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2023 Dallas Cowboys season

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2023 Dallas Cowboys season
OwnerJerry Jones
General managerJerry Jones
Head coachMike McCarthy
Offensive coordinatorBrian Schottenheimer
Defensive coordinatorDan Quinn
Home fieldAT&T Stadium
Results
Record12–5
Division place1st NFC East
Playoff finishLost Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Packers) 32–48
Pro Bowlers
9
AP All-Pros
9
Uniform

The 2023 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 64th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 35th under the ownership of Jerry Jones, and their fourth under head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys matched their 12–5 record from the previous two seasons and won the NFC East division for the first time since the 2021 season and the second time in three seasons. They ended up in a three-way tie with the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC at 12–5. However, they lost the conference tiebreaker to the 49ers but won the head to head tiebreaker over the Lions, giving them the second seed in the playoffs.[1] Although the Cowboys lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, they clinched their third straight playoff berth before taking the field when the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers,[2] respectively. This marked the Cowboys' first run of three consecutive postseason appearances since appearing in six straight from 1991 to 1996.

However, the Cowboys collapsed yet again in the playoffs, and, despite having one of the best-ranked offenses and defenses of the league, were defeated 48–32 by their rival, seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round, at one point trailing 48–16 during the fourth quarter. With the loss, the Cowboys became the first team to lose to a #7 seed since the playoff bracket expanded for the 2020–21 NFL playoffs.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

This also marked the first time a team failed to reach a Conference Championship Game despite winning at least 12 games in three consecutive seasons.[9]

This was the first season since 2015 without running back Ezekiel Elliott on the roster, as he was released on March 15[10] and signed with the New England Patriots on August 14.[11]

Offseason

[edit]

Signings

[edit]
Position Player Age 2022 team Contract
RB Ronald Jones II 26 Kansas City Chiefs 1 year, $1.232 million
G Chuma Edoga 26 New York Jets 1 year, $1.232 million
LS Trent Sieg 28 Las Vegas Raiders 1 year, $1.232 million
K Brandon Aubrey 28 Birmingham Stallions 3 year, $2.695 million

Re-signings

[edit]
Position Player Age Contract
QB Cooper Rush 30 2 years, $6 million
RB Rico Dowdle 25 1 year, $1 million
DE Dante Fowler 28 1 year, $3 million
DT Johnathan Hankins 31 1 year, $1.5 million
MLB Leighton Vander Esch 27 2 years, $8 million
CB C. J. Goodwin 33 1 year, $1.3 million
SS Donovan Wilson 28 3 years, $21 million

Trade acquisitions

[edit]
Position Player Age 2022 team Contract Traded away
QB Trey Lance 23 San Francisco 49ers 2 years, $16 million 2024 fourth-round selection (Malik Mustapha)
WR Brandin Cooks 29 Houston Texans 2 years, $40 million 2023 fifth-round selection (Nick Hampton) and 2024 sixth-round selection (Jaden Crumedy)
CB Stephon Gilmore 32 Indianapolis Colts 1 year, $10 million 2023 fifth-round selection (Evan Hull)
CB Noah Igbinoghene 24 Miami Dolphins 1 year, $2.1 million CB Kelvin Joseph

Departures

[edit]
Position Player Age 2023 team
QB Will Grier 28 New England Patriots
RB Ezekiel Elliott 28 New England Patriots
WR Noah Brown 27 Houston Texans
WR Simi Fehoko 25 Los Angeles Chargers
WR T. Y. Hilton 33 Unsigned
TE Dalton Schultz 26 Houston Texans
OT Aviante Collins 29 Chicago Bears
OT Jason Peters 41 Seattle Seahawks
C Matt Farniok 25 Detroit Lions
C Connor McGovern 26 Buffalo Bills
DT Quinton Bohanna 24 Tennessee Titans
DT Carlos Watkins 29 Arizona Cardinals
LB Devin Harper 25 Cincinnati Bengals
MLB Jabril Cox 25 Washington Commanders
OLB Anthony Barr 30 Minnesota Vikings
OLB Luke Gifford 28 Tennessee Titans
CB Anthony Brown 29 New York Jets
CB Kelvin Joseph 24 Seattle Seahawks
K Brett Maher 33 Los Angeles Rams
LS Jake McQuaide 35 Detroit Lions
LS Matt Overton 37 Chicago Bears

Draft

[edit]
Main article: 2023 NFL draft
2023 Dallas Cowboys Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 26 Mazi Smith DT Michigan
2 58 Luke Schoonmaker TE Michigan
3 90 DeMarvion Overshown LB Texas
4 129 Viliami Fehoko DE San Jose State
5 169 Asim Richards OT North Carolina Compensatory pick
6 178 Eric Scott Jr. CB Southern Miss Compensatory pick
6 212 Deuce Vaughn RB Kansas State
7 244 Jalen Brooks WR South Carolina
2023 Dallas Cowboys undrafted free agents
Name Position College Ref.
Jose Barbon WR Temple [12]
T. J. Bass OT Oregon
Earl Bostick Jr. Kansas
David Durden WR West Florida
Princeton Fant TE Tennessee
Durrell Johnson LB Liberty
Isaiah Land DE Florida A&M
Hunter Luepke FB North Dakota State
De'Angelo Mandell CB BYU
Jalen Moreno-Cropper WR Fresno State
John Stephens Jr. TE Louisiana
Tyrus Wheat OLB Mississippi State

Staff

[edit]
2023 Dallas Cowboys staff

Front office

  • Owner/president/general manager – Jerry Jones
  • COO/executive vice president/director of player personnel – Stephen Jones
  • Senior director of football operations/football administration – Todd Williams
  • Executive vice president/chief brand officer – Charlotte Jones Anderson
  • Executive vice president/Chief of sales & marketing for officer – Jerry Jones Jr.
  • Director of salary cap & player contracts – Adam Prasifka
  • Vice president player personnel – Will McClay
  • Director of team travel and logistics – Craig Glieber
  • Director of football administration and technology – Jason McKay
Scouting department
  • Director of college scouting – Mitch LaPointe
  • Director of pro scouting – Alex Loomis
  • Advance scouting coordinator – Keith O'Quinn
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Chris Vaughn
  • College scouting coordinator – Chris Hall
  • Scouting video coordinator – Rich Behm
  • Executive assistant to the head coach – Laura Fryar

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – Brian Schottenheimer
  • Quarterbacks – Scott Tolzien
  • Run game coordinator/running backs – Jeff Blasko
  • Wide receivers – Robert Prince
  • Tight ends – Lunda Wells
  • Assistant tight ends – Chase Haslett
  • Offensive line – Mike Solari
  • Quality control/assistant offensive line – Ramon Chinyoung
  • Offensive assistant/game management – Ryan Feder
  • Offensive assistant/quality control – Will Harriger
  • Offensive assistant – Evan Harrington
 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – John Fassel
  • Assistant special teams – Rayna Stewart
  • Coaching operations manager/football analytics – Justin Rudd
  • Quality control/analytics – Eric Simonelli

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning coordinator – Harold Nash
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Cedric Smith
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Kendall Smith
  • Strength and conditioning intern – Braylon Tatum


Rosters

[edit]

Opening preseason roster

[edit]
Dallas Cowboys 2023 opening preseason roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • Vacant

89 active, 0 inactive

Week one roster

[edit]
Dallas Cowboys 2023 week one roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice squad

53 active, 7 inactive, 16 practice squad

Final roster

[edit]
2023 Dallas Cowboys roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics

Preseason

[edit]
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 12 Jacksonville Jaguars L 23–28 0–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
2 August 19 at Seattle Seahawks L 14–22 0–2 Lumen Field Recap
3 August 26 Las Vegas Raiders W 31–16 1–2 AT&T Stadium Recap

Regular season

[edit]

Schedule

[edit]
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 10 at New York Giants W 40–0 1–0 MetLife Stadium Recap
2 September 17 New York Jets W 30–10 2–0 AT&T Stadium Recap
3 September 24 at Arizona Cardinals L 16–28 2–1 State Farm Stadium Recap
4 October 1 New England Patriots W 38–3 3–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
5 October 8 at San Francisco 49ers L 10–42 3–2 Levi's Stadium Recap
6 October 16 at Los Angeles Chargers W 20–17 4–2 SoFi Stadium Recap
7 Bye
8 October 29 Los Angeles Rams W 43–20 5–2 AT&T Stadium Recap
9 November 5 at Philadelphia Eagles L 23–28 5–3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
10 November 12 New York Giants W 49–17 6–3 AT&T Stadium Recap
11 November 19 at Carolina Panthers W 33–10 7–3 Bank of America Stadium Recap
12 November 23 Washington Commanders W 45–10 8–3 AT&T Stadium Recap
13 November 30 Seattle Seahawks W 41–35 9–3 AT&T Stadium Recap
14 December 10 Philadelphia Eagles W 33–13 10–3 AT&T Stadium Recap
15 December 17 at Buffalo Bills L 10–31 10–4 Highmark Stadium Recap
16 December 24 at Miami Dolphins L 20–22 10–5 Hard Rock Stadium Recap
17 December 30 Detroit Lions W 20–19 11–5 AT&T Stadium Recap
18 January 7 at Washington Commanders W 38–10 12–5 FedExField Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

[edit]

Week 1: at New York Giants

[edit]
Week 1: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 16 10 7740
Giants 0 0 000

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Game information

The Cowboys started the season by traveling to MetLife Stadium to face one of their longtime NFC East rivals: the New York Giants.

In rain-soaked conditions, they demolished the Giants 40–0, on the back of a stellar defensive performance and two touchdowns from Tony Pollard. The Cowboys defense returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in the first quarter, had two interceptions (returning one for a touchdown), and recorded a total of seven sacks during the game on the Giants quarterback Daniel Jones as they posted their first shutout win since 2017.[citation needed]

With the shutout win, the Cowboys started the season 1–0 for the first time since 2019.

Week 2: vs. New York Jets

[edit]
Week 2: New York Jets at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 10 0010
Cowboys 7 11 6630

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

After a raging shutout win over the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys went back home to face New York's other NFL team, the New York Jets. The Cowboys benefitted from the Jets having to start Zach Wilson because of Aaron Rodgers injuring his Achilles' tendon the week before. Dallas scored the only points of the first quarter, with Dak Prescott hitting Jake Ferguson with a 4-yard touchdown pass to put the Cowboys up, 7–0.

In the second quarter, Brandon Aubrey extended the Cowboys' lead to 10–0 upon booting a 35-yard field goal. However, they allowed Zach Wilson to pass for his only touchdown of the game by hitting Garrett Wilson with a 68-yard touchdown pass to drop the Cowboys' lead to three points. But the Cowboys wouldn't go away, as Dak Prescott hit Luke Schoonmaker with a 1-yard touchdown pass with the two-point conversion to put Dallas up by 11. With 4 seconds until halftime, the Jets scored their final points, with Austin Seibert booting a 34-yard field goal to bring New York within eight.

The second half belonged to Brandon Aubrey, as he booted 4 field goals, with 2 coming in the 3rd quarter, and the other two coming in the 4th, to reach the final score of 30–10.

The Cowboys' defense thoroughly harassed Zach Wilson, intercepting him 3 times and sacking him 3 times for 19 yards.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 2–0, and won their first game against the Jets since 2007.

Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra was played as the game ended.

Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals

[edit]
Week 3: Dallas Cowboys at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 7 3316
Cardinals 9 12 0728

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

After two consecutive blowout wins over both New York teams, the Cowboys traveled to State Farm Stadium, hoping to give the Arizona Cardinals their 10th consecutive loss dating back to last season. Despite intercepting 5 passes in the previous two games, the Cowboys defense struggled throughout the game and could not intercept Cardinals' quarterback Joshua Dobbs at all. After falling into a 15–3 hole in the second quarter, Dallas failed to rebound, ultimately losing 28–16, and extending their losing streak against the Cardinals to three games. With the upset loss, the Cowboys fell to 2–1, and allowed their division rival Eagles to take sole possession of the division lead after their win the following night over the Buccaneers. Additionally, it was Dak Prescott's first game of the season throwing an interception.

Week 4: vs. New England Patriots

[edit]
Week 4: New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Patriots 3 0 003
Cowboys 10 18 3738

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

After a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys went back home to face the New England Patriots. This was Ezekiel Elliott's return to AT&T Stadium for the first time since being released from the Cowboys. He played 7 seasons with the Cowboys from 2016 to 2022. He will, however, return to the Cowboys in 2024. The Cowboys dominated from start to finish against Bill Belichick and the Patriots. Leighton Vander Esch scored the first defensive touchdown of his career on an 11-yard fumble recovery.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 3–1, and gave Belichick his worst loss as a head coach.

Week 5: at San Francisco 49ers

[edit]
Week 5: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 3010
49ers 7 14 71442

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: October 8
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CDT/5:20 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 71,617
  • Referee: Alan Eck
  • TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season, the Cowboys traveled to San Francisco to face the undefeated 49ers in a rematch of the previous season's Divisional Round meeting, which San Francisco won, 19–12. The Cowboys were dominated on both sides of the ball from start to finish in a devastating 42–10 loss, their third straight to the 49ers. Dak Prescott tied a career worst by throwing three interceptions, and the defense allowed 421 total yards. Dallas dropped to 3–2 on the season with the blowout loss.

Week 6: at Los Angeles Chargers

[edit]
Week 6: Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 3 01020
Chargers 7 0 3717

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

The Cowboys traveled to SoFi Stadium to take on Justin Herbert and the Kellen Moore-led Chargers. Moore had been the Cowboys' offensive coordinator between 2019 and 2022. The Cowboys and the Chargers exchanged points throughout the game, including a point when Jalen Tolbert muffed a catch that led to a Chargers touchdown. The Cowboys responded by kicking a field goal to make the game 20–17, which proved to be the final score. Strangely, the score drew a coincidence to the 2021 season when the Cowboys and Chargers played each other, which was also a 20–17 Cowboys win over the Chargers. The Cowboys defense stood tall in the final minutes of the game, with Micah Parsons sacking Justin Herbert, with Stephon Gilmore intercepting Herbert to seal the Cowboys win. The win improved the Cowboys to 4–2 on the season.

Week 8: vs. Los Angeles Rams

[edit]
Week 8: Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 3 6 8320
Cowboys 17 16 3743

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: October 29
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,448
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 9: at Philadelphia Eagles

[edit]
Week 9: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 10 0623
Eagles 7 7 14028

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 5
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Clear, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 69,876
  • Referee: Tra Blake
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Cowboys traveled to Philadelphia to face the league-leading Eagles in a crucial NFC East showdown. After a back-and-forth first half, Dallas took a 17–14 lead into the locker room. However, the Eagles answered with touchdowns on their first two second-half drives to take a 28–17 lead into the fourth quarter. The Cowboys drove to the Eagles' 1-yard line, where Dak Prescott threw a fourth down pass to tight end Luke Schoonmaker; initially ruled a touchdown, replay reviews confirmed that Schoonmaker was downed prior to breaking the plane, turning the ball over on downs. Dallas got a second chance after forcing a three-and-out, and this time cashed in with a Jalen Tolbert touchdown reception. However, Prescott stepped out of bounds on the two-point conversion, making it a 28–23 game. After failing to score on their next drive, the Cowboys got one final chance to take the lead with 46 seconds remaining. Prescott and the Cowboys drove to the 6-yard line in under 20 seconds, thanks to numerous penalties committed by Philadelphia’s defense, but two pre-snap penalties by the offense and a costly sack by Josh Sweat moved them back to the 27. On the game's final play, CeeDee Lamb was stopped short of the goal line as time expired and fumbled, sealing the Cowboys' fate. Dallas dropped to 5–3 on the season with the 28–23 loss, and suffered their fourth loss in their past five visits to Philadelphia.

Week 10: vs. New York Giants

[edit]
Week 10: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 71017
Cowboys 7 21 14749

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 12
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,338
  • Referee: Brad Rogers
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at Carolina Panthers

[edit]
Week 11: Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 10 01633
Panthers 0 3 7010

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: November 19
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,543
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: vs. Washington Commanders

[edit]

Thanksgiving Day games

Week 12: Washington Commanders at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Commanders 0 10 0010
Cowboys 7 13 02545

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 23
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,711
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

In a historical moment, DaRon Bland became the first NFL player to make his fifth pick six, which was the most in a single season.[13] With the win, the Cowboys continued their win streak at home. The game averaged 41.438 million viewers, the third most viewed regular season NFL game ever.[14]

Week 13: vs. Seattle Seahawks

[edit]
Week 13: Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Seahawks 7 14 7735
Cowboys 10 10 71441

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Week 14: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

[edit]
Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 0 6 7013
Cowboys 10 14 3633

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 10
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,752
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 10–3, and overtook the Eagles for first place in the NFC East. The Cowboys had now won 15 consecutive home games, and became the first team in NFL history to score 30 or more points in their first 7 home games in a season.[citation needed] In addition, Brandon Aubrey became the first NFL kicker to make two field goals from 59+ yards in the same game.[15]

Week 15: at Buffalo Bills

[edit]
Week 15: Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 3 0710
Bills 7 14 3731

at Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: December 17
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Rain, 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 70,933
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Although the Cowboys lost to the Bills by 21, they still clinched a playoff berth prior to taking the field due to the Green Bay Packers losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as the Atlanta Falcons losing to the Carolina Panthers.

Week 16: at Miami Dolphins

[edit]
Week 16: Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 0 31020
Dolphins 3 10 6322

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 75 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 66,410
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions

[edit]
Week 17: Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 3 0 7919
Cowboys 7 0 31020

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 30
  • Game time: 7:15 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,731
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (ESPN/ABC/ESPN2/ESPN+): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Following the win, the Cowboys went undefeated at home for the 2023 season and had their 16th consecutive home victory. This was the first time the Cowboys finished 8–0 at home since 1980 and 1981.[16][17] This game was highly controversial because of an illegal touching penalty called on Taylor Decker. Brad Allen and his officiating crew were fired from the postseason because of the call.[18]

Week 18: at Washington Commanders

[edit]
Week 18: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 14 14338
Commanders 0 10 0010

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: January 7
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,645
  • Referee: Shawn Smith
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olsen, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

After a rocky start, the Cowboys responded with 31 unanswered points, allowing them to rout the Commanders, clinch the NFC East for the second time in three years, and deny the Eagles a chance to repeat as NFC East champions for the first time since 2004.

Standings

[edit]

Division

[edit]
NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Dallas Cowboys 12 5 0 .706 5–1 9–3 509 315 W2
(5) Philadelphia Eagles 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 433 428 L2
New York Giants 6 11 0 .353 3–3 5–7 266 407 W1
Washington Commanders 4 13 0 .235 0–6 2–10 329 518 L8

Conference

[edit]
NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[a] San Francisco 49ers West 12 5 0 .706 5–1 10–2 .509 .475 L1
2[a][b] Dallas Cowboys East 12 5 0 .706 5–1 9–3 .446 .392 W2
3[a][b] Detroit Lions North 12 5 0 .706 4–2 8–4 .481 .436 W1
4[c] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .481 .379 W1
Wild cards
5 Philadelphia Eagles East 11 6 0 .647 4–2 7–5 .481 .476 L2
6 Los Angeles Rams West 10 7 0 .588 5–1 8–4 .529 .453 W4
7[d][e] Green Bay Packers North 9 8 0 .529 4–2 7–5 .474 .458 W3
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[d][e] Seattle Seahawks West 9 8 0 .529 2–4 7–5 .512 .392 W1
9[c][d] New Orleans Saints South 9 8 0 .529 4–2 6–6 .433 .340 W2
10[f][g] Minnesota Vikings North 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .509 .454 L4
11[g][h] Chicago Bears North 7 10 0 .412 2–4 6–6 .464 .370 L1
12[f][h] Atlanta Falcons South 7 10 0 .412 3–3 4–8 .429 .462 L2
13 New York Giants East 6 11 0 .353 3–3 5–7 .512 .353 W1
14[i] Washington Commanders East 4 13 0 .235 0–6 2–10 .512 .338 L8
15[i] Arizona Cardinals West 4 13 0 .235 0–6 3–9 .561 .588 L1
16 Carolina Panthers South 2 15 0 .118 1–5 1–11 .522 .500 L3
Tiebreakers[j]
  1. ^ a b c San Francisco finished ahead of Dallas and Detroit based on conference record.
  2. ^ a b Dallas finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory.
  3. ^ a b Tampa Bay finished ahead of New Orleans based on common record. (Tampa Bay is 8–4 against Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis, while New Orleans is 6–6 against the same teams.)
  4. ^ a b c Green Bay and Seattle finished ahead of New Orleans based on conference record.
  5. ^ a b Green Bay finished ahead of Seattle based on strength of victory, claiming the 7th and final playoff spot.
  6. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Chicago (see below).
  7. ^ a b Minnesota finished ahead of Chicago based on common record. (Minnesota is 5–7 against Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina, Kansas City, Green Bay, Atlanta, New Orleans, Denver, Las Vegas, and Detroit, while Chicago is 4–8 against the same teams.)
  8. ^ a b Chicago finished ahead of Atlanta based on head-to-head victory.
  9. ^ a b Washington finished ahead of Arizona based on head-to-head victory.
  10. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

[edit]
See also: 2023–24 NFL playoffs

Schedule

[edit]
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 14 Green Bay Packers (7) L 32–48 0–1 AT&T Stadium Recap

Game summaries

[edit]

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (7) Green Bay Packers

[edit]
NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (7) Green Bay Packers at (2) Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 20 14748
Cowboys 0 7 91632

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

This marks the sixth time in their past ten, that Dallas went one-and-done in the playoffs as well as their first home game loss since Week 1 of the previous season.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Robinson, Dallas (December 31, 2023). "NFC No. 1 Seed Playoff Scenarios: 49ers, Eagles, Lions, Cowboys Still in Mix for First-Round Bye". Pro Football Network. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Gordon, Grant (December 17, 2023). "Cowboys clinch third straight trip to postseason following losses by Packers, Falcons". NFL.com.
  3. ^ MAADDI, ROB. "Analysis: After another playoff failure by Dallas, maybe a call to Belichick can save the Cowboys". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  4. ^ Hamm, Timm (January 25, 2024). "'Ain't Gonna Work!' Deion Supports Coach McCarthy, Reveals Cowboys Weakness". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Beviglia, Jim (January 24, 2024). "Why Can't Dallas Win in the NFL Playoffs?". CapperTek. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  6. ^ "Packers 48-32 Cowboys (Jan 14, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN.com. January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  7. ^ "By the numbers: Green Bay Packers dominate Dallas Cowboys". ESPN.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  8. ^ Treacy, Dan (January 14, 2024). "No. 7 seeds to win an NFL playoff game: How Packers made history with wild-card win over Cowboys | Sporting News". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Cowboys' playoff failures by the numbers since last NFC title game appearance". CBSSports.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Archer, Todd (March 15, 2023). "Cowboys officially release RB Ezekiel Elliott after 7 seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Baca, Michael (August 14, 2023). "Patriots signing ex-Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott to one-year deal worth up to $6 million". NFL.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  12. ^ "LIVE: Tracking the UDFA's Being Linked to Dallas". dallascowboys.com. April 29, 2023.
  13. ^ Bubel, Jennifer (November 23, 2023). "Dallas Cowboys' Bland makes history with fifth pick-6". AS.com.
  14. ^ Alfano, Jonathan (November 24, 2023). "Dallas Cowboys 44 Million Thanksgiving: 3rd-Biggest TV Audience Of NFL Regular-Season Game EVER". Sports Illustrated.
  15. ^ Remarkable Brandon Aubrey has shot at more history as Cowboys enter regular-season finale, DallasNews, January 2, 2024
  16. ^ Ronald, Issy; Lev, Jacob (December 31, 2023). "Dallas Cowboys survive late controversy to take narrow victory over Detroit Lions". CNN. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  17. ^ Dixon, Schuyler (December 31, 2023). "Cowboys deny Lions on 2-point try for 20–19 win to extend home win streak to 16". AP News. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "NFL expected to downgrade Brad Allen ref crew for playoffs after Lions-Cowboys questionable calls, per report". CBSSports.com. December 31, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
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