Cowboys Lose… Again

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably heard all about the Dallas Cowboys divisional playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Any fan of the Rams would have loved it because they ran over the Cowboys with a score of 22-30. The main problem for the Cowboys was the Rams’ incredible running game, which racked up more than 250 yards against the Cowboys’ famous rushing defense. The Rams have one of the best running backs in the league, Todd Gurley, but they surprisingly decided to utilize C.J. Anderson as well. Both ran for over one hundred yards. On top of the Rams’ outstanding rush, the Cowboys weren’t able to get any running game themselves as they had to play from behind after the first quarter. In short, the Rams deserved the win and easily outplayed the Cowboys.

The depressing loss gained a lot of criticism from many Cowboys fans. Though one could see the aggressiveness of the Dallas head coach, Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan, they were unable to convert on the most important fourth down. Going for it on fourth down multiple times was a welcome change, but in most cases the Cowboys had needed to keep the drive going anyway. Many fans wanted Dak Prescott, the Dallas quarterback, to throw more often since the running game wasn’t working out. Though Ezekiel Elliott is an amazing running back, depending upon him for many of the Cowboy’s first and fourth down attempts just did not work well, especially at the most crucial times. Though one could rant on and on about the game, the result of the game was due much to the fault of the coaches.

To give a reader a better sense of the Dallas Cowboys recent playoff record, the team hasn’t gotten past the divisional round since 1995, when they won Super Bowl XXX. Since then they have been to the playoffs ten times out of twenty three seasons and have won four wild card spots. The Cowboys’ playoff drought is currently one of the longest dry spells in the NFC. Though it wasn’t any specific person’s fault, the offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan was fired and next season Jason Garrett, despite still being unpopular, will be making more of the calls though Kellen Moore is the offensive coordinator.

Besides the sadness of the Cowboy’s playoff record, it was also sad that the Cowboys blew a chance at the Super Bowl! The Rams went on to the Super Bowl after a tight (and controversial) win over the New Orleans Saints. The Cowboys had already beaten the Saints earlier in the year with outstanding defense! Even though they would have had to play the Saints again, there was still good reason to believe the Cowboys could have pulled out another defensive win. There are a lot of “what ifs,” but a win on that Saturday could have meant the Cowboys being in the Super Bowl. It would have been their first Super Bowl in almost 30 years, and it certainly would’ve been more interesting that seeing the Patriots score a single touchdown.

Lastly, the Cowboys now have to struggle with their salary cap because they have many good players that need to get paid such as Demarcus Lawrence, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper. Hopefully, the Cowboys will be able to hold on to a great roster and win when it matters because Dallas fans want to see their team winning big games rather than just season games. The biggest goal, which has been totally possible for a while now, is the Super Bowl, but once again the Cowboys have missed a chance. Now Dallas will have to wait and see what becomes of America’s team in 2019.