After the Dallas Cowboys’ abysmal start to the season, the team is continuing to prove their doubters right by becoming one of the worst teams in the NFL.
The team went into its week nine matchup against the Atlanta Falcons looking to bounce back after suffering two atrocious losses to the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. After starting the season 3-4, I was hoping the Cowboys would have a sense of urgency to win. I was, again, terribly wrong.
My hope for a Cowboys victory was squashed when I saw quarterback Dak Prescott hobble to the sidelines. It was initially believed Prescott suffered a hamstring strain that may sideline him for a few weeks, yet it turned out to be a partially torn hamstring that would cost him his season. He was placed on the injury report (IR) and will undergo surgery to repair the tear soon. His injury deflated my hopes that the Cowboys could recover from their horrible start to the season and somehow make the playoffs.
Following Prescott’s injury in the Falcons game — which the Cowboys lost — backup Cooper Rush was named the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. Rush came into this year with a 5-1 record as a starter, so I wasn’t too bummed about the situation — until the Cowboys week 10 matchup against their division rivals: the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush stepped into a horrible situation with the Cowboys having a 3-5 record and no offensive success all season. I knew it was going to be a monumental task for the team to pull out a victory against the Eagles, and I was right; the Eagles dominated the Cowboys, blowing them out 34-6 in front of the Dallas home crowd. It was such a horrific display that I stopped watching the game after the first half. It was revolting to see my favorite team perform at such a low level. After seeing the final score, I knew there was no hope left; that was the end.
The loss to the Eagles, though horrific, pointed out some key flaws of the team. Besides the fact that they play as if they have no will to win, the Cowboys also can’t win at the line of scrimmage. They have struggled all season to progress their run offense, and on the defensive side of the ball, to stop the opposing team’s run game. It is an issue that needed to be addressed at the start of the season before the trade deadline had passed, but can still be solved.
Going into week 11, the Cowboys faced another tough matchup against the Houston Texans in a battle for the best Texan team. However, it wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre. The Texans dominated the Cowboys, winning 34-10 in a game that was all too similar to the previous week’s performance against the Eagles. The loss, though disappointing, was exactly what I was hoping for.
At this point in the season, the Cowboys don’t have a chance at making the playoffs, but they do have a chance of securing a top pick in this year’s stacked draft class. Following the Eagles game, the Cowboys were tied with six teams with three wins on the season, meaning that they are in contention for having the worst record in the league, giving them a top three or five pick in this year’s draft.
With star college players available, the answer for the Cowboys is clear — lose. The talent available in this year’s draft class may prove to be some of the best in the history of the NFL, which is exactly why the Cowboys should continue to lose.
I have lost my hopes of another playoff run from the Cowboys. Instead, I have shifted my focus to looking toward the future. The Cowboys may not win this year, but they can in the future if they play their cards right. I have to give them some credit for at least finally doing what fans want, even if it is losing.
Next, the Cowboys have back-to-back divisional matchups with games against the Washington Commanders, followed by the New York Giants on Thanksgiving. After that, all I can hope for, as a Cowboys fan, is that we lose. Even though I love this team, there has to be a shift in focus to look forward to what could be, not what has already failed.
