🏈 Are The Dallas Cowboys Finished?

The Cowboys’ postseason chances are no longer in their own hands. How did this stacked team wind up here? [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider: Is it really time to stick a fork in the Cowboys? ... the Greak Freak reduces a fan to tears (in a good way) ... and the Packers and Vikings prepare for an epic MNF clash. If you really put your mind to it, there are all kinds of ways in which you can make a case that the Dallas Cowboys’ season is not over. If Dallas gets by the Washington Redskins in Week 17 and the Philadelphia Eagles somehow stumble, then a place in the playoffs would beckon, with a Wild Card round matchup headed for AT&T Stadium. The mathematics say it’s still feasible. The Eagles have been massively inconsistent, the NFC East has been wild and wacky and one final crazy twist (even a Philly loss to the New York Giants) surely is within the realm of possibility. There have been bigger shockers on the last day of the season before. If those who bleed silver-and-blue say it enough times, maybe it will come true. The Dallas Cowboys’ season is not over. The Dallas Cowboys’ season is not over ... But it sure as heck feels like it, doesn’t it? It isn’t because of dumpster fire memes in the wake of Sunday’s demoralizing defeat to those same Eagles — one that gave Philly a numerical edge with one game to go in the National Football League’s weakest division of all. Nor because the Cowboys’ odds plummeted immediately following the 17-9 setback, with the team now a dismal +2200 with [FOX Bet]( to win the NFC, a ghastly +6600 to win the Super Bowl and a 25 percent chance, according to [FiveThirtyEight]( to see postseason action at all. [STORY IMAGE 1] In truth, it feels like Dallas is done because of the simple fact that nothing has gone right for the Cowboys this year, so why should it start now? There is an air of resignation around the place, starting with owner Jerry Jones. When it mattered most, on Sunday, there was no magic, no sparkle, just the simple reality that an expensively built team was outplayed by an opponent that wanted it more. “This was about, in the biggest game of the season, the Dallas Cowboys scoring zero touchdowns,” FS1’s Nick Wright said on First Things First. “This was about head-scratching play calling. Dak (Prescott) and Jason Garrett either failed to grasp or didn’t want to acknowledge the gravity of the situation. “Only Jerry Jones did. Jerry Jones understood, ‘It’s a wrap now, fellas.’ Your season is over because in the biggest spot of the year you scored zero touchdowns. It is a devastatingly disappointing finish to a devastatingly disappointing season.” It was hard to see all this coming. Ezekiel Elliott’s holdout was a distraction coming into the campaign, but, once it was sorted, the Cowboys seemed to have the pieces in place to make a serious run. Many picked them as a genuine and legitimate Super Bowl contender. The problem on offense, apparently, wasn’t whether they were good enough; it was about if they were too good. Namely, having paid Elliott, could they also afford to keep Prescott and Amari Cooper? Prescott has played well enough that his omission from the Pro Bowl roster was regarded as a glaring snub, but his efforts have not translated into the kind of results Jones was looking for. After starting 3-0, the Cowboys have since lost 8 of 12, to put head coach Garrett’s job in serious peril. [STORY IMAGE 2] “It’s not hard for me to go in two areas, regarding coaching,” Jones told USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell on Sunday, in reference to considering NFL and college coaching candidates should he let Garrett go. “Whether it be coordinators, position coaches, or for that matter, head coaches. Generally, my radar is turned on. It’s not hard for me to get into thinking about coaching.” What a depressing season in Dallas. Losing is one thing, but all too often these past months there has been the feeling that the Cowboys were beaten because they didn’t have the same cohesion and motivation as their rivals. Even if some quirky final-day turn landed them a postseason slot, there would be little cause for optimism. Garrett’s team didn’t beat an opponent with a winning record until they toppled the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15. Their home stadium is far from a fortress, with a 4-3 record there. Frankly, the Cowboys are a poor team that’s not just missing something, but several somethings. “On paper, this game was not supposed to be close, because of all the injuries the Eagles have gone through, the inexperienced players they’ve had to rely on,” FOX analyst and Cowboys quarterback legend [Troy Aikman said on Sunday](. “It was going to be a total team effort for (Philadelphia) to be able to pull this off.” It’s that kind of effort, when the chips are down and the season is on the line, that the Cowboys just haven’t been able to muster. Garrett responded by talking about turning his focus to the final game. There’s not really much else to do when your team’s destiny is no longer in its own hands. This weekend, the team’s fate will truly be decided and if we’re speaking in absolutes, sure, the Dallas Cowboys’ season is not over. But unless a bizarre miracle strikes it soon will be, finally ending a sorry saga that just kept getting worse. [STORY IMAGE 3] ONE MORE THING: Since [our feature on female darts star Fallon Sherrock last week]( things have gotten even better for the 25-year-old Englishwoman. Sherrock gained worldwide attention for becoming the first woman to beat a man at the PDC World Darts Championships when he beat Ted Evetts, prompting our column. Then, on Saturday, Sherrock went one better, defeating former world No. 5 and major champion Mensur Suljovic, three sets to one. Her exploits guaranteed her prize money of at least $32,000, and ensured the noisy crowd at Alexandra Palace will again be in fine voice when she meets Chris Dobey in the third round on Friday. Here’s what others have said ... Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk: “The Cowboys often aren’t able to function as a football team. Their plane currently isn’t able to function for the flight from Philadelphia back to Dallas. The team’s charter flight has been determined ‘not viable’ to make the trip. Currently, an effort is underway to find another plane. Any delay after an ugly, possibly season-killing loss is unwelcome, and it will serve to make a cranky group of passengers even crankier. Until the Johnny Walker Blue kicks in, that is.” Brandon Gowton, Bleeding Green Nation: “Wentz is now up to completing 68.2% of his attempts for 1,220 yards (6.8 yards per attempt), 9 TD, 1 INT, and a 101.7 passer rating in the month of December. He’s led the Eagles to three straight wins that have the team one more win away from clinching the division. And Wentz is doing this all with no experienced NFL receivers and arguably the team’s most important offensive lineman missing games. It’s nothing short of remarkable. Wentz is playing like the franchise quarterback the Eagles paid him to be.” Patrik Walker, CBS Sports: “Just over one year after plucking the Eagles in Dallas, Cooper was an apparition when the two sides faced off in Philadelphia on Sunday, per the stat sheet. The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver was targeted a team-high 12 times but reeled in only four of them for a total of 24 yards with no touchdowns, in a game that saw him and quarterback Dak Prescott continually fail to be on the same page.” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Always known for their excellent photography, Sports Illustrated presents its [best sports photos of 2019](. - The most fearless scorer in the NBA you’ve never heard of has learned there’s no one in the game that can check him. Jonathan Abrams at Bleacher Report showcases [the life and career of Devonte’ Graham](. - Kevin Mitchell at The Guardian explains how [Roger Federer transcends tennis as a global sports icon](. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( Move over, Nice Guy LeBron; there’s a new Nice Guy in town. The reigning NBA MVP moved a young fan to tears on Sunday with a gift of game-worn sneakers, then invited said fan onto the court for a photo opportunity. It’s likely those extremely big shoes will never be filled, but it’s a great way to get in the mood for Christmas and Hanukkah week. (And you don’t have to move over, LeBron. We'll make room for all the NBA Nice Guys the league has to offer.) [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (ESPN, 8:15 p.m. ET) In what may be Green Bay’s toughest matchup yet this season, they head to Minnesota for a chance to clinch the NFC North and maintain their position as No. 2 seed with a win. The bad news: the Packers haven’t won a game at U.S. Bank Stadium since it opened in 2016. WWE Raw (USA Network, 8 p.m. ET) With just two episodes remaining this year, Raw will have a big main event on Monday, as Rey Mysterio defends the United States Championship against Seth Rollins. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers 300+ passing yards each: +600 By now, you already know whether your fantasy football team is toast for the year, making a strong playoff run, or bound for glory. But here’s a wager to get you back in the thick-of-the-season fantasy spirit. The new-look Aaron Rodgers has only thrown for 300+ yards three times this season (two of those games logging over 400 yards), while Cousins has only passed the mark four times in 2019. But you never know: these two rivals could wind up throwing a big old fireworks show on Monday night. [WHAT THEY SAID] "It's not about whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up." — Vince Lombardi [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download the FOX Sports app for live scores and streaming [App Store]( [Google Play]( Available on: [tvOS] [Roku] [fireTV] [androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast] [tvOS] [Roku] [fireTV] [androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast] Forwarded this message? [Sign up](. Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2019 FOX Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. FOX.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900