It turns out benching Ezekiel Elliott didn't stop Cowboys from being terrible

The Dallas Cowboys benched Ezekiel Elliott for their Week 9 trip to Atlanta. Elliott was apparently upset with his role, and made it known within the Cowboys facility. I do not blame them for kicking Zeke to the curb, as I would've done the same thing.

However, any Dallas fan who thought getting rid of Elliott would solve their problems – there are likely five of you out there – listen closely. Elliott and the running game are bad, but they are the least of your problems.

Dallas is imploding. The Cowboys are 3-4 and on the verge of another defeat. Even if they were to defeat the Falcons on Sunday, which would be a tall ask, the Cowboys have a long way to go before they are playoff bound, or even competent.

While kicking Zeke to the curb did improve Dallas' rushing attack, it did not prove much more. The Cowboys lost some winnable games on their schedule, and as a result are staring down the barrel in the NFC.

The Dallas Cowboys might be even worse without Ezekiel Elliott

Dallas is on national television every week because they are pure drama. The Cowboys are not a good football team, but they're basically Desperate Housewives, but NFL. In the first half, the Elliott-less Cowboys average less than two yards a carry (at one point) and McCarthy broke his tablet in frustration. Let me be clear – this is a tame Sunday by Dallas' standards.

The second half didn't get off to a great start, as Dallas called one of the worst fake punts I've ever seen in my adult life. Why does anyone watch this team voluntarily?

The Cowboys thought they would catch the Falcons off-guard. Instead, the punter nearly threw an interception. Rather, Atlanta did not intercept the ball, and the Falcons recorded a different turnover as a result. I have no words.

The Falcons went on to score, and as of this writing, are two scores ahead. If they do not hang on, I blame Atlanta (and perhaps the ghost of Kyle Shanahan) rather than giving Dallas credit. Let's be real.