This NFC playoff fact is embarrassing for the Dallas Cowboys

For a sports team that is one of the most popular and celebrated franchises in the world, it’s incredibly frustrating that the Dallas Cowboys have not raised a Lombardi Trophy in 27 years. The Cowboys have had their ups and downs over the past 20 years but have yet to find a way to have postseason success no matter who was on the roster.

Armed with what was arguably their best 53-man roster in many years and the first opportunity to make a postseason run since 2018, the 2021 Dallas team set out to prove they were worthy of a playoff spot. Sadly, we all know how that ended. The Cowboys had arguably one of the most frustrating losses in the team’s recent history with their penalty-riddled and mistake-heavy Wild Card game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The defeat itself was incredibly disappointing. But what it meant for the franchise as a whole was even more mindblowing. The loss marked the Cowboys’ 11th loss in their last 15 postseason games.

To add insult to injury, the Cowboys have not made an NFC Championship appearance (let alone win one) in any of their last 11 playoff appearances since their1995 Super Bowl winning season. America’s Team has five Wild Card losses and six divisional round losses since, and their current starting quarterback (Dak Prescott) is 1-3 in postseason play.

That’s all incredibly hard to swallow. But there are even more shocking facts. NFL reporter Ross Tucker pointed out some disheartening points that Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice included in a recent article.

The only other NFC teams besides the Cowboys to not make the Conference Championship game since 1995 are Washington and Detroit

The only other NFC teams to not reach an NFC Championship game since the 1995 season are the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders. And,13 of the 15 other NFC teams have made it at least twice since the Cowboys have. Ouch.

That is dismal company, to say the least. Detroit has gone 3-13-1, 5-11, and 3-12 in the last three years. Washington hasn’t made it out of the Wild Card round since 2005.

To put these other NFC teams into perspective, let’s list some facts. The Cowboys have five Super Bowl wins in franchise history. There are five NFC teams that have never won a Lombardi Trophy (Falcons, Cardinals, Panthers, Lions, Vikings), yet four of those teams have made it to a Conference Championship match before the Cowboys ever returned.

Three of those teams (Falcons, Cardinals, Panthers) have made it to the Super Bowl since the Cowboys last made a Conference Championship. And,  the Panthers, who are 0-2 in Super Bowl appearances, have made it to the NFC title game a whopping four times since the Cowboys last won a ring.

The postseason struggles of this storied franchise in the last two decades are a dark cloud hanging over the organization. With several Pro Bowl and All-Pro players playing on the team since 1995, what is the long-term problem? Why can’t the Cowboys find recent postseason success when they have the personnel to make it happen?

It’s getting hard to ignore the increasing amount of days, months, and years since the most lucrative sports franchise in the world has gone without even getting a chance to play for the Lombardi Trophy in a Super Bowl appearance.