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

[Beast_from_East]

Ah! My bad. You meant "exactly, for the most part the same." In that context, you're making perfect sense. For the most part.

And by that I mean, exactly none at all.

LOL...........I would explain it to you but I don't have that much time............carry on.

 

[dstovall5]

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.

Obviously it was the eagles game because it ended the season

I guess there's always going to be one, thanks for adding to the discussion.

 

[dstovall5]

No but I was entertained.

That always counts for something, right? Fun to watch those games, not ever fun to lose them.

 

[Alexander]

That always counts for something, right? Fun to watch those games, not ever fun to lose them.

Actually it really does not for me personally. I have never watched a loss and then took away "wow, but that was just a highly entertaining contest!".

I would much rather be bored to death and win.

 

[Doomsay]

It's short-sided to think 1 game cost us the season.

We converted from a 3-4 to a 4-3, but drafted no defensive linemen. We paid Spencer 10+ million, when guys like Osi, Freeney, Bennett, Avril, and others were signing for about half that. We hired a geriatric defensive coordinator, whose own son had to run him out of town because his defense was so terrible. We randomly changed offensive playcallers. We made the mistake of thinking Jay Ratliff would be a contributor. We made the mistake of thinking Sean Lee could last a whole season.

We didn't get unlucky. We got beat before we even started preseason.

Well done! The sad thing is that we still had a chance to win the division despite the off-season ineptitude, but the coaching staff literally couldn't get out of their own way in two or three won/winnable games.

 

[Doomsay]

That always counts for something, right? Fun to watch those games, not ever fun to lose them.

I think that was a tongue in cheek Jerryism that you bit on.

 

[KB1122]

What do we mean by "derailed?" The team finished with a record commensurate with its ability. It's not like we were headed for 13-3 but went into a tailspin after an emotional defeat.

 

[Proximo]

What do we mean by "derailed?" The team finished with a record commensurate with its ability. It's not like we were headed for 13-3 but went into a tailspin after an emotional defeat.

I agree.

I wouldn't say there was one specific loss that really "derailed" the season. We saw the same inconsistent, injured, middle of the road team that we saw last year basically.

But, with that being said, my vote would be the Detroit game, followed by the Green Bay game, followed by the Denver game.

If we win 2 out of those 3 we most likely finish the season in a much different spot. But then again, we could play the "if" game forever and it wouldn't make a difference. Oh well.

Hopefully next year we turn it around somehow.

 

[Muhast]

I can't imagine too many teams scored 17 4th quarter pts held a10 pt lead and had 4 takeaways and still lost like we did against det

 

[links18]

Meh, did Garrett get fired yet?

 

[Beast_from_East]

I can't imagine too many teams scored 17 4th quarter pts held a10 pt lead and had 4 takeaways and still lost like we did against det

That was only like the 2nd or 3rd time in NFL history a team was +4 on TO margin and lost the game.

Just like 400-1.....................the record of teams with the same lead and points scored in the GB game...............we are the only team in NFL history to lose a game like the way we did.

Add to that list "iceing your own kicker" and Garrett is rewriting the record books...........................LOL.

 

[CowboyFan4Eva]

I was "still" believing, before the NO game........I know.i know......blind blind blind.


But seeing NO, just have their way?? I knew.....this was a really bad , bad football team, detriot and Green Bay too...but it was that NO game. I stop believing....

The only reason we had a shot was because our division......any other division and we would be lucky to win 4 or 5 games....

 

[Beast_from_East]

I was "still" believing, before the NO game........I know.i know......blind blind blind.


But seeing NO, just have their way?? I knew.....this was a really bad , bad football team, detriot and Green Bay too...but it was that NO game. I stop believing....

The only reason we had a shot was because our division......any other division and we would be lucky to win 4 or 5 games....

If we were in the AFC West with Denver, KC, and San Diego...........................we win 3 games max.

 

[fanfromvirginia]

Detroit. Winning that game wouldn't have changed this team's essential mediocrity but it very much could have gotten us into the playoffs.

And it's certainly the game where I kind of categorically switched into fatalist mode.

This team is what it is. And what it is is a team that occasionally does things like blow really, really large leads while abandoning the run.

 

[ilykdrama]

Denver. Defense mandhandled. Don't care if it was Manning. It was a slap in the face to everyone. I think they know they let Romo down being that 48 points wasn't enough to win AT home.

 

[ElGatoGrande]

I have to agree with an earlier poster, the premise of the question is just wrong, to say that a specific game "derailed" the season implies that their season could have been successful had they won that game,,, this clearly wasn't the case with the 2013 Cowboys. Their team was fatally flawed in several areas and it was consistently bad all year long, if fortune would have smiled upon them and gifted them an additional win they still would have had the bejeezus beaten out of them in the first round of the playoffs.

 

[lwehlers]

I also agree that both the chargers game and the lions game were the crossroads this last season. the chargers exposed the defenses weakness. we had no pass rush and the linebackers could not cover running backs out of the backfield. the saints and packers destroyed the cowboys with the underneath passing game because of the linebackers. the lions game I agree destroyed brandon carrs season. he had no confidence the rest of the season. I have a bad feeling that the jones will not fix the linebacker problems that his team has next year. teams will still beat this defense with short passes out of the backfield.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

Detroit. Winning that game wouldn't have changed this team's essential mediocrity but it very much could have gotten us into the playoffs.

And it's certainly the game where I kind of categorically switched into fatalist mode.

This team is what it is. And what it is is a team that occasionally does things like blow really, really large leads while abandoning the run.

Both 2011 and 2013 were undone by the Detroit losses.

 

[big dog cowboy]

any other division and we would be lucky to win 4 or 5 games....

You do realize that division games only make up 6 of the 16 games each year, right?

 

[TheDude]

You do realize that division games only make up 6 of the 16 games each year, right?

Only won 3 non division games and the Oakland and Minnesota games were not exactly "decisive"