FRISCO — Talk of culture tends to make the eyes of fans glaze over.

Whenever the word is used with a losing team, the assumption is the culture is bad and requires an overhaul. That assertion has been made with the Cowboys.

It doesn’t stick. At least it shouldn’t.

Just because the Cowboys are below .500 doesn’t mean the culture in the locker room is bad. An argument can be made the pride and accountability built in producing three consecutive 12-5 seasons is behind this team winning three of its last four games in an otherwise lost season.

“I mean that’s who we are,’’ left guard Tyler Smith said after a 30-14 win over Carolina. “We’re never going to quit. We’re never going to lay down for anybody. That speaks to who we are, not only as individuals, but as men and as players.

“That’s our culture. Whether other people believe it or not, we’re going to come in there and fight all day, every day, anywhere, any place, any time.’’

Dallas carries a 6-8 record into Week 16. The team’s playoff probability is at 1 percent.

And holding.

Mike McCarthy is a realist. The head coach understands what does — and doesn’t — lie ahead for this group.

That doesn’t diminish the esteem with which he holds this team.

“I have a lot of pride in the commitment that we have to one another,’’ McCarthy said. “It shows up. Monday through Saturday is the hardest part.

“Sundays, I mean, this is what we live for to get out here and compete against other NFL teams. I just love the way they stay after it every single day, and that’s a credit to the coaches and the players.

“We won three out of four and we obvioulsy know the path that’s been cut out for us.’’

This has been a season of loss for the Cowboys. That applies to personnel in addition to the record.

Five players from the team’s Pro Bowl nucleus — Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs — have or will spend time on injured reserve. Diggs and linebacker DeMarvion Overhsown have been lost for the season since the Cowboys played Cincinnati on Monday night last week.

“I mean, we acknowledge it’s painful to lose those guys,’’ Smith said. “They mean so much to everything that we try to do in terms of winning, in terms of who we are as a team.

“But I think the biggest thing for us is continuing to carry on their will. Even though they can’t be on the field with us, we’ve still got to go out there and play hard. I know if they had the opportunity, if they could move heaven and earth to be out there on the field with us…

“We’ve just got to continue to fight for them.’’

Micah Parsons never landed on IR, but he did miss four games earlier this season with a high ankle sprain. Parsons talks about the special feeling teammates get when they’re out there fighting for each other. He believes how someone responds when things aren’t going well as a team says a lot about them.

“Me personally, I’ve never given up on anything in life, anything that I ever truly wanted,’’ Parsons said. “So to me, I’m always going to keep fighting and clawing. That’s part of the journey.

“You know how much better of a team we’ll be if we say, ‘damn, we went 9-8. We missed 10 starters and we’re playing this good.’ The momentum you have going into next year…

“That’s part of the mountain. That’s part of the journey.’’

It will come as no surprise that Parsons wasn’t done.

“There’s a downfall in every story,’’ he said. “We were climaxing and climaxing and we had to (fall). We fell big.

“But I know what time it is. I’m looking forward to finishing this year off strong and coming back next year.’’

Who will be the coach next season? Owner Jerry Jones made that an open question the moment he allowed McCarthy and his staff to go into this season in the final years of their contracts. Prescott, Parsons and others have come out in support of McCarthy in recent weeks.

Add Smith to the list.

“I mean, he’s a great leader of men,’’ Smith said. “Always keeps us focused. Always, always hones in on what’s important, and that’s the men in this room.

“I mean, great coach, great mentor, great leader of men.’’

And what does McCarthy have to say when asked about culture?

“At the end of the day, our job is to create the culture, make sure the team is being trained properly and make sure our guys are getting everything they need to win football games,’’ he said. “I do enjoy these questions, because I am a philosopher.’’

He stopped.

“I can’t even say it with a straight face,’’ McCarthy said.

“But we need to beat Tampa. We really do. We need to beat Tampa.’’

Catch David Moore and Robert Wilonsky as they co-host Intentional Grounding on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. through the Super Bowl.

X/Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN

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