Dallas Cowboys — Diminishing Returns

By A. Govea

Most of us watch football because we played it in our youth, whether in school or just out in the schoolyard. As we grow older, maybe we can’t run or catch like we used to, so we watch and remember.

In my case, as a lifelong Cowboy fan, I don’t remember the exact year I became one, but I know it was sometime in the late sixties. I was there for quarterbacks Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, and Danny White in the seventies.

During that era, I lived through disappointments and bitter losses, along with the Super Bowl wins in 1971 and 1977. Pero nunca recuerdo sentir tanta vergüenza por los Boys como en estos últimos tres años. I Never remember being so embarrassed like these last three years.

Of course, in the triplet era of the 90s—Aikman, Irvin, and Smith—we enjoyed three Super Bowl victories. Pero the last one was in 1995, thirty‑one years ago. Since then, we haven’t even reached an NFC Championship game.

Yes, we’ve had division championships, the most recent in 2023, but they meant nothing in the playoffs, as we all know. Still, as I’ve gotten older, wins and losses don’t hit me the way they used to. I find myself wanting them to win more for my kids and grandkids than for myself. After all, I’m the one who infected them with the Cowboy gene.

All that said, they were supposed to win at home last week against Tampa Bay—especially against a rookie quarterback with no experience. Instead, they delivered another embarrassing loss: 24–16, followed by this past Sunday’s 13–23. It really seems like whoever plays the Cowboys ends up having their best game of the season. In Tampa Bay’s case, it was their first win of the year.

Against Green Bay, Dak went 34/54 for 258 yards, 1 TD, and 2 interceptions. He had a terrible game, but so did his O‑line. Dak was pressured 15 times, hit 7 times, and sacked once, which was surprising. The Cowboys’ running game managed only 57 yards on 26 carries, and that was against a Green Bay run defense ranked among the worst in the NFL.

On defense, I’ll say this: at first, I was happy to see them play con ganas—with heart. They were really trying. Unfortunately, on Green Bay’s first offensive series, Jordan Love went 6/8 for 109 yards. That drive was the most passing yards on a single drive in the last five years.

Love was almost unstoppable on third downs, going 11/18 for 61%. Before playing the Cowboys, Green Bay only converted 27% of 3^rd downs. Again, if you want to do better, play the Boys. The only bright spot—if you can call it that—was that they were able to stop the run for most of the day.

Is there any hope for this season? I would say no. Pero the rest of the NFC East is just as bad. So yes, they might stumble into the playoffs. But will anybody care? I won’t. And if they do make it, it won’t be because of coaching. So far, they’ve been outplayed and outcoached at every turn.

After the embarrassing loss to Tampa Bay, I told anyone who would listen that I was done. And honestly, I didn’t watch all of Sunday’s game—I just couldn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I will always be a Cowboy fan. Pero esto ya es una vergüenza. In any social activity, you need to get something back—a moment of happiness, a smile, maybe even a laugh. This is not fun anymore. No return on investment.