The Dallas Cowboys have been eliminated from playoff contention.

You may have felt that this was the case for some time already in a matter of fact sense, but it became official on Saturday night when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders. Thanks to losses over the last two weeks to the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings the Cowboys left themselves with only one path into the postseason and that was as the hypothetical winner of the NFC East. That will not come to pass as the Eagles have now won it.

Much is always made about how the NFC East has not featured a back-to-back champion since 2003 and 2004 when the Eagles did it themselves. They have put that all to an end by doing it once more and on the subject of streaks the Cowboys now have one going themselves as far as playoff absences are concerned.

Dallas missed the playoffs last year, they were eliminated around the same time as it happened on December 22nd, which means they have missed the postseason for two years in a row for the first time since 2019 and 2020. Then, like now, the Cowboys were in the final year of one head coach (Jason Garrett) and the first of another (Mike McCarthy). It is almost like that is not necessarily a recipe for success.

There is a lot of introspection that is necessary from the Cowboys these days and their current playoff drought is representative of that. We talk often about how this team hasn’t been the same since they were bounced from the 2023 Wild Card Round and obviously the evidence here speaks for that as well.

We now know conclusively that there are only 3 games left on the season for the Cowboys. We also know that their drought for Super Bowl and/or NFC Championship Game appearances (the drought that Stephen Jones didn’t understand to exist) will officially grow to 30 years. It is not an approximation or a rounding up.

It is reality.