Dallas Cowboys NFL Season Recap

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Mercifully, the 2020-21 season has come to a close for the Dallas Cowboys. Nobody needed to see them get waxed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round; because let’s face it, that’s exactly what would’ve happened! Regardless, the franchise has plenty more questions than answers heading into the 2021-22 season and they all begin and end with what Jerry Jones decides to do at the quarterback position. Once Dak Prescott was lost in Week 5 after his ankle spun around like Reagan’s head in “The Exorcist,” the team was never fully able to recover. Big D would go on to lose six of its next seven games and only managed to cover a pair against the closing NFL odds during that stretch. Though Mike McCarthy somehow got the team to rally late with three straight wins, it all came to a crashing thud in Week 17 when the Cowboys dropped what would end up being their sixth game when playing away from AT&T Stadium. In going 6-10 SU and a bankroll killing 5-11 ATS at online sportsbooks, the Cowboys are the rightful owners of the No. 10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. With the offense in great shape and a stud offensive linemen not likely to not be around at that point, it only makes perfect sense for the front office to look the way of a defensive game changer in hopes of shoring up a laughable defense that ranked No. 31 against the run and surrendered a tick less than 30 points per game.

Dallas Cowboys Season Recap

Heading into the 2020-21 regular season, the Cowboys were installed the odds on favorites to win the NFC East and was spoken of as viable Super Bowl LV contenders. The opening week 20-17 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams was acceptable considering Sean McVay’s team retook the field with purpose after missing out on the playoffs a year removed from representing the NFC in the big game. But then Dallas had to stage a dramatic comeback just to defeat Atlanta the following week in a game that saw the betting markets hammer the Falcons to force a dramatic line move against the Cowboys; they only managed to win that game 40-39 after scoring 18 unanswered points in the final five minutes of regulation. Back-to-back high scoring defeats were then accrued against the Seahawks and Browns. Clocking in at 1-3 SU and 0-4 ATS through four weeks, Dak Prescott had already thrown for 1,690 yards and 9 TD to put himself in the running for the 2020 MVP Award. Unfortunately, he’d suffer a season-ending injury the following week at home against the GMEN.

From that point forward, Dallas simply wasn’t the same. The offense never got back into high gear while the defense continued to allow opponents to score at will. While injuries along the offensive line played a huge role in preventing Andy Dalton from succeeding, he likely wouldn’t have been able to match Prescott’s heroics even with the front wall possessing a clean bill of health. In his nine starts and 11 appearances, the “The Red Rifle” only managed to throw for 2,169 yards and 14 TD; that’s only 479 yards more than Prescott threw for in a month! Even with all the injuries, COVID issues and tragedies within the organization, Dallas still had a shot to win the division heading into Week 17. All they had to do was beat the Giants and hope the Eagles could fend off the Washington Football Team - neither occurred.

2021 Season Preview

So much for the head coach being the problem in Big D. In his 10 seasons as head coach, Jason Garrett amassed an 85-67 record that equated to only three playoff appearances with each seeing the Cowboys fall in the Division Round. Through one season in Arlington, McCarthy went 6-10 and couldn’t coach his team to a must-have win when needed most to have a slim shot of going to the playoffs. On top of that, not a single win was logged against a team currently participating in the playoffs. There simply wasn’t any noticeable improvement with the players he had at his disposal, and the play calling in all three phases left many scratching their heads wondering what they heck they were thinking. Who will ever forget the blown fake punt on Thanksgiving that turned a competitive match with The Football Team into a runaway laugher?

Upper management has already stated both he and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will be back next season. However, I wonder if McCarthy will go the way of Wade Phillips who saw Garrett take over for him midseason. Could the exact same scenario play out for Moore next in 2021? It’s likely already a foregone conclusion that Mike Nolan will be handed a pink slip and a new defensive coordinator takes over. He’ll likely have some new toys to play with from the draft and free agency. Regardless, none of it will mean a thing until Jerry ponies up and shows Prescott the money! Tyron Smith and La’el Collins getting back to complete health would also be a bonus; especially for Ezekiel Elliott who was a shell of his former self without those road graters paving his way.

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Cowboys Past Seasons (2000)

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