NFL Week 8: The Cowboys can’t close, the Chargers can’t score, and Lamar Jackson can’t stay healthy

The Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers and Atlanta Falcons all lost in dispiriting ways Sunday, while Tampa Bay won using a strategy not seen in 50 years.

When Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ran in a touchdown with more than 14 minutes left in Sunday’s fourth quarter, a quarter-century’s worth of football history suggested the game was effectively over. The score put Dallas ahead of Arizona 24-10, and since 2000, the Cowboys had never lost when they led by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter at home. Their record in such circumstances was a perfect 69-0, according to ESPN. Now it’s 69-1. As has been the case for the last two seasons, the Cowboys’ much-maligned problems defensively cost them again. This time, even though the Arizona Cardinals had benched their starting quarterback and turned to backup Gardner Minshew, Dallas allowed 20 fourth-quarter points en route to a 33-30 loss in overtime.

The Cowboys were lucky to make it to overtime, too — Arizona missed a point-after kick with 6 seconds left in regulation that would have broken a 30-30 tie. It was the Cowboys’ second improbable loss of the season, following a Week 3 loss in which they led with 7 seconds to play, only to lose on a walk-off field goal after having surrendered a long pass play to set up the kick. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was shown on the broadcast Sunday banging the tabletop in front of him after the loss. Asked