Which (L) Game derailed Dallas's 2013 season?

[Doomsday101]

Any of the 8 that were loses.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Yeah, I'm not a big believer in momentum.

This. In fact, I would say I don't believe in momentum at all, either game-to-game or drive-to-drive.
We won the game after the Denver loss.
We won the game after the Detroit loss.
After the Chicago loss, we stormed out to a big lead against Green Bay.
We won the game after the Green Bay loss.
For all the talk here about how this game or that game "exposed" us or "took a toll", the defense played incredibly well, far better than I ever expected, in the season finale.
I see no evidence that "momentum" or anything like it played any role in our season. We had a good-to-very-good offense, an unbelievably bad defense, and excellent special teams. 8-8 seems about right based on those things alone.

 

[ShiningStar]

Please don't answer with the last game, because obviously that game ended our season. Lets look deeper then that, which game in your opinion that we lost derailed any chance of success we had, was it the heart breaker against Denver? Or the defensive collapse against Detroit? Or the collapse against Green Bay at home late in the season? You don't have to pick any of these though, you can pick any game we lost.

I'll go first. In my opinion, I think our season was derailed Oct 27, against the Lions on the road. Dallas was 4-3 coming off an impressive win against the hyped up Eagles offense, which was an outstanding defensive effort in which we only allowed the Eagles 3 points.

Everyone was starting to get back on the Dallas bandwagon looking for them to break their mediocre roots, and to finally get back to a dominant team. Until that point, Dallas's season was looking very promising, they were 4-3 and currently had a 2 game winning streak against 2 division rivals. Even though they had 3 losses, most people were still excited because in all their previous losses they took 3 playoff caliber teams to the final second. Many were looking ahead into the upcoming weeks, seeing they had a very realistic chance to reach 6-3 before facing off against an offensive juggernaut in the Saints.

Then reality struck, Dallas was going to be the same mediocre team that we've become accustomed to for the past years. They had the Detroit game well wrapped up, only a minute left and looking superb with a very realistic chance at a 6-3 record. It was time for the HYPE TRAIN! Or so we thought, next thing we know, Tyron Smith gets a holding call on a run to the left and Detroit is getting the ball back with a minute left to win it, and we all know how these things play out for Dallas. A minute later and all our hopes of breaking away from mediocre were washed down the drain, Dallas was now sitting back again at .500.

I think had we not lost the Detroit game, we'd possibly have finished around 10-6 or 11-5 and made the playoffs, instead we finished 8-8. I think that game really took a toll on everyone, especially since it was only 3 weeks after the crushing lose to Denver. I really believe that game derailed our season, and it possibly influenced 2-3 other outcomes during the season, it definitely set the tone for mediocre.

So which game do you guys think was the one to derail our 2013 season?

P.S. - Off season sucks!

GarrEt derailed us and kiffen didnt help....u need not pin it on a game when your coaches didnt stand up and do the right things

 

[Zimmy Lives]

Denver. Potent offense but unsound defense. This game set up the Detroit, Chicago and Green Bay games for failure.

 

[Ultra Warrior]

Which (L) Game derailed Dallas's 2013 season?

The last one.

 

[Beast_from_East]

Detroit and Green Bay...........exposed our coaching

Saints and Chicago................exposed our talent.


Funny thing is that for the most part, we are going to have the exact same players and the exact same coaches for 2014.....................why would we expect a different result?

 

[Idgit]

...Funny thing is that for the most part, we are going to have the exact same players and the exact same coaches for 2014.....................why would we expect a different result?

People who have seen an NFL offseason before, and know what the draft and free agency are like. Or people who realize we have actually changed up the coaching staff somewhat significantly. I'm just guessing.

 

[Hostile]

Detroit for only one reason over Green Bay, we were healthier in that game.

 

[HappyOnions]

The Detroit game proved that our defense was terrible...

The Packers game proved that our defense was terrible AND Romo is still going to do Romo things late in games.

 

[perrykemp]

The Packer game takes the cake.

That was a Packer team with a 25th rated defense and on offense missing Aaron Rodgers, Jermichael Finley, Randall Cobb, Brian Bulaga and others. Matt Flynn had been cut, what, 3 times last season before the Packers picked him up?

Before the Packer - Cowboys game I made a strong argument here on CZ that the Packers, as they were constructed at that moment, were the worst team in entire NFL.

Add to that it was in Dallas in Jerryworld and it was the largest comeback by a Cowboy opponent in Cowboy history and it's absolutely positively unforgivable.

Oh yeah, did I mention Matt Flynn was the QB?

 

[Beast_from_East]

People who have seen an NFL offseason before, and know what the draft and free agency are like. Or people who realize we have actually changed up the coaching staff somewhat significantly. I'm just guessing.

Oh yea, I forgot about switching the titles of the nameplates on the doors and calling it coaching changes.

And as far as the people "who have seen an NFL offseason before" and "know what the draft and free agency look like"..............I would not be too high on them considering their track record.

We are in year 4 and have yet to even post a winning record................I kinda was under the impression that posting a winning record within half a decade was kinda a sign of success (or lack off)

But im just guessing here.

 

[Kevinicus]

Even though it was eliminated in the OP, the only answer is the Eagles game. The previous 7 losses obviously didn't take us out of position to make the playoffs, so they can't be the answer. The Eagles is the only single game that you can say prevented us from being in the playoffs. A win in any of all the other losses would have had to be accompanied by another win from a 2nd loss. I don't feel any of the losses contributed to further losses. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick Detroit simply because that is when Claiborne got hurt, and I think that was the biggest individual loss all year.

 

[cej757]

The look on Jason Garrett's face late in the 4th qt of the Detroit game when he realized he wasn't going to be able to run the clock out was priceless. He started getting Red and you can see the Lump in his throat when he knew the game wasn't over yet.

He just looks scared as hell out there.

 

[Alexander]

Before the Packer - Cowboys game I made a strong argument here on CZ that the Packers, as they were constructed at that moment, were the worst team in entire NFL.

Add to that it was in Dallas in Jerryworld and it was the largest comeback by a Cowboy opponent in Cowboy history and it's absolutely positively unforgivable.

Oh yeah, did I mention Matt Flynn was the QB?

That was perhaps McCarthy's finest moment as a head coach aside from winning a Super Bowl. But of course, Garrett made it very easy for him.

 

[Lonestar94]

It was San Diego for me. I was all hyped up about this team, thought it was gonna be a good year etc etc. We were up 21-7 at halftime and everything was going well. We we're on our way to 3-1 and had one of the best defenses in the game.

Soon after I realized that this was the Same Ole Cowboys and it would yet again be another year of mediocrity, I just knew it. Lowest point of the season for sure.

 

[Lonestar94]

Everybody is saying Packers Bears etc. By that point I was NUMB. Didn't feel a thing after those losses.

 

[Idgit]

Oh yea, I forgot about switching the titles of the nameplates on the doors and calling it coaching changes.

And as far as the people "who have seen an NFL offseason before" and "know what the draft and free agency look like"..............I would not be too high on them considering their track record.

We are in year 4 and have yet to even post a winning record................I kinda was under the impression that posting a winning record within half a decade was kinda a sign of success (or lack off)

But im just guessing here.

New DC. New play caller. New TE coach. Plus at least one new assistant. That's not 'exact same coaches' by any stretch of the word 'exact' or 'same.'

Criticizing our ability to add talent through the draft, VFA, and CFA is not the same thing as having the 'exact same players,' either. You may be right that we aren't able to add any talent, but you're obviously wrong to suggest the roster won't change.

I'm well aware of the record the last several seasons, but that's not the point of the thread and it wasn't the point of your post. And you weren't even 'just guessing.' You were making a bad argument because you feel like being critical. That's your prerogative, but it being your prerogative doesn't make your logic sound.

 

[Kevinicus]

It was San Diego for me. I was all hyped up about this team, thought it was gonna be a good year etc etc. We were up 21-7 at halftime and everything was going well. We we're on our way to 3-1 and had one of the best defenses in the game.

Soon after I realized that this was the Same Ole Cowboys and it would yet again be another year of mediocrity, I just knew it. Lowest point of the season for sure.

Weren't we up 21-13 at half? The Chargers had 10 when we were still at 7.

 

[Super_Kazuya]

The Packers game proved that our defense was terrible AND Romo is still going to do Romo things late in games.

That was the Commanders game on 12/22 where Romo did Romo things late in the game. You're getting your games mixed up again. Try to do better.

 

[Fredd]

to me, in retrospect, it was San Diego. To think of just barely losing to KC, but beating NY and trouncing St L, I had some hope...but, then to lose like they did against a depleted team was just disheartening....the beginning of the end....you could just tell that 8-8 was looming after that loss