Cast your minds to the 2022 postseason game between the Cowboys and the 49ers. Dallas were at home for the NFC wild-card game and quarterback Dak Prescott threw a pass to receiver Cedrick Wilson, who surprisingly watched the ball sail past him. The reason? Sun. Had Wilson caught the ball, they would have been in field goal range, instead, it was a turnover and they lost the game 23-17. Fast forward two years later, the problem remains at the AT&T Stadium.

The Cowboys had nowhere to hide after being pummeled 34-6 by the Philadelphia Eagles. It leaves them 3-6 and winless in the last four games. While they suffered from familiar failings against the Eagles, there was a glaring issue highlighted by their wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. And no, it didn’t wasn’t their disorganized offense that had its worst showing since the franchise moved to the AT&T Stadium, rather it was about the sun.

We all have heard about the home-field advantage, but it turns out Dallas faced a disadvantage for their NFC East game. Lamb missed a direct throw from backup quarterback Cooper Rush, which could have led to a touchdown. The WR was facing the sun when the ball came toward him. He then pointed to his eyes, suggesting that the direct glare from the sun was causing problems. He made similar gestures on the sideline during the loss.

The Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones addresses the need for the curtains to block out the sun shining in at one end of the stadium. With a tinge of sarcasm, he said, “By the way, we know where the sun is going to be when we flip the coin, so we do know where the damn sun is going to be in our own stadium. Let’s just tear the damn stadium down and build another one. Are you kidding me?”

But according to CeeDee Lamb, something needs to be done. Speaking to the press after the game, Lamb explained his miss and said, “I couldn’t see the ball. Couldn’t see the ball at all. The sun.” When asked whether the stadium needs curtains to block out the sun rays from interfering, he answered, “Yes. 1000%”

The AT&T Stadium has had sun-related problems since it opened in 2009. The field faces east and west, instead of north and south. This means once the time changes, the glare from the sun inside the stadium can be a challenge on the field depending on which side you are playing. Despite calls in the past as well to put curtains and the 2022 game incident against the 49ers, Jones has remained adamant that curtains are not needed.

Two years ago, in an interview on 105.3 “The Fan”, he outright dismissed taking any action to block out the sun. “I wish to hell all I had to worry about was a ball hitting the screen or a little sun getting in there. Conditions and elements have been a part of football since it was spelled the first time. No. That’s about 10,000 on my list of things to worry about. And, no, we’re not going to do anything with it.”

Notably, this has been a sore point between the fans and Jones over the years. In fact, we have seen the stadium use blackout curtains for concerts and other such events on a regular basis. But Jones has either refused to acknowledge that there is a problem or he simply isn’t ready to make any changes to the stadium, also known as Jerry World.

The stadium was built at a cost of $1.2 billion and has a capacity of 105,000. It features a huge Jumbotron and state-of-the-art amenities, but players have complained of the sun interfering with their vision. During his address to the reporters, Jones clarified that his comments were not meant as a dig at HC Mike McCarthy.

“Every team that comes in here has the same issues. They know where the sun is going to be. Every team has the same thing. I’m not saying (it’s on McCarthy). I’m saying the world knows where the sun is. We get to know that almost a year in advance. So someone asked me about the sun. What about the sun? Where’s the moon? We’re fine. But everybody plays in the sun out here,” Jones added.

Clearly, Jones thinks there is more to the Cowboys’ problems, especially at home where they are 0-4 this season. Sun issues or not, that is an alarming record. Lamb’s own performance hasn’t been top-notch. In 9 games, he has 59 receptions with 681 yards and 4 touchdowns. Following the defeat that leaves their season in a precarious position, HC McCarthy wasn’t holding back.

McCarthy calls out the Cowboys’ mistakes in defeat to the Eagles

Speaking after their fourth straight loss, Mike McCarthy was understandably furious. “You can’t win games turning the ball over five times. I don’t give a (expletive) who lines up. So that’s the part we got to get right,” he said.

Dak Prescott’s injury hasn’t helped matters, but the Eagles’ defeat brought long-standing issues to light for McCarthy. Frequent turnovers, unnecessary penalties, and a lackluster second-half performance summed up their season so far. Next up for the Cowboys are the Texans at the AT&T Stadium.

The team will have to put on a much better show to keep their season alive. From offense to making silly mistakes in defense, the Cowboys will have a lot to fix and soon, or else the sun will be setting down on their season already.