The Dallas Cowboys had coal in their stocking a week before Christmas.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ Dec. 20 win officially eliminated the Cowboys from playoff contention prior to their Week 16 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Dallas was essentially playing for pride in front of its home fans at AT&T Stadium. Yet, the Cowboys defense once again led to their downfall as they lost 34-17 to the Chargers in their final home game of the season.
The Cowboys’ defeat dropped them to 6-8-1. It’s Dallas’ third consecutive loss. As they face reality of two meaningless games to end the regular season, the Cowboys are reflecting on a disappointing campaign.
“We all underachieved,” Jerry Jones told reporters postgame when asked about the Cowboys season, per The Dallas Morning News.
The Cowboys had the worst pass defense and ranked second to last in points allowed per game entering Week 16.
The playoff door was left slightly ajar for the Cowboys when they acquired defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson ahead of the trade deadline and subsequently went on a three-game winning streak after their Week 10 bye. But they have since lost all momentum.
This season was another reminder of how far the Cowboys are from their glory days in the 1990s. It’s been three decades since Dallas enjoyed postseason success. The Cowboys haven’t made a conference championship or Super Bowl since the 1995 season.
Dallas has missed the playoffs for the past two years.
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