agents on both sides of the ball.
And they're built to win now because there's no guarantee Parcells, star receiver Terrell Owens or Bledsoe will return next year.
But there is much cause for concern.
Even the best defenses need help. The Cowboys' offense didn't provide much during the final three quarters. Penalties, turnovers and mental errors ruined nearly every possession in that span.
"One thing I learned a long time ago is that if you don't make mistakes and keep punting the ball, it's hard for them to beat you," Jones said.
After grabbing a 10-0 lead on Julius Jones' 23-yard run and Shaun Suisham's 32-yard field goal in the first quarter, the Cowboys did not record more than one first down on any of their next six possessions.
That lack of production gave Jacksonville more than enough time to work itself back into the game. The Cowboys didn't score again until Owens' 21-yard catch with 1:54 left.
"We missed a couple of opportunities on our third drive, and after that we made a lot of untimely mistakes," said Bledsoe, who passed for 246 yards with three interceptions and the touchdown. "We had some turnovers, and we gave yards away. Anytime you do that, you're going to have a hard time winning the game.
"If we get out of our own way, we'll win some games. It's an extremely disappointing loss, but it's a long season."
One loss hasn't changed Parcells' belief that the Cowboys are capable of contending in the NFC – where there is no dominant club.
But with six of their first nine games away from Texas Stadium, Parcells knows that a good start is crucial to overall success.
That's why he spent training camp pushing his team so hard and trying to eliminate the mistakes that cost teams victories. It's why Jones spent $21.5 million in signing bonuses this off-season to sign eight free agents.
"It's just one game. If we're still like this after four games, then we might be in trouble," linebacker Bradie James said.
Bledsoe's first interception, late in the second quarter, gave Jacksonville an opportunity to tie the score at halftime.
The Jaguars didn't waste it. Reggie Williams beat Anthony Henry for a 6-yard touchdown with seven seconds left.
A 3-yard touchdown run by Byron Leftwich on a quarterback draw with 11:27 left in the game gave the Jaguars their first lead, 17-10. Fred Taylor's 5-yard touchdown run with 3:13 left pushed the lead to 24-10.
There's no time for a pity party. A home game with NFC East rival Washington looms. An 0-2 start heading into the bye week is not conducive to being a contender.
E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
NEXT: Washington (0-0) at Cowboys (0-1), 7:15 p.m. Sunday, NBC (Ch. 5)
