Mike McCarthy insisted all week that the Cowboys would play to win against the Commanders. And they had to, as a loss in Week 18 would render the results of the Eagles and 49ers games meaningless to Dallas and their longshot pursuit of both the division title and the top seed in the NFC.
Well, if that’s what playing to win looks like, then the Cowboys are in serious trouble.
The Cowboys buried themselves in a hole early with poorly executed plays on offense and two major gaffes from their special teams unit. And unlike several other games from earlier in the year, the Cowboys never mounted a comeback, instead limping to a 26-6 loss.