If you walked into a sports bar in Dallas last November, you probably saw a lot of people staring at their drinks in silence. It was a weird year. Honestly, looking back at the cowboys record last year, it’s almost hard to believe how fast things fell apart after three straight seasons of winning twelve games. People expected a Super Bowl run, or at least another deep playoff push. Instead, they got a 7-10 finish and a front-row seat to a total structural collapse.
It wasn't just that they lost; it was how they lost. They finished third in the NFC East, trailing behind a resurgent Philadelphia and a surprising Washington squad. For a team that used to treat AT&T Stadium like an impenetrable fortress, going 2-7 at home was a gut punch. You’ve heard the jokes about "Jerry’s World" being a tourist attraction for opposing fans, but in 2024, that joke actually became the reality.
Breaking Down the Cowboys Record Last Year
The final tally of 7-10 doesn't even tell the whole story of the chaos. They started off looking like the same old dominant Cowboys with a 33-17 thumping of the Browns. Everyone felt good. Then the wheels started wobbling.
By the time they hit the mid-season mark, a five-game losing streak basically ended their playoff hopes before the holidays even arrived. It was the first time since 2020 that Dallas suffered a losing season.
They were swept by the Eagles for the first time in thirteen years. That 41-7 blowout in Week 17 was a particularly ugly exclamation point on a season that fans would rather forget. While they managed a few late-season wins against the Panthers and Buccaneers to make the record look slightly more respectable, the damage was done. They were officially eliminated from playoff contention in Week 16, which is an eternity for a franchise that measures success in rings.
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Injuries and the Dak Prescott Situation
You can’t talk about the cowboys record last year without mentioning the injury bug. It was brutal. Dak Prescott was having a "just okay" year by his standards—sporting an 86.0 passer rating—before he partially tore his hamstring. That was the dagger. When your $60 million quarterback goes down, your season usually goes with him.
Cooper Rush and Trey Lance tried to hold it together, but the drop-off was noticeable. Rush threw for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns across his appearances, which isn't terrible for a backup, but it wasn't enough to carry a defense that was suddenly leaking points.
On the other side of the ball, Micah Parsons missed four games but still managed to rack up 12 sacks. He joined Reggie White as the only players since 1982 to have at least 12 sacks in each of their first four seasons. Even with those individual heroics, the defense finished 31st out of 32 teams in points allowed, giving up an average of 27.5 points per game. You aren't winning many games when you're giving up nearly 30 points every Sunday.
Bright Spots in a Dark Season
Believe it or not, there were actually a few things that went right. Rico Dowdle became the first undrafted player in franchise history to hit the 1,000-yard rushing mark, finishing with 1,079 yards. He was a bright spot for anyone who took a flyer on him in fantasy football.
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CeeDee Lamb also kept up his elite production despite the quarterback carousel. He hauled in 101 catches for 1,194 yards. That made him one of only three players in NFL history to have 100-plus catches in three of their first five seasons.
Then there was Brandon Aubrey. The guy is a machine. He set an NFL record by kicking 14 field goals from 50 yards or further. In a season where the offense often stalled out near midfield, Aubrey was basically the only reliable source of scoring.
- Final Record: 7-10
- Division Standing: 3rd in NFC East
- Home Record: 2-7 (Yikes)
- Road Record: 5-3 (Actually decent)
- Key Stat: 31st in the league for points against
Why Everything Changed at the Star
The 2024 season was the end of the line for Mike McCarthy. After years of "close but no cigar," Jerry Jones finally moved on. It felt like the team lost its identity somewhere between that Week 2 blowout against the Saints and the five-game slide in November.
The defensive shift from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer was a disaster early on. The players looked confused, and the unit that used to lead the league in takeaways suddenly couldn't stop a nosebleed. They gave up 468 total points over the season. That’s the kind of stat that gets coaches fired.
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The departure of Tyron Smith also left a massive hole on the offensive line. Rookie Tyler Guyton had some growing pains, and while Tyler Smith made the Pro Bowl at guard, the unit as a whole struggled to protect whichever quarterback was under center. They allowed 52 sacks on the year, which put them near the bottom of the league in pass protection.
Actionable Insights for Cowboys Fans
If you're looking at the cowboys record last year and wondering what's next, the focus has to be on the trenches and the training room.
The NFLPA team report card actually highlighted a major issue: the training staff. Only 69% of players felt they had enough full-time trainers, ranking them 30th in the league. This might explain why soft-tissue injuries seemed to linger all year.
To turn things around in 2025, the front office needs to address the defensive interior and find a way to make AT&T Stadium a hostile environment again.
What to Watch Next
- Monitor the recovery of Dak Prescott’s hamstring during the off-season program; his mobility is key to the "Air Coryell" scheme.
- Watch the draft board closely—with the 12th overall pick, Dallas is in a prime position to grab a blue-chip defensive tackle or an elite edge rusher to pair with Parsons.
- Keep an eye on the new coaching staff's philosophy regarding the run game; Rico Dowdle proved he can handle the load, but they need a change-of-pace back to replace the aging Ezekiel Elliott.
The story of the Cowboys' 2024 campaign is a cautionary tale of what happens when star power isn't backed up by depth and disciplined coaching. It was a year of "what ifs" that eventually turned into a year of "what now."