'Mind-Boggling!' Dallas Cowboys' Road Kill - Again - In Blowout Loss at Buffalo Bills

The Dallas Cowboys haven't been the same team away from AT&T Stadium, and it showed in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The Dallas Cowboys played their first road game in over a month on Sunday, and to say it didn't go well would be quite the understatement.

Dallas had won five straight before they traveled to face the surging Buffalo Bills, but that streak came to a screeching halt in a 31-10 blowout loss. Even the final score seems deceptive, as a Cowboys touchdown in garbage time made it look closer than it actually was.

While this game was jarring considering the Cowboys' recent dominance, it does highlight a concerning trend over the past two seasons. That is, the fact that they are a completely different team away from AT&T Stadium.

"It's mind-boggling ... unacceptable ... I don't understand why we're not coming together on the road,'' said a frank Micah Parsons.

Cowboys running back Tony Pollard fights through Bills defenders during Sunday's game

How "mind-boggling''? Try this: In their home venue, the Cowboys have been one of the NFL's best teams recently. Between this season and last, Dallas is a stellar 15-1 at home, with the lone loss being to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last year's season opener. 

In that same time span, the Cowboys have outscored their opponents by an average score of 34.3-17.8 in Arlington.

On the road, though, it's a very different story. Over the past two years, the Cowboys' road record is just 7-8 (not including playoffs), a far cry from their near perfect mark at home. 

To further the comparison, the Cowboys have only outscored their road opponents by an average of 23.9-21.4, also a sharp decline from their home marks.

To beat a dead horse even further, the stark difference in performance is especially prevalent in the stats of Dallas' quarterback, Dak Prescott. 

At home, Prescott is playing at nearly an MVP level, completing 71.8 percent of his passes with 32 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over the past two seasons. On the road, however, Prescott has completed 63.7 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

OK, that's enough stats, how does Dallas' road woes impact its championship hopes? In short - immensely.

Not only are two of the Cowboys' final three games on the road, with a Christmas Eve showdown against the Miami Dolphins looking particularly scary, but Sunday's loss also had a major impact on their playoff seeding. With the loss, Dallas is back down to the No. 5 seed as a wild card, pending the Philadelphia Eagles' result on Monday night.

Sure, the Cowboys may be able to overcome their road issues in the opening round against whoever wins the NFC South, as they did the same thing last year by thrashing the Buccaneers. Would it go as smoothly if they have to face an NFC powerhouse like the Eagles or San Francisco 49ers, though?

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No matter the cause of these road woes, the Cowboys must figure them out soon if they wish to break their Super Bowl drought, and they know it.

"I'm looking forward to the challenge, but right now, it's not about home or away," Prescott said earlier in the week. "These are playoff-type games, and it's important for us to use this momentum and confidence we've built to take another step on the road."