What in the world went wrong with the Dallas Cowboys?

The Dallas Cowboys had high expectations, and they collapsed within weeks

Being a sports fan is a euphoric yet terrorizing thing. You feel invincible when your team is playing well but lost when they can’t win a game. If you’re a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, these feelings switch week-to-week.

Saying this season was a disappointment is an understatement. For once, analysts were considering the team as a Super Bowl contender. Before you blinked, America’s team had a losing record and never got back on their feet. What happened to the Dallas Cowboys?

To start, the team changed up most of their coaches. It is not an easy task to get 53 men on the same page, nevermind ripping up their old habits and starting fresh, nevermind with a shortened offseason. The Covid-19 pandemic had a noticeable impact on the team’s early failures.

While watching the defense was equivalent to having a seat at a comedy club, you can’t say the same thing about the offense. That is because offensive coordinator Kellen Moore stuck around.

You can say the shortened season had a role in the poor defense early on, but you can’t say that about the entire season. At some point, the players should have adapted, or the coaches (mainly defensive coordinator, Mike Nolan) should have adapted.

The Dallas Cowboys weren’t on the field

Something every team has to endure every season is injuries. General managers must build their teams to ensure they are ready to overcome injuries to their team. The issue with Dallas this season was that there were far too many long-term injuries to their top players.

Offensively, the Cowboys lost quarterback Dak Prescott and offensive tackles La’el Collins and Tyron Smith. Defensively, they lost Trysten Hill and Gerald McCoy and lost cornerback Chidobe Awuzie for half the season.

From Week 6 and on, Dallas was playing without their top two defensive tackles, top three offensive tackles, starting tight end, starting quarterback, and had their top two cornerbacks miss some games. More or less, the Cowboys were missing a large portion of their team.

In total, the team placed 16 different players on the injured reserve since August. That’s not including McCoy, who was cut from the team before the season started. So, increase that number to 17.

We can’t say that this season was a disappointment because, well, the team wasn’t on the field. How can you judge a team that wasn’t playing?

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It was a disappointing season, yes, but not at the team’s fault. If you want to question the coaching down the road, go ahead. You should not, however, criticize the team’s 6-10 record.

Because of the injuries and questions surrounding the coaching, Cowboys fans should be optimistic for the 2021 season. I highly doubt the team will have as many injuries next season. Also, the coaching staff will have time to go over what they messed up.

While it has been frustrating, there is a ton to look forward to, starting with the NFL Draft. By the looks of it, next season will be a great time to be a Cowboys fan.