FRISCO — No matter how bad the season goes, it seems the Dallas Cowboys find the perfect strategy to keep themselves in the conversation when the postseason comes around. This year, the ongoing saga of Mike McCarthy's job status - a saga that as of Monday is over, with "Big Mike'' out the door - has shouldered much of that burden as the NFL landscape awaits an official decision from The Star.
But the games themselves this weekend kept the Cowboys enveloped in the discussion, specifically around Sunday afternoon's contest between the No. 7 Green Bay Packers and No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFC East champions handled their challenger 22-10, advancing to the NFC Divisional round. That victory sparked the flames of disgruntled Cowboys fans along with their jolly critics, quick to point back to Dallas' 48-32 defeat to the Packers in 2024 when they held the No. 2 seed.
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Since the NFL shifted the playoff format to include seven teams in both the NFC and AFC, the Cowboys are the only No. 2 seed in a sampling of 10 to lose during Wildcard Weekend.
In reality, does Sunday's game have anything to do with America's Team? No. The Packers certainly shocked the league with their upset a season ago, but that team nearly sprung an even bigger upset the following week against the San Francisco 49ers.
This time, they did not enter the playoffs with nearly the same momentum, more injuries and faced a team that has lost once since Week 4. For the Cowboys, there is nothing to takeaway from this game besides unnecessary woe and lamenting.
Looking at the entirety of Wild Card Weekend, there is a lesson here for "America's Team." They now have two NFC East rivals who have the ability to contend and win in the postseason, something that should motivate them to turn things around this offseason.
Another year with the same roster and same attitude without improvement will leave them in the same spot.
Whether they learn that lesson is the big question. But in analyzing their current dealings with McCarthy, that answer may be a troubling one for Cowboys fans.
