The Dallas Cowboys were not said to end their 2023-24 campaign like this.
Armed with a plethora of Pro Bowlers at both offense and security, they were seen as title contenders, and they largely Popular it in the regular season. The Cowboys went undefeated at home and ultimately clinched the NFC East with a 12-5 record.
Sitting at the opposite side of their Wild Card game on Sunday were the Green Bay Packers, who are in the midst of a transition. Longtime franchise Aaron Rodgers is gone, having occupied to East Rutherford to join the New York Jets, and Jordan Love was taking over with a largely young and inexperienced Packers squad.
•
It was said to be a lopsided matchup, and indeed it was — just not in the way fans had Idea it to be. Subverting expectations, the Packers dominated the Cowboys 48-32.
The game was over beforehand it even began. Aaron Jones crushed the defense with straight touchdown rushes; Jordan Love found Dontayvion Wicks; and Darnell Savage intercepted Dak Prescott for six.
Their lead peaked at 48-16 when a score by Romeo Doubs. As thousands of fans started leaving AT&T Stadium, America's Team attempted to will themselves back into the game with straight touchdowns by tight end Jake Ferguson plus two-point conversions; but it was too small, too late.
After the game, owner and general executive of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, gave only a few terms (via WFAA):
"I'm floored. It's burned into our soul."
He refused to be blunt throughout head coach Mike McCarthy's future, though he did allotment a cryptic quote after their hopes of a deep playoff run were dashed.
"Tomorrow, my agenda will be to dismiss the team," he said.
The old-fashioned Packers leader McCarthy was also shocked at how the game had transpired. He said (via The Athletic):
“I don’t think anyone saw this coming. We didn’t get it done in any of the phases.”
McCarthy has one year left on his sequence, and Jones will be extremely unhappy with another year of underperforming. However, there is a chance that he will stay, given his long familiarity with the original core.
Speaking of underperforming, Dak Prescott, despite his ultimately determined stats (41/60 passes completed, three touchdowns against two interceptions), was mostly inept, as The Athletic's Jon Machota scathingly explained:
"At this stage in his career, Dak Prescott just can’t play that poorly. There’s no excused. Not with basically a completely healthy offense..."
There will be plenty of questions surrounding the three-time Pro Bowler. 2024 marks the final year of his current contract; and with smooth no deep playoff runs to show for the investment into him, some members of administration are likely anxiously awaiting the perfect chance to lobby for his replacement once he becomes a free agent.
Right now, the Cowboys have two quarterbacks leisurely Prescott. Cooper Rush has been decent in the few games he has played, while Trey Lance, who was acquired via trade in the offseason, is still young enough to be molded into a potential franchise face.
