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Cowboys’ loss to Packers ranks atop list of Dallas’ worst playoff losses since last Super Bowl victory
On January 28, 1996, Jerry Jones hoisted the Dallas Cowboys’ fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy. Little did anyone know back then that would be the last time the Cowboys would sniff a Super Bowl for the next three decades.
Dallas has yet to make it back to an NFC title game since then, let alone a Super Bowl. The Cowboys’ playoff failures continued on Sunday as Dallas fell at home to the seventh-seeded Packers, the same franchise that handed Landry’s Cowboys two crushing playoff losses in the late ’60s.
Jones’ franchise is now 5-13 in the postseason since defeating Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX. Of those 13 losses, several stick out more than the others. Here’s a look at the Cowboys’ five worst playoff losses over the past 28 years. The first game on our list shouldn’t be a surprise.
1. 2023 NFC wild card
Yep, Sunday night’s loss is the Cowboys’ worst playoff defeat over the last 28 years. Why? Because the Cowboys were the NFC’s No. 2 seed playing a Packers team that barely made the playoffs. And they were absolutely crushed in the first half.
Adding to the magnitude of this loss is the Cowboys having the NFL’s top-ranked offense and fifth-ranked scoring defense. Specifically, it surely hurt Jones to see Dak Prescott get outplayed by Jordan Love, a first-year starter who played Dallas’ defense like a fiddle.
While a Super Bowl was ultimately the goal, it’s safe to say Cowboys fans would have been content with a hard-fought loss to the top-seeded 49ers, falling one game shy of the big game. Instead, Cowboys fans are once again dealing with an unsatisfying ending to a promising season. Rest assured that Jones won’t take his team’s most recent setback sitting down.
2. 2007 divisional round
On paper, the Cowboys’ best team since the ’90s was the 2007 squad that tied the franchise record for regular season wins (13). That team was led by future Hall of Famers Demarcus Ware, Terrell Owens, Jason Witten and Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo.
Instead of a Super Bowl run, the ’07 Cowboys were shocked at home against the rival New York Giants in the divisional round. Giants quarterback Eli Manning threw two touchdowns to Amari Cooper, while his defense held the Cowboys’ high-scoring offense to just 17 points.
New York sewed up its upset win with an interception in the end zone with 16 seconds left. The Giants parlayed that win into an improbable Super Bowl victory over the previously undefeated Patriots.
3. 2014 NFC divisional round
While no one knew it at this time, the 2014 season was the Cowboys’ last legitimate run with Romo under center. The Cowboys went 12-4 during the regular season before winning a thriller against the Lions in the wild-card round.
Dallas was on the verge of upsetting the Packers in Lambeau Field the following week in the divisional round. But the Cowboys were on the wrong side of one of the most controversial calls in NFL history when the officials determined that Dez Bryant did not secure Romo’s fourth down throw late in the game that would have given the Cowboys the ball just short of the goal line.
The Cowboys never got the ball back after Aaron Rodgers completed third-down completions to Davante Adams and Randall Cobb.
4. 2016 NFC divisional round
Similar to ’07, the ’16 Cowboys had a team of destiny feel. They enjoyed a magical season that was led by rookie phenoms Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. The rookie duo led the Cowboys to a franchise-tying 13 regular season wins.
Prescott was on the verge of leading the Cowboys to an epic comeback win against the Packers in the divisional round. Down 28-13, Prescott threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and helped set up the game-tying field goal with 35 seconds left.
With overcome looming, Rodgers instead stole Prescott’s thunder by making an absurd, 36-yard completion to Jared Cook that set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning, 51-yard field goal as time expired.
5. 2006 NFC wild card round
- Seahawks 21, Cowboys 20
Dallas’ 2021 wild card loss to Green Bay was considered here, but the ’06 playoff loss was ultimately chosen for several reasons. For one, the Cowboys lost a game that would have snapped the franchise’s 11-year drought without a playoff win. The fact that the game was lost on a routine special teams play didn’t hurt, either.
The Cowboys were a chip shot field goal away for taking a two-point lead over Seattle with 1:19 left. But Romo (the holder) fumbled the snap and was tackled from behind after he tried in vein to reach the end zone with his legs.
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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Dallas weather: May 10 morning forecast
Today is by far our most active day of the extended forecast. After our Red River Counties got some severe storms overnight, we expect a mostly quiet morning. Isolated storms are expected to start forming just after noon. The severe threat begins mid-afternoon in a more scattered fashion, before a cold front ushers in widespread rain and strong storms this evening.
DALLAS – A powerful cold front sweeping across North and Central Texas on Monday is expected to trigger a wave of severe thunderstorms capable of producing large hail, dangerous winds, and isolated flash flooding.
Severe weather in North Texas
Timeline:
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth warned that while showers and storms will begin developing Monday morning, the risk of severe weather will peak during the afternoon and evening hours as the front advances southward.
We are tracking two distinct phases of the storm system. Initial storms are expected to be “discrete,” or individual cells, which carry a high risk of large hail exceeding 2 inches in diameter. As the evening progresses, these individual storms are forecast to merge into a large cluster or broken line.
Once the storms consolidate, the primary threat will shift toward damaging straight-line winds. Forecasters warned that wind gusts could exceed 70 to 75 mph, speeds capable of downing trees, damaging roofs, and causing power outages.
In addition to the wind and hail threats, the system is expected to dump significant amounts of water. While most areas will see standard rainfall, there is a 10% to 15% chance that some locations could receive up to 4 inches of rain. Isolated flash flooding can happen over these locations.
Live Radar
We are watching how morning activity near the Red River might influence the speed of the cold front. The exact position of that front will be the primary factor in determining where the most intense storms initiate.
Residents are encouraged to monitor local forecasts and have multiple ways to receive weather warnings throughout the evening.
The front is expected to push through the region by Tuesday morning.
7-Day Forecast
The Source: Information in this article is from the National Weather Service and the FOX 4 Weather team.
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