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The streak continues for the Dallas Cowboys. For the 28th consecutive year, the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys will not reach the NFC Championship game or the Super Bowl this season.
Sunday’s 48-32 blowout loss to the NFC’s seventh seed Green Bay Packers was much, much worse than the final score. The home team trailed 27-0 in the second quarter of this game. The Cowboys were fortunate to have scored a touchdown on the final play of the first half to head to the locker room down 27-7.
For a team which calls itself cowboys, this looked like a team which had left its six-shooters and horses back at the corral prior to kick-off.
The entire game was incredibly embarrassing for the hometown NFL team.
Dallas Cowboys team owner “Meddlin’” Jerry Jones was quite distraught on Sunday night.
“This is one of my (biggest) surprises since I’ve been involved in sport. Period,” Jones said. “This seems like the most painful (playoff loss), because we all had such great expectation and hope for this team. I’m floored. It’s beyond my comprehension.”
On the other side of the field, Green Bay was not expected to reach the playoffs as the season began.
Four-time MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, left the Packers and signed with the New York Jets in 2023. The Packers were a very young team with low expectations this year. On Sunday, Coach Matt LaFleur’s team surprised even the heartiest Cheese Head fans in the upper Midwest.
Green Bay eased into the NFL playoffs with a 9-8 record and were just 4-5 on the road. The odds makers generously made the visiting Packers a 7-point underdog in Dallas on Sunday. Most football fans expected Dallas (12-5) to cruise to a double digit victory in this opening round playoff game.
Oops!
Green Bay apparently failed to get the message prior to Sunday afternoon’s kick-off in Dallas.
The Packers dominated this game from the opening kickoff as the Packers scored on the opening possession. For the next 3 ½ quarters, Green Bay built a commanding 48-16 lead with just six minutes left in the game.
In the 1970’s, Dallas was known as its “Doomsday” defense. On Sunday, Dallas unveiled its new “Swiss Cheese” defense.
It was full of holes for everyone on the Packers to run around and through.
Against Green Bay, the Dallas’ defense was doomed from the opening snap. Running back Aaron Jones torched Dallas for 118 yards on just 21 carries (5.6 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He hardly worked-up a sweat as he pranced through numerous gaping holes in the new Dallas “Swiss Cheese” defense. Aaron Jones celebrated and laughed every time he scored an easy touchdown Sunday afternoon.
It would get worse.
Green Bay tight end Luke Musgrave was so wide open on a late third quarter touchdown that it appeared he was going to lose his balance from laughing so hard. There wasn’t a Dallas defender within 20 yards of Musgrave as he caught the ball on a 38-yard score to give Green Bay a commanding 41-16 lead.
At that point, Green Bay pulled its starting defensive and offensive players out of the game to avoid injuries. That’s when Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott (as usual) padded his personal statistics with a couple of late game touchdowns to make this game’s 48-32 final score look slightly more respectable.
Prescott completed 41 of 60 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Most of the quarterback’s yardage came while many of Green Bay starters were on the sidelines chuckling at the Cowboys’ feeble attempt at a late-game rally.
Though Pittsburgh Steelers fans have their Terrible Towels, millions of Dallas Cowboys fans could use a very large crying towel right now.
I can only remember one more crushing loss for Dallas Cowboys fans. Perhaps it was the 1981 touchdown grab at the back of the end zone made by San Francisco 49er wide receiver Dwight Clark in a 28-27 playoff loss in San Francisco. Still remembered as “The Catch”, at least Dallas had the lead coming into the final minute a very closely contested game.
Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers was akin to Rocky getting KO’d by Clubber Lang in the opening round.
Nobody saw it coming. There is no question that Dallas was beaten by a team was better prepared for the game. The media hype for this team (as always) had anointed Dallas as a Super Bowl favorite.
The Cowboys’ 17-game home winning streak came to a screeching halt. The worst team (statistically speaking) to make the NFC playoffs became the first 7th seed to win a playoff game.
Under Coach McCarthy, Dallas has made it into the NFL playoffs the last three years in a row. During that time, the Cowboys have now failed to escape the first round on two occasions while losing in the second round the other time.
A 1-3 post-season record means that the other teams have been preparing and playing better than your team for these “win or go home” playoff games.
It doesn’t matter that the Dallas Cowboys have gone 12-5 in the regular season for three straight years. This time, Dallas came into the playoffs as the #2 NFC playoff seed. Home field advantage was assured for both the first and second weekends of the NFC playoffs.
Of course, that was assuming Dallas would win its first round game against Green Bay.
They didn’t just lose the game. It was one of the most embarrassing losses in the 63-year history of the Dallas Cowboys.
Anyone who watched the “Debacle in Dallas” Sunday afternoon understands why Cowboys fans were stunned. Dallas football fans are quite distraught, disappointed, angry, and looking to “burn everything in the organization down and start over again”.
I listened to a few hours of post-game radio coverage on a couple of Dallas radio stations after Sunday night’s game. Supporters for (ugh) America’s Team had plenty of suggestions.
1. Fire head coach Mike McCarthy
This should be a slam dunk for owner Jerry Jones.
Being embarrassed on national television with nearly 100,000 fans who overpaid for tickets, parking, and concessions is really a bad look. A scapegoat is clearly needed. Team owner Jerry Jones won’t fire himself (though he should).
Despite what Fox Sports analyst (and former NFL tight end) Greg Olson said, Dallas coach (for now) Mike McCarthy will not be in demand if the Cowboys should fire him. He is a much better NFL offensive coordinator than a head coach.
2. Trade quarterback Dak Prescott
Next season, Prescott will enter the final year of his four year $160 million contract in Dallas.
A pleasant young man who is loved by most Cowboys fans, Prescott has struggled in post-season games. In Sunday’s loss to Green Bay, Dak Prescott threw two interceptions with one of them returned for a Packers’ touchdown. Dallas made a low-risk deal to acquire former 49ers’ starter Trey Lance prior to the season. If the team gets draft pick(s) for Prescott, the Cowboys can rebuild around a #1 draft rookie QB and holdover Trey Lance. Dak Prescott has not delivered under pressure and is not worth the money needed to keep him around.
3/ Fire the defensive coordinator Dan Quinn
The Dallas Cowboys had the 5th rated defense in the league during the regular season.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (a former head coach – fired by Atlanta) was rumored to be leaving Dallas for a vacant NFL head coaching position. After Sunday’s defensive collapse, Dallas should hasten his exit by firing him. He failed miserably against Green Bay on Sunday.
4. Hire Bill Belichick to coach the Cowboys
The 71-year old Belichick reached an amicable agreement last week to leave the New England Patriots after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl rings.
Though Dak Prescott is no Tom Brady, Belichick’s toughness might (perhaps) improve the Dallas Cowboys. It is really hard to imagine the no-nonsense head coach meshing with Dallas’ meddling owner, Jerry Jones.
5. Spend the money to hire University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh
Harbaugh just brought a national title to Michigan a week ago. He is likely to skedaddle soon with the coach at the center of a lingering cheating scandal at the school.
Harbaugh’s off-beat personality might make for an interesting fit to work with owner Jerry Jones, though.
Let’s look into SwampSwami’s crystal ball at what’s ahead for the Dallas Cowboys
I think it’s extremely likely (90% chance) that Coach Mike McCarthy is blamed for this loss and sent packing this week. Team owner Jerry Jones needs a scapegoat – quickly.
If McCarthy somehow retains his job as the head coach in Dallas, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is toast. His defense was not prepared mentally or scheme-wise against Green Bay.
Though it might be fun to see Coach Bill Belichick come to Dallas and clean house, it seems a bit unlikely at this point. The pairing of Bill Belichick and Jerry Jones in Dallas would be the 2024 version of the Odd Couple.
As stated here on numerous occasions over the years, Cowboys’ team owner “Double J” is the biggest problem with this team. He has hired and run-off (assuming McCarthy is toast) nine coaches during his 35 years as team owner. Hall-of-Fame coach Jimmy Johnson (winner of two Super Bowl rings while in Dallas) recounted in his book that Jerry Jones simply couldn’t resist the urge to be the face of the team with the media while also meddling in the locker room.
That will not change until the 81-year old Jerry Jones sells the football team (an almost zero % chance).
Don’t forget about “The Curse of Tom Landry”
Until Jerry Jones and family exit as owners of the Dallas Cowboys, I am a firm believer that “The Curse of Tom Landry” will remain. The legendary Dallas coach was fired by Jerry Jones in early 1989 after Jones acquired the team.
Coach Landry led the Dallas Cowboys to an incredible 20 straight winning seasons and two Super Bowl titles in five appearances during his 29 years as the team’s head coach.
After being fired by Jerry Jones in early 1989, the Hall-of-Fame football coach retired. He would eventually develop leukemia and die in 2000 at the age of 75.
Since Coach Landry’s passing, Dallas has not returned to the NFC Championship game or played in a Super Bowl.
Laugh if you will. Until Jerry Jones sells the Dallas Cowboys or finally breaks through to win the NFC Championship, I believe in the Landry Curse.
After a Sunday’s crushing playoff loss, frustrated Dallas Cowboys fans are welcome to jump onto my bandwagon.