If you’re refreshing your phone every thirty seconds looking for the score of today's Dallas Cowboys game, I have some news that’s gonna bum you out. Honestly, it might even make you want to throw your remote. There is no score.
The Dallas Cowboys aren't playing today, January 18, 2026.
While the rest of the NFL is currently beating the snot out of each other in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Cowboys are likely sitting on a beach or, more realistically, sitting in a meeting room in Frisco trying to figure out how everything went so sideways. It’s a tough pill to swallow for a fan base that expects a Super Bowl run every single year. But the reality is that the Dallas season ended exactly two weeks ago in East Rutherford.
What happened to the 2025-2026 Cowboys season?
Basically, the season hit a brick wall. The Cowboys finished their campaign on January 4, 2026, with a pretty ugly 34-17 loss to the New York Giants. That loss dropped them to a final record of 7-9-1.
Think about that for a second.
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You’ve got a roster with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, and you can’t even break .500? It’s wild. The defense, which was supposed to be the "Doomsday" reincarnation under the latest coaching staff, got absolutely shredded by a rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart, in that season finale. Jadeveon Clowney had a monster game with three sacks, but it didn't matter because the secondary was playing like they were on roller skates.
The Dak Prescott stat that hurts
Here is the weirdest part about searching for the score of today's Dallas Cowboys game and realizing they’re already out: Dak Prescott actually led the entire NFL in passing yards this season. He threw for 70 yards in the first half of that Giants game before getting pulled to avoid injury, which was just enough to keep him ahead of Matthew Stafford for the passing title.
It’s the first time in the history of the Dallas Cowboys that a quarterback has led the league in passing yards.
And yet? They missed the playoffs.
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It’s the ultimate "empty calories" stat. You’ve got the most productive arm in the league, but you’re watching the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams play on your TV today instead of being out there yourself.
Who is actually playing today?
Since you're clearly in the mood for some football, even if it's not the silver and blue, today’s NFL Divisional Round schedule is actually pretty stacked. If the Cowboys had handled their business, they might be in one of these slots.
- Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots: This one is a battle of the young guns. C.J. Stroud and Drake Maye are showing exactly what a "franchise savior" looks like.
- Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears: It’s roughly 20 degrees at Soldier Field right now. Caleb Williams is trying to prove that the Bears are finally the powerhouse of the NFC.
Watching these games really highlights what Dallas is missing: consistency. The Eagles finished 11-6 and made the dance. The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 and are currently "evaluating the roster." It's a recurring theme that has folks in North Texas beyond frustrated.
Why the Cowboys are at home right now
If you’re looking for a silver lining, there isn't much of one. The run game was a mess for most of the year. They tried to integrate rookie backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah late in the season—and honestly, they looked okay—but it was too little, too late.
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The defense was the real heartbreak. They were undisciplined. Too many penalties. Too many blown coverages. When you let a 4-win Giants team put up 34 points on you in a must-win-ish scenario (well, must-win for pride), you don't deserve to be playing on January 18.
What's next for Dallas?
Since there is no score of today's Dallas Cowboys game to report, we have to look at the "offseason score."
- The Coaching Carousel: Brian Schottenheimer and the staff are under a massive microscope. Jerry Jones isn't known for his patience when the team underperforms this badly.
- The 2026 Draft: Dallas will have a decent pick this year. They need help in the trenches and, frankly, some fresh blood in the secondary.
- Salary Cap Hell: It’s a perennial problem. Managing the massive contracts of the "Big Three" while trying to fill out a depth chart is a puzzle that the front office hasn't solved yet.
So, instead of checking the score, maybe go grab a jersey of whoever is playing against the Eagles. That's usually the next best thing for a Cowboys fan this time of year.
The next time you’ll see an actual score for a Dallas game will be in August 2026 for the preseason. It feels like a lifetime away. For now, the "score" is Dallas: 0, Vacation: 1.
Your next move: Stop checking the live updates for Dallas and flip over to the Bears-Rams game. If you want to get ahead of the curve for next season, start looking into the top interior defensive linemen in the 2026 NFL Draft class, because that’s exactly what the Cowboys front office is doing today.