After another humiliating playoff loss, there are so many questions, but so few answers.
The Dallas Cowboys have been a competitive football team for the past ten years. They are currently sixth in the NFL after winning 60% of their regular-season games over that time. They only had a losing record at the end twice, and both times it was due to the loss of their starting quarterback due to a season-ending injury. We knew this team would be loud when Dak Prescott or Tony Romo were healthy. They have qualified for the postseason six times in the last 10 years, three times under Jason Garrett and three times under Mike McCarthy.
Garrett’s Cowboys were the perfect example of excellent but insufficient. We were aware that his teams would be tough, but after losing three one-score playoff games, it seemed as though there was a limit to his goodness. Three trips to the divisional round, three defeats there.
It was assumed that McCarthy’s Cowboys would be distinct. Dan Quinn, whose team has finished in the top five in DVOA since he took over as defensive coordinator, gave the Cowboys some much-needed defensive strength. They had at last developed into a team capable of winning on both sides while playing complementing football. For the past three seasons, McCarthy’s teams had ended 12-5, and some fans were certain that he might be the game-changer this team has been waiting for. However, the Cowboys failed to advance past the divisional round in two of his three postseason trips. In both instances, they were playing at home against a weaker seed, yet they quickly got into a deep hole from which they never emerged. Furthermore, the Cowboys’ most recent playoff loss on Sunday ranks among their most abject performances.
There are numerous reasons why the sorrow from Sunday’s defeat strikes differently. The Cowboys’ enormous opportunity was one of the causes. This football team has a lot of talent. There were nine all-pro players on the Cowboys roster. Nine. They have players on special teams, defence, and offence. From a certain angle these are remarkable accolades on their own. All things considered, this appears to be a unique Cowboys club that has the potential to achieve greatness. With a chance to play two home games, they were the two-seed going into the postseason. They would have a strong opportunity to play in the NFC Championship game, something they hadn’t done in 28 years, if they were to win both their wild card and any potential divisional round matchup. Yes, there was a good chance that the “can’t make it past the divisional round curse” would not hold true.
However, what took place next?
That’s what happened in the first half—a 27-0 lead. And just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, the fourth quarter saw a score of 48-16. The Cowboys had a total breakdown in their home stadium, where they had not lost in the previous 16 games. We sat there, jaws agape, staring at one of the most confusing things we had ever seen.
McCarthy, this transformative head coach, showed us a team that was about as ill-prepared as we had ever seen them appear. Quinn, the defensive rock for this team, had his team playing positions taken out of a hat. Nobody was aware of their actions. Even in one of his finest seasons, Prescott was unable to locate open receivers and made poor football decisions.
The missed opportunity is what makes this playoff elimination so painful. It was a wasted excellent season. They had a fantastic opportunity to banish those divisional round nightmares, even if it didn’t finish in confetti.
This stunning setback is all the more bizarre because it makes no sense. It wasn’t the fault of any one individual or group, it wasn’t the official’s fault, and it wasn’t just a few misfortunes from this long leather ball. All in all, it was a completely puzzling performance. Will McCarthy’s firing solve this? Who knows? Does this engine require more than nine All-Pros to run? That doesn’t seem reasonable. This football team—what is even wrong with them? Both of our guesses are valid.
The front office will once again attempt to CSI this situation and fix whatever they believe is faulty as we head into another offseason. We have to acknowledge that there’s a good chance this year’s squad won’t be as good as this one. Additionally, we anticipate some coaching adjustments that will entail additional challenges, learning, and adjusting.
This is usually the time where we’d profess to you, don’t fret, there are reasons to be hopeful, but you won’t see that this time around. Fret. Fret, and fret some more. Sure, we can take some comfort in the notion that this team is still talented and should compete once again next year, but that doesn’t mean anything to us until they can prove they can play well in the postseason. What it’s going to take? We haven’t the slightest clue, but we’ll patiently wait, and do this all again next year.
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