2020 Dallas Cowboys season

The 2020 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 61st in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under head coach Mike McCarthy. This was the first season since 2006 that Jason Garrett was not part of the coaching staff, as his contract expired on January 14, 2020. For the second time since 2002, tight end Jason Witten was not on the opening day roster, as he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 17, 2020. For the first time since 2012, center Travis Frederick was not on the opening day roster, as he announced his retirement on March 23, 2020.

2020 Dallas Cowboys season
OwnerJerry Jones
General managerJerry Jones
Head coachMike McCarthy
Offensive coordinatorKellen Moore
Defensive coordinatorMike Nolan
Home fieldAT&T Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place3rd NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersNone
Uniform

The Cowboys failed to improve upon their 8–8 season from the previous year after their Thanksgiving loss to the Washington Football Team. The next week, they were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens to suffer their first losing season since 2015. Factors in their struggles during the season included multiple key injuries, most notably starting quarterback Dak Prescott suffering a compound fracture and dislocation to his ankle during their Week 5 win against the New York Giants. Their defense surrendered a per-game average of 29.6 points over a total of 6,183 yards gained.[1] The Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention for the second consecutive year in Week 17 via their loss to the New York Giants.

Offseason

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Signings

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Position Player Age 2019 team Contract
QB Andy Dalton 33 Cincinnati Bengals 1 year, $7 million
TE Blake Bell 29 Kansas City Chiefs 1 year, $1.7 million
OT Cameron Erving 28 Kansas City Chiefs 1 year, $2.5 million
DE Everson Griffen (††) 33 Minnesota Vikings 1 year, $6 million
DE Aldon Smith 31 Did not play 1 year, $4 million
DT Dontari Poe (†) 30 Carolina Panthers 2 years, $10.5 million
DT Gerald McCoy (*) 32 Carolina Panthers 3 years, $18.3 million
CB Maurice Canady (**) 26 New York Jets 1 year, $1.25 million
CB Brandon Carr (†) 34 Baltimore Ravens 1 year, $1.05 million
CB Daryl Worley (†) 25 Oakland Raiders 1 year, $3 million
SS Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (*) 27 Chicago Bears 1 year, $3.75 million
K Greg Zuerlein 33 Los Angeles Rams 3 years, $7.5 million

(*) - Released before start of season

(**) - Opted out of season due to COVID

(†) - Later released

(††) - Later traded

Re-signings

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Position Player Age Contract
QB Cooper Rush 27 1 year, $1.25 million
WR Amari Cooper 26 5 years, $100 million
TE Blake Jarwin 26 3 years, $24.25 million
C Joe Looney 30 1 year, $2.4 million
C Adam Redmond 27 1 year, $143,000
DT Antwaun Woods 27 1 year, $750,000
LB Sean Lee 34 1 year, $4.5 million
LB Justin March 27 1 year, $1.04 million
LB Joe Thomas 29 1 year, $1.25 million
CB Anthony Brown 27 3 years, $15.5 million
CB C. J. Goodwin 30 1 year, $1 million
FS Darian Thompson 27 2 years, $2.8 million
LS L. P. Ladouceur 39 1 year, $1.05 million

Departures

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Position Player Age 2020 team
WR Tavon Austin 30 Green Bay Packers
WR Randall Cobb 30 Houston Texans
WR Devin Smith 28 New England Patriots
TE Jason Witten 38 Las Vegas Raiders
OT Cameron Fleming 28 New York Giants
G Xavier Su'a-Filo 29 Cincinnati Bengals
C Travis Frederick 29 Retired
DE Michael Bennett 35 Retired
DE Kerry Hyder 29 San Francisco 49ers
DE Jalen Jelks 24 Washington Football Team
DE Robert Quinn 30 Chicago Bears
DT Maliek Collins 25 Las Vegas Raiders
DT Christian Covington 27 Cincinnati Bengals
DT Daniel Ross 27 Jacksonville Jaguars
LB Ray-Ray Armstrong 29 Seattle Seahawks
LB Chris Covington 24 Indianapolis Colts
LB Malcolm Smith 31 Cleveland Browns
CB Byron Jones 28 Miami Dolphins
CB Donovan Olumba 24 Unsigned
SS Kavon Frazier 26 Miami Dolphins
SS Jeff Heath 29 Las Vegas Raiders
K Kai Forbath 33 Los Angeles Rams (via Chicago Bears)

Draft

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2020 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 17 CeeDee Lamb *  WR Oklahoma
2 51 Trevon Diggs *  CB Alabama
3 82 Neville Gallimore  DT Oklahoma
4 123 Reggie Robinson II  CB Tulsa
4 146 Tyler Biadasz *  C Wisconsin
5 179 Bradlee Anae  DE Utah
7 231 Ben DiNucci  QB James Madison
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

Staff

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2020 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
  • Director of salary cap & player contracts – Adam Prasifka
  • Vice president player personnel – Will McClay
  • Director of college scouting – Lionel Vital
  • Director of pro scouting – Alex Loomis
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Chris Hall
  • Assistant to the Head Coach – Laura Fryar

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – John Fassel
  • Assistant special teams – Matt Daniels
  • Video/analytics – Justin Ruud
  • Quality control/analytics – Eric Simonelli

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning coordinator – Markus Paul
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Harold Nash Jr.
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Kendall Smith


Rosters

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Opening preseason roster

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Dallas Cowboys 2020 opening preseason roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

79 active (+1 exempt), 7 inactive

Week one roster

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Dallas Cowboys 2020 week one roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice Squad

54 Active, 9 Inactive, 15 practice squad (+1 exempt)

Final roster

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2020 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
52 active, 17 reserve, 14 practice squad

Preseason

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The Cowboys would have played the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on August 6, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, and the Cowboys were to be represented by head coach Jimmy Johnson and safety Cliff Harris.[2] However, the game, the annual Hall of Fame enshrinement and the remainder of the preseason were later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[3] and the Hall of Fame game between the Cowboys and Steelers was rescheduled for 2021.[4]

Week Date Opponent Venue Result
HOF August 6 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
1 August 16 at Los Angeles Chargers SoFi Stadium
2 August 22 Baltimore Ravens AT&T Stadium
3 August 29 Kansas City Chiefs AT&T Stadium
4 September 3 at Houston Texans NRG Stadium

Regular season

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Schedule

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The Cowboys' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.[3]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 13 at Los Angeles Rams L 17–20 0–1 SoFi Stadium Recap
2 September 20 Atlanta Falcons W 40–39 1–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
3 September 27 at Seattle Seahawks L 31–38 1–2 CenturyLink Field Recap
4 October 4 Cleveland Browns L 38–49 1–3 AT&T Stadium Recap
5 October 11 New York Giants W 37–34 2–3 AT&T Stadium Recap
6 October 19 Arizona Cardinals L 10–38 2–4 AT&T Stadium Recap
7 October 25 at Washington Football Team L 3–25 2–5 FedExField Recap
8 November 1 at Philadelphia Eagles L 9–23 2–6 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
9 November 8 Pittsburgh Steelers L 19–24 2–7 AT&T Stadium Recap
10 Bye
11 November 22 at Minnesota Vikings W 31–28 3–7 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
12 November 26 Washington Football Team L 16–41 3–8 AT&T Stadium Recap
13 December 8[A] at Baltimore Ravens L 17–34 3–9 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
14 December 13 at Cincinnati Bengals W 30–7 4–9 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
15 December 20 San Francisco 49ers W 41–33 5–9 AT&T Stadium Recap
16 December 27 Philadelphia Eagles W 37–17 6–9 AT&T Stadium Recap
17 January 3 at New York Giants L 19–23 6–10 MetLife Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Los Angeles Rams

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Week One: Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 14 3017
Rams 7 6 7020

at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Game information

Despite a fourth quarter comeback attempt, the Cowboys were unable to tie the game or take the lead after wide receiver Michael Gallup was controversially called for offensive pass interference, negating a 47-yard pass from quarterback Dak Prescott and leading to the Cowboys' final drive stalling. With the loss, Dallas started the season at 0–1.[6]

Week 2: vs. Atlanta Falcons

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Week Two: Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 20 9 01039
Cowboys 0 10 141640

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

The game began with the Cowboys falling behind 20–0 at the heaviest deficit. The Cowboys would start fighting back with Ezekiel Elliott's touchdown in the second quarter. The Falcons would re-boost their lead but failed the two-point conversion attempt. At halftime, the Cowboys would trail 29–10. Dak Prescott ran for two more touchdowns to cut the Falcons lead to 29–24. The Falcons added another ten points as the Cowboys trailed 39–24. Late in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys scored 16 unanswered points to prevent the Cowboys from starting 0–2, as well as sending the Falcons to their first 0–2 start since 2007. They finished the comeback after they successfully recovered a Greg Zuerlein onside kick with 1:49 left in the game and drove down to the 30 yard-line, where Zuerlein kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired. This was the first time Dallas successfully kicked an onside kick since Week 17 of the 2014 season. With their first win, the Cowboys improved to 1–1 on the season. This win also makes the Cowboys the first team in NFL history to allow at least 39 points and win without defensive takeaways.[7]

Week 3: at Seattle Seahawks

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Week Three: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 9 6 7931
Seahawks 9 14 7838

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

Despite initially battling back to take a 31–30 lead late in the 4th quarter, the defense allowed the Seattle offense to score a go-ahead touchdown with 1:47 left to play. The Cowboys would drive into Seattle territory, but the Seahawks would intercept Prescott in the end zone with just six seconds left. With this loss, the Cowboys dropped to 1–2 on the season.

Week 4: vs. Cleveland Browns

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Week Four: Cleveland Browns at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 7 24 10849
Cowboys 14 0 02438

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: October 4
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 25,021
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston, and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Cowboys defense had no answers for the Browns' rushing attack. Despite initially leading 14–7, the Cowboys allowed 34 unanswered points by the end of the 3rd quarter. The Cowboys would cut the lead to 41-38 late in the 4th quarter, but the Browns proved they were too strong for the Cowboys as they ran away with the 49–38 win.

With this loss, the Cowboys dropped to 1–3 on the season. This was also the first time since 1994 that the Cowboys lost to the Browns.

Week 5: vs. New York Giants

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Week Five: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 14 6 31134
Cowboys 3 21 7637

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Former head coach Jason Garrett, now offensive coordinator of the rival Giants, made his first return to Dallas since leaving the team following the previous season. The game turned into an offensive shootout, with the lead changing multiple times. The Cowboys claimed victory after scoring two consecutive field goals in the final minutes of the game, improving to 2–3 after beating the still-winless Giants. During a tackle made by Giants Logan Ryan in the third quarter with 6:46 remaining, Dak Prescott suffered compound fracture and dislocation injuries to his right ankle, ending his season. Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton finished the comeback for the Cowboys.[8] This win was proven costly as the Cowboys would only win four more games in Prescott's absence.

Week 6: vs. Arizona Cardinals

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Week Six: Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 0 21 71038
Cowboys 0 3 0710

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Dallas concluded its three-game homestand on Monday Night Football against the Arizona Cardinals, with Andy Dalton making his first start in a Cowboys uniform in place of the injured Dak Prescott. However, Prescott's absence would quickly be felt as the Cowboys would struggle on both sides of the ball throughout the game. The Cardinals raced out to a 21–0 lead in the second quarter and never looked back, taking advantage of two fumbles by Ezekiel Elliott and adding an 80-yard touchdown reception by Christian Kirk. The Cowboys offense committed a season-high four turnovers, all of which led to Cardinals scoring drives. Moreover, Dalton struggled in his Cowboys debut, throwing two interceptions and finishing with a 65.8 passer rating. With the 38-10 blowout loss, Dallas dropped to 2-4 for the first time since the 2015 season. The 28-point loss marked their worst at home since losing 37–9 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11 of the 2017 season, and tied that loss for their worst margin of defeat at AT&T Stadium.

Week 7: at Washington Football Team

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Week Seven: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 0 003
Washington 9 13 0325

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: October 25
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 46 °F (8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Davis, Daryl Johnston, and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The situation went from bad to worse for the Cowboys, who had no answers for Washington's defense. After a goal-line stand on Washington's opening drive, a strip sack by Landon Collins on Andy Dalton led to an early Washington safety. Washington then marched down the field, extending their lead to 9–0 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Antonio Gibson. The Cowboys responded with their only points of the afternoon on a Greg Zuerlein field goal. However, Washington would score two more touchdowns in the second quarter to put the game out of reach for Dallas. With this loss, Dallas dropped to 2–5 on the season, and 0–2 without Dak Prescott. Quarterback Andy Dalton would leave the game in the third quarter following a late hit by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic, who was subsequently ejected. Rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci would finish the game in place of Dalton, who was evaluated for a concussion.

Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles

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Week Eight: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 6 009
Eagles 7 0 8823

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST/7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 49 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 5,500
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

With Andy Dalton ruled out due to the concussion he suffered during the Week 7 loss to Washington, rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci made his first NFL start as the Cowboys visited the rival Philadelphia Eagles in a key NFC East showdown. The Cowboys' struggling defense stepped up against the sputtering Eagles offense, forcing a season-high four turnovers and holding Philadelphia to seven first half points. However, Dallas' offense had struggles of its own - DiNucci lost two fumbles, both of which led to Eagles touchdowns, including a controversial 53-yard return by Eagles safety Rodney McLeod. Further, the Cowboys were held without a touchdown for the second consecutive week, only being able to muster three Greg Zuerlein field goals. DiNucci finished with 180 yards passing and a rating of 64.6 in the 23–9 loss, and Dallas fell to 2–6 on the season and third place in the NFC East. This marked the first time that the Cowboys lost multiple division games in one season since the 2016 season, when all three of their regular season losses came within the division.

Week 9: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week Nine: Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 9 01524
Cowboys 3 10 6019

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 8
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 70 °F (21 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 31,700
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Gene Steratore
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Cowboys entered the game as 14-point underdogs. It would only be the second time in Cowboys history that they would be double digit underdogs at home. The Cowboys would lead at halftime, but the Steelers would pull away and win the game. The Cowboys dropped to 2–7, and suffered their first four-game losing streak since 2015, when the Cowboys had the same such start. This loss also ensures the Cowboys got pushed to the brink of a non-winning season for back-to-back years. This was the first time the Cowboys would do so since they did in 2010–2013.

Week 11: at Minnesota Vikings

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Week Eleven: Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 6 10 01531
Vikings 7 0 71428

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

The Cowboys were 7-point underdogs entering the game. Despite this, the Cowboys snapped their 4-game losing streak and improved to 1-4 without Dak Prescott. The game would be sealed after forcing a turnover on downs and then running out the game clock. The game's biggest highlight was a CeeDee Lamb catch for a touchdown. This win improved the Cowboys to 3–7 on the season.

Week 12: vs. Washington Football Team

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Thanksgiving Day games

Week Twelve: Washington Football Team at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Washington 7 10 32141
Cowboys 3 10 3016

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 26
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 73 °F (23 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 30,048
  • Referee: Clay Martin
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

The Cowboys returned home hoping to avoid being swept by the Washington Football Team. A controversial fake punt attempt caused the Cowboys, who were already trailing, to trail further. The Cowboys would never score again, as the Cowboys dropped to 3–8 and were swept by Washington for the first time since 2012.[9] This loss also ensures the Cowboys could no longer improve on their 8–8 season from the previous season.

Week 13: at Baltimore Ravens

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Week Thirteen: Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 7 0717
Ravens 7 10 71034

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

The depleted Cowboys traveled to Baltimore to take on the Ravens, in search of the franchise's first win there. The game was originally scheduled to be played on December 3, 2020. Due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the Ravens organization, the game was moved to December 8. The Cowboys continued to struggle, and dropped to 3–9 and were guaranteed their first losing season since 2015. The Cowboys lost 6 of the last 7 games without Dak Prescott. The Cowboys have not won in Baltimore since 1981 when they beat the Baltimore Colts at Memorial Stadium 37-13.

Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

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Week Fourteen: Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 10 7 31030
Bengals 0 7 007

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Game information

Andy Dalton made his first return to Cincinnati since getting released by the Bengals during the 2020 offseason. The Cowboys improved to 4–9 with the blowout win. This win keeps the Cowboys in the race for an NFC East title, aided by the fact that all NFC East teams had losing records.

Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers

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Week Fifteen: San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 7 10933
Cowboys 14 3 71741

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

The Cowboys returned home without injured Ezekiel Elliott, to play against the 49ers, another team dealing with injury issues throughout the season. The Cowboys jumped out to a 14–0 lead early, by touchdown plays by Tony Pollard and wide receiver Michael Gallup. Like it has been all season long, the Cowboys defense struggled all game long. Despite the weak defensive performance, the Cowboys defense took the ball away four times, tied the most takeaways by the Cowboys in the 2020 season. CeeDee Lamb returned a kickoff for a 47-yard touchdown, making the score 41–27. With the game already won, the Cowboys gave up a touchdown on the last play of the game, ending the game with the final score of 41–33. The win, with assistance from a loss by the Washington Football Team improved the Cowboys to 5–9 and kept the Cowboys' season alive, as well as eliminating San Francisco from playoff contention.

Week 16: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

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Week Sixteen: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 14 3 0017
Cowboys 3 17 10737

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) (retractable roof open)
  • Game attendance: 30,131
  • Referee: Adrian Hill
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

After falling behind 14-3 after one quarter, the Cowboys outscored the visiting Eagles 34–3 over the final three quarters. The 37–17 win improved Dallas to 6–9 on the season and eliminated Philadelphia from playoff contention. The Cowboys' own playoff hopes were also kept alive thanks to the Washington Football Team's 20–13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. This win was Dallas' 40th home win and 70th overall win against Philadelphia in their rivalry.

Week 17: at New York Giants

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Week Seventeen: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 6 7319
Giants 6 14 0323

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: January 3, 2021
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 33 °F (1 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Despite a second-half comeback, a decision to not attempt a two-point conversion on their third quarter touchdown came back to haunt them, since, trailing by 4 points instead of 3 within 10 yards of the end zone and having to get a touchdown rather than a field goal, their touchdown pass was intercepted and the Cowboys lost to the Giants for the first time since 2016, ending a seven-game winning streak against them. With the loss (though even if Dallas had won, the Washington win hours later would have still eliminated them), Dallas finished 6–10 and missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2010–13 seasons. This was also the first time since 2015 that the Cowboys lost 10 or more games in a season. With this loss, the Cowboys went 4-7 without Dak Prescott.

Standings

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Division

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NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) Washington Football Team 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 335 329 W1
New York Giants 6 10 0 .375 4–2 5–7 280 357 W1
Dallas Cowboys 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 395 473 L1
Philadelphia Eagles 4 11 1 .281 2–4 4–8 334 418 L3

Conference

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# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Green Bay Packers North 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 .428 .387 W6
2[a] New Orleans Saints South 12 4 0 .750 6–0 10–2 .459 .406 W2
3[a] Seattle Seahawks West 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .447 .404 W4
4 Washington Football Team East 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 .459 .388 W1
Wild cards
5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 .488 .392 W4
6 Los Angeles Rams West 10 6 0 .625 3–3 9–3 .494 .484 W1
7[b] Chicago Bears North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 .488 .336 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
8[b] Arizona Cardinals West 8 8 0 .500 2–4 6–6 .475 .441 L2
9 Minnesota Vikings North 7 9 0 .438 4–2 5–7 .504 .366 W1
10[c] San Francisco 49ers West 6 10 0 .375 3–3 4–8 .549 .448 L1
11[c][d] New York Giants East 6 10 0 .375 4–2 5–7 .502 .427 W1
12[d] Dallas Cowboys East 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 .471 .333 L1
13[e] Carolina Panthers South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .531 .388 L1
14[e] Detroit Lions North 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .508 .350 L4
15 Philadelphia Eagles East 4 11 1 .281 2–4 4–8 .537 .469 L3
16 Atlanta Falcons South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 .551 .391 L5
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b New Orleans finished ahead of Seattle based on conference record.
  2. ^ a b Chicago finished and clinched the 7th and final playoff spot ahead of Arizona based on better win percentage in common games (against Detroit, the NY Giants, Carolina, and the LA Rams, Chicago finished 3–2, while Arizona finished 1–4).
  3. ^ a b San Francisco finished ahead of the NY Giants based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Dallas (see below).
  4. ^ a b NY Giants won tiebreaker over Dallas based on division record.
  5. ^ a b Carolina finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ 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.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b The Cowboys' Week 13 game at the Baltimore Ravens, originally scheduled for Thursday Night Football on December 3, was moved to December 8 due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Ravens' organization that forced the Ravens' Week 12 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers, originally scheduled for November 26, to be pushed back to December 1.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Watkins, Calvin (November 13, 2020). "Cowboys' defense hasn't lived up to expectations. The good news is there's plenty of room for improvement". Dallas News. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers to Play in 2020 Hall of Fame Game". NFL Communications. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Shook, Nick (July 27, 2020). "Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S." NFL. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Schefter, Adam (June 25, 2020). "Cowboys-Steelers Hall of Fall Game called off; enshrinement ceremony postponed". ESPN. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Week 12 Ravens-Steelers game moved to Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET on NBC". NFL Communications. November 27, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Epstein, Jori (September 14, 2020). "'Clear and obvious'? Cowboys WR Michael Gallup's offensive pass interference penalty sparks controversy". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  7. ^ Canova, Daniel (September 20, 2020). "Dak Prescott rallies Cowboys to miraculous 40-39 win over Falcons". Fox News. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "Cowboys vs. Giants score: Dak Prescott leaves with potential season-ending injury but Dallas rallies to win". CBSSports.com. October 11, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  9. ^ Archer, Todd (November 27, 2020). "Cowboys' lopsided loss to Washington just more of the same". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  10. ^ Filipe, Cameron (December 1, 2020). "Week 13 referee assignments". Football Zebras. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
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