• Lost to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs: Although the Dallas Cowboys earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC, they were eliminated from the postseason once again, this time with a record of 48 wins and 32 losses.
• Despite regular season dominance, playoff wins remain elusive: The Cowboys rank second in wins since 2021 (36), but are 1-3 in the postseason during that span, including this recent setback.
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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
It happened again. Installed as a favorite with 7.5 points, dallas cowboys They were eliminated from the playoffs and fell down the rankings. green bay packers They won at home in the wild card round by a score of 48-32.
The scoreline greatly pleased the Cowboys, as the garbage-time production briefly threatened to reignite a fire that had been put out by the Packers in the first half.
This loss shocked Jerry Jones. The Cowboys' owner has been in a constant struggle to regain the championship glory he enjoyed with Jimmie Johnson in the 1990s, and he felt he had a real chance this year. Same as last time. And the time before that.
This is a big part of the problem.
Dallas isn't just battling an opponent, it's also battling the weight of history, which gets heavier with every postseason failure.
Since the beginning of 2021, kansas city chiefs They have the best record in the NFL (37-14) and are 6-1 in the postseason, winning a Super Bowl in the process.
The Cowboys are second on that list with 36 wins, but are 1-3 in the postseason, including this failure.
1995 was the last Super Bowl victory for the Cowboys when Barry Switzer was still head coach. Since that season, Dallas has qualified for the playoffs 13 times, a percentage of 46%, but has won just one postseason appearance.
That history now pervades everything. That's the entire story surrounding the Cowboys' season. They won 12 games for three consecutive seasons, but the comments throughout the year have been, “We're just waiting for the inevitable playoff collapse.” Sports personalities Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith turn everything into content and wait for their respective instances.
The Packers took advantage of that idea, opting to take the ball first instead of deferring to the second half. They scored a touchdown on their first drive, immediately planting a seed of doubt in the minds of every Cowboys player. That doubt grew when Dallas failed to convert on third-and-eight on its first drive, and it must have gotten out of control when the Packers started bringing down his wrecking ball by scoring more touchdowns.
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