The Dallas Cowboys 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions added frustration in the building. EVP Stephen Jones subtly calls out head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s decision-making. That came while he was highlighting kicker Brandon Aubrey’s historic performance, the tenor made clear that Jones thought the Cowboys left points on the field.

That pointed moment came when Stephen Jones first praised Aubrey for keeping the Cowboys alive and then suggested that the staff should have given him one more chance to win the game.

“What a performance. He gave us every opportunity to stay in that game. I just wish he would have had one shot there at the end to win it because I’m sure he would have made it,” Jones said on Dallas Cowboys own youtube channel. In one sentence, he both elevated the kicker and called into question the choice not to attempt another long field goal, a decision widely attributed to Schottenheimer.

Still, Jones was quick to point out that the coaching staff has continuously expressed confidence in Aubrey.

“It shows you the confidence coach Schottenheimer and coach Sorensen have in Aubrey, just to throw him in there like you said in the middle of a half, where certainly if you miss the field position goes the other way on you,” he said. “Just shows the confidence that we have in him.” He was quick to praise the coaches for their past decisions, but it was hard not to note the contrast with the late-game choice.

Aubrey earned every bit of that confidence. The kicker made all five of his field-goal. He now holds six career field goals from at least 60 yards, the most in league history. This season, Aubrey is 27-for-29 on field goals and 28-of-29 on extra points, with a long of 64 yards. He has also become the second-most accurate kicker ever, converting 90.3% of his attempts, trailing only Cameron Dicker.

His five-field-goal performance against Detroit was his second such game and he even added a tackle on a long return. He has become one of the league’s most reliable weapons and in a game full of mistakes, he was Dallas’ stabilizing force.

Tight end Jake Ferguson’s fumble ended a second-quarter drive. Dak Prescott fought through pressure. On defense, rookie corner Shavon Revel Jr. struggled, drawing a pass interference penalty that set up a Lions field goal before halftime and then surrendering a touchdown in the third quarter.

Despite the loss, Dallas is not out of the playoff race, and Jerry Jones made sure to remind everyone of that.

Jerry Jones take on the Cowboys’ playoff chances

The overtime win by the Los Angeles Chargers over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night kept Dallas mathematically alive and closed the gap in the NFC East. With Philadelphia now 8-5, the Cowboys sit just one and a half games behind with four weeks to go.

Jones’s mood was one of fresh optimism.

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“Real excited. They didn’t have to put any field in the plane, I just flew up here on my own,” he said after the Eagles’ loss, jesting. “We’ve got to concentrate on the Minnesota Vikings this weekend. That’s a big game for us. Boy, you see you need to stay in there every play, every play is meaningful right at this particular time, and we’ve sure got a shot at this thing.”

If Dallas wins its final four games, the Cowboys will enter a realistic race for the division, requiring the Eagles to drop at least two of their remaining four. Stephen Jones added, too, speaking out against the recent criticism of wide receiver George Pickens.

“Just so that I’m real clear about it: I don’t have the concern about the debate about what George Pickens did or didn’t do in that game,” he said.

Thus, he drove home the point that any questions about the effort and commitment from Pickens were off the table. The Eagles have struggled against opponents and playoff-calibre teams remaining, with this recent slide offering Dallas at least a sliver of hope.

For now, though, the Cowboys need to clean up the mistakes, protect their quarterback, as Stephen Jones intimated, perhaps lean a little heavier on the most reliable leg in football.