Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said Tuesday he believes owner Jerry Jones was justified in making pointed comments about the team following their 13-9 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.

"Passion, emotion, the energy he brings, that is Line 1 for Mr. Jones, I feel like from my perspective," Witten told ESPN. "He wants to win. He expects to win. He feels like he's put a great team together, which he has, and we haven't played to our expectations of where we should be. That's completely fair. I think it's just the raw emotion of it all. He's been around a lot of great football and knows what he wants it to look like."

Jones appeared to call out the team's coaching staff following Sunday's loss, which dropped the Cowboys to 6-5 on the season.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Jones said. “With the makeup of this team, I shouldn’t be this frustrated.”

Jason Garrett's future has been the subject of speculation dating back to the preseason as he spends the season coaching on an expiring contract. The head coach said Tuesday he wasn't bothered by Jones' criticism and was focused on Thursday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

"We just focus on what we need to do to coach and play our best and get ready for this ballgame," Garrett said. "Buffalo's a good football team, so we'll just keep our attention right there."

The Cowboys continue to hold a one-game lead over the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East, with a potentially key matchup between the two teams set for Dec. 22.

"Just with us not winning, you're going to be frustrated," running back Ezekiel Elliott added. "Where we are grateful is that we do control our destiny and we can control our destiny in these last games and get into these playoffs."

The Bills (8-3) are one of just two teams remaining on the Cowboys schedule with a winning record.