The Cowboys’ season may be over now, because they stubbornly refuse to win

The Cowboys’ only path to the playoffs is to win the NFC East. They may have flushed that scenario down the toilet by losing to the Eagles in Week 16.

The 17-9 loss doesn’t eliminate Dallas, but it did hand the division lead to Philadelphia with one week left to play. Now the Cowboys have to beat Washington and hope the Eagles lose to the 4-11 Giants in Week 17.

The Cowboys’ entire 2019 season has been defined by stretches of brilliance that are promptly ruined by the team stubbing its toe. Just a week prior to the loss to the Eagles, the Cowboys put together their best performance of the season in a 44-21 blowout of the Rams. It was a glimpse at what Dallas can do when both the offense and defense play well on the same day.

That win was followed by the Cowboys delivering a lifeless performance in what could’ve been an NFC East clincher. After the game, Eagles running back Miles Sanders talked about Philadelphia knowing how high the stakes were. Meanwhile, Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence said, “talent without direction is nothing at all,” a statement that encapsulates the team’s year, whether he meant it that way or not.

The season was on the line for both teams, but only the Eagles played with a sense of urgency. The loss was a microcosm of the Cowboys’ frustrating season as a whole:

When the Cowboys and Eagles met for the first time back in Week 7, Dallas had no issue tearing through the Philadelphia defense. In a 37-10 win, Ezekiel Elliott had 111 rushing yards and Dak Prescott threw for a touchdown and ran for another.

In the two months since that loss, Philadelphia has suffered a litany of injuries. Receiver Alshon Jeffery went on injured reserve earlier in December, and the Eagles were without Nelson Agholor, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Howard in Week 16. Somehow, this much more banged up version of the Philadelphia roster beat the Cowboys.

Here are a few ways how:

1. The Cowboys receivers dropped everything

By the end of the game, Dallas had six total drops. Some came at the most inopportune times possible. Just before halftime, Amari Cooper dropped a pass that would’ve resulted in a first down near midfield:

Michael Gallup’s drop in the final minutes of the game had a much higher degree of difficulty. But his mistake cost the Cowboys at least 35 yards in field position:

Over and over again, when there was a play to be made, Cowboys receivers couldn’t get the job done.

2. Dak Prescott sailed several passes over the heads of receivers

The play that will likely haunt the Cowboys most from the loss to the Eagles was Prescott overthrowing Tavon Austin late in the game. What should’ve been an easy 75-yard touchdown instead fell incomplete:

That was one of a few bad misses for Prescott, though. He also missed Cooper in the second half on a-third down pass that would’ve put the Cowboys in Philadelphia territory.

Prescott missed practice time for the first time in his career prior to Week 16 due to a shoulder injury. He was removed from the injury report later that week.

After the game, Prescott didn’t want to blame his shoulder for his inaccuracy.

Still, finished the day just 25-of-44 passing. The six drops hurt his throwing totals, but he didn’t do himself any favors either.

3. The defense didn’t break much, but it sure bent a lot

Holding the Eagles to 17 points probably should’ve been enough for the Cowboys to win. Giving up 431 yards of total offense didn’t help the team’s cause, though.

With the Philadelphia offense able to steadily chip away at the Dallas defense, the Eagles finished with over 36 minutes in time of possession. The Cowboys had the ball for less than 24 minutes.

After the Cowboys turned the ball over on downs with less than two minutes left, the Eagles were able to get two more first downs to put the game on ice. The final dagger was a 38-yard run for Miles Sanders that could’ve been a touchdown if he wanted it to be.

The Cowboys are among the worst in the NFL at forcing turnovers and couldn’t get one from the Eagles.

4. Jason Garrett (surprise, surprise) held the team back

To start the second half, the Cowboys steadily made their way into Eagles territory before the drive ended with a turnover. On a third-and-short, rookie running back Tony Pollard tried to burrow his way for a first down, but lost the ball and it was recovered by the Eagles.

Pollard has been a solid change-of-pace back for the Cowboys, and had 131 rushing yards in Week 15. However, his fumble against the Eagles — one of only two times he touched the ball all game — came in a situation tailor-made for Elliott.

It was also a mystery why Cooper was absent for some of the most important moments of the game. Garrett tried to explain to the media that fatigue was a factor. That seems like a stretch considering he was gone almost the entire last drive of the game.

Cowboys brass tried to further clarify Cooper’s absence, but didn’t make it any less baffling.

The last offensive play for the Cowboys was an incomplete pass in the end zone to Gallup with both Cooper and Randall Cobb on the sideline. Garrett has been on thin ice for a long time and his decision-making was questionable again in Week 16.

The odds are stacked against the Cowboys now. To get into the postseason, they need:

It’s hard to know which Cowboys team will show up on a weekly basis, but they should handle Washington with ease. The tough part of the scenario is hoping New York can beat the Eagles. However, the Giants have won back-to-back games after an overtime loss to Philadelphia in Week 14. That leaves some hope for Dallas.

According to ESPN, there’s still a better than one-in-four chance the Cowboys get in, although it’d be significantly higher if they actually won some close games.

If the Eagles can avoid disaster, the Cowboys will miss the playoffs. That’s inexplicable for a team that came into the week ranked in the top 10 in total defense and No. 1 in offense.

The loss to the Eagles was everything wrong about the 2019 Cowboys all summed up in one game. A roster talented enough to be a postseason contender was its own worst enemy from start to finish.

The Cowboys have slalomed between unstoppable and completely inept all season. They picked the worst time possible to have an awful day, and it probably cost them their postseason chances — and Garrett’s tenure as coach too.