It sadly wasn't a nightmare. The Dallas Cowboys really went out and got bludgeoned as touchdown favorites by the 9-8 Green Bay Packers. Nobody expected the Cowboys to be in offseason mode before the end of Wild Card Weekend, but here we are.
Jerry Jones could make wholesale changes this offseason and nobody would blame him. Mike McCarthy's future as head coach should be reevaluated, as should Dak Prescott's contract and his monstrous 2024 cap hit.
This game was over before halftime. While the Jaguars overcame a 27-0 halftime deficit to defeat the Chargers in last year's playoffs, the Cowboys never looked like the comeback kids on Sunday. Even if the defense stood strong in the second half, there's nothing to suggest the offense would've climbed back.
With emotions running high after another playoff letdown, let's underline four Cowboys who deserve serious blame for the loss.
4. Stephon Gilmore, CB
A number of players are deserving of the No. 4 spot. CeeDee Lamb was considered, as his two dropped passes in the first half were costly. However, Stephon Gilmore chased shadows all game against Green Bay's young receivers.
Gilmore allowed four catches on four targets for 81 yards and a touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. The allowed yardage was 20 more than the next Cowboy. He allowed a 158.3 passer rating and didn't break up a single pass. His 33.9 coverage grade was his lowest of the season.
On the touchdown, Gilmore gave up almost a 10-yard cushion to Dontayvion Wicks and still got burned by the in-breaking route. On an earlier rep against Romeo Doubs, Gilmore was literally run off the screen. That clip has since gone viral on social media.
Gilmore quietly had a great season for the Cowboys, but his age and declining athleticism got exposed against the Packers. He wasn't responsible for every blown coverage, but big-game Gilmore was nowhere to be found on Sunday.
3. Dak Prescott, QB
Prescott was far from the Cowboys biggest issue on Sunday, but he was nowhere near good enough. After carving up defenses all season en route to being a second-team All-Pro, Prescott was tight and tentative from the first drive.
Was it the pressure of having to score since the Dallas defense couldn't help but give up touchdowns? Was it simply the nerves of playing in the playoffs? Prescott didn't see the field and it's hard to explain why given how he performed during the regular season.
We'll give him a pass for the interception to Jaire Alexander. He put the ball where it needed to be. Alexander had a tug of Brandin Cooks' arm and made a great play on the ball. The pick-six to Darnell Savage, though, was awful and telegraphed and put the game out of reach at 27-0.
Again, Prescott isn't the reason the Cowboys got blown out. However, his reputation for coming up small in big games remains undeniable. He played how most folks thought Jordan Love would look playing in his first playoff game.
2. Mike McCarthy, HC
We'd never call for a coach to be fired, but it's impossible to say Mike McCarthy should honor the remainder of his contract after this performance.
It's not just that Dallas lost to the youngest team in the NFL. It's not that the Cowboys choked despite having a clear path to the NFC Championship Game. It's not the fact they became the first team ever to lose to a No. 7 seed. It's that they weren't even competitive. It's that crumbled and folded after falling down early. They trailed 27-0 before halftime. It was a loss of historic proportions.
McCarthy needs to wear that. He coached scared and didn't trust Dak Prescott (before Prescott started playing poorly) as soon as Dallas went down. He called five 2nd and long runs in the first half that mustered eight total yards. Asking your QB to play hero ball on 3rd and long in the playoffs is coaching malpractice.
Beyond that, the Packers were all over Prescott's passes, which hints at the predictability of McCarthy's offense. We've seen McCarthy shrivel up when the game script doesn't go according to plan. By the time he opened up the playbook, it was too late.
Which brings us to our next point.
1. Dan Quinn, DC
Everyone's darling Dan Quinn should shoulder most of the blame for the loss. Quinn made zero adjustments and allowed Packers quarterback Jordan Love to post a perfect passer rating in his first career playoff start.
Quinn is known around the NFL for sticking to his guns. The Packers knew this and attacked his system to perfection. The Cowboys played soft coverage against Green Bay's speedy receivers and they allowed touchdowns on five of the Packers' first six possessions and 41 points in total.
Coming into the game, there was one player Dallas absolutely couldn't let beat them: running back Aaron Jones. And yet, Jones carved up Quinn's defense to the tune of 118 yards and three touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry.
Quinn even dropped Micah Parsons into coverage on a 3rd and 9 on the Packers second drive (that ended in a touchdown), which is typically when the defensive coordinator dials up the blitz.
Matt LaFleur coached circles around Quinn. It's as simple as that. Quinn's had a propensity for coming up small in big games, but Sunday was his worst display in three years as the Cowboys defensive coordinator.