| 2003 Dallas Cowboys season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jerry Jones |
| General manager | Jerry Jones |
| Head coach | Bill Parcells |
| Home field | Texas Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Panthers) 10–29 |
| Pro Bowlers | Flozell Adams T Larry Allen G Dexter Coakley LB La'Roi Glover DT Roy Williams S |
| AP All-Pros | Roy Williams (1st team) La'Roi Glover (2nd team) Dat Nguyen (2nd team) |
The 2003 Dallas Cowboys season was the 44th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and the first under head coach Bill Parcells. For the first time since 1989, Emmitt Smith was not on the opening day roster, culminating with for the first time since 1987, neither Michael Irvin (1988-1999), Aikman (1989-2000) on the roster either. Coming off three consecutive 5–11 seasons, Dallas hired former New York Giants, New England Patriots, and New York Jets coach Bill Parcells. In a scheduling coincidence, the Cowboys faced all three said teams in the 2003 regular season. The team was vastly improved and posted a 10–6 record, clinching their first winning season since 1998 and clinching their first playoff berth since 1999. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs the team lost to the eventual NFC champion Carolina Panthers 29–10.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| FB Richie Anderson (Jets) | RB Emmitt Smith (Cardinals) |
| WR Terry Glenn (Packers) | G Ross Tucker (Bills) |
| T Ryan Young (Texans) | LB Kevin Hardy (Bengals) |
| TE Dan Campbell (Giants) | DT Brandon Noble (Redskins) |
| LB Al Singleton (Buccaneers) | T Solomon Page (Chargers) |
| DE Peppi Zellner (Redskins) |
| 2003 Dallas Cowboys draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Terence Newman * | CB | Kansas State | |
| 2 | 38 | Al Johnson | C | Wisconsin | |
| 3 | 69 | Jason Witten * | TE | Tennessee | [1] |
| 4 | 103 | Bradie James | LB | LSU | |
| 6 | 178 | B. J. Tucker | CB | Wisconsin | |
| 6 | 186 | Zuriel Smith | WR | Hampton | |
| 7 | 219 | Justin Bates | G | Colorado | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Notes
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Erik Bickerstaff | Running back | Wisconsin |
| Keith O'Neil | Linebacker | Northern Arizona |
| Tony Romo | Quarterback | Eastern Illinois |
| Torrin Tucker | Tackle | Southern Miss |
Despite the release of team legend Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys' fortunes began to change with the introduction of Parcells as head coach. Parcells began to reshape the team, particularly on offense, with an overhaul of the coaching staff, including former New York Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton. Parcells retained much of the defensive staff, including defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, and maintained the team's basic 4–3 defense instead of immediately installing the 3–4 defense which was a trademark of all Parcells's prior teams. This proved a wise decision, as the Cowboys finished the season with the top-ranked overall defense. As in his previous stops, Parcells started to rebuild his team through the draft. In his first year in Dallas, Parcells picked future Pro Bowl players cornerback Terence Newman, tight end Jason Witten and future Cowboys defensive captain linebacker Bradie James. One of the biggest rookie acquisitions came via free agency when the team signed undrafted rookie and future franchise quarterback Tony Romo (although that move got little attention for a few years). Also typical of his prior teams, Parcells brought in veteran players who had played for him at his previous coaching stops, signing fullback Richie Anderson and speedy wide receiver Terry Glenn with whom Parcells had a checkered history.
Though the Cowboys opened the season with a loss, a dramatic come-from-behind victory the next week against the Giants at New York spurred the team's confidence, particularly in third-year quarterback Quincy Carter. This was followed by a reunion with Emmitt Smith (now with the Arizona Cardinals) in Dallas. Smith injured his shoulder early in the game and did not return. After starting with a 7–2 record, the Cowboys went 3–4 in the second half of the season including a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in Foxboro. The game received a lot of hype due to Bill Parcells's and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's seemingly strained relationship due to the events following their final season coaching together with the New York Jets. Though the Cowboys finished 10–6 and earned a playoff berth, they lost in the first round to the eventual NFC champions, the Carolina Panthers.
The Cowboys ranked first in total defense (253.5 yards per game), third in rushing defense, and second in scoring (16.3 points per game), which helped the team qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years. In October, the Cowboys snapped a six-game losing streak to the Philadelphia Eagles (at halftime of the Eagles game, Tex Schramm was posthumously inducted into the club's Ring of Honor).
This turned out to be the final season for long-time (and often Pro Bowl) Cowboys safety Darren Woodson. Woodson represented the last player link to the Jimmy Johnson Cowboys (and to all three Super Bowl teams of the 1990s). Woodson was on the roster the following season (2004) but never saw action due to injury.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | Atlanta Falcons | L 13–27 | 0–1 | Texas Stadium | 64,104 |
| 2 | September 15 | at New York Giants | W 35–32 (OT) | 1–1 | Giants Stadium | 78,907 |
| 3 | Bye | |||||
| 4 | September 28 | at New York Jets | W 17–6 | 2–1 | Giants Stadium | 77,863 |
| 5 | October 5 | Arizona Cardinals | W 24–7 | 3–1 | Texas Stadium | 63,601 |
| 6 | October 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 23–21 | 4–1 | Texas Stadium | 63,648 |
| 7 | October 19 | at Detroit Lions | W 38–7 | 5–1 | Ford Field | 61,160 |
| 8 | October 26 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 0–16 | 5–2 | Raymond James Stadium | 65,602 |
| 9 | November 2 | Washington Redskins | W 21–14 | 6–2 | Texas Stadium | 64,002 |
| 10 | November 9 | Buffalo Bills | W 10–6 | 7–2 | Texas Stadium | 63,770 |
| 11 | November 16 | at New England Patriots | L 0–12 | 7–3 | Gillette Stadium | 68,436 |
| 12 | November 23 | Carolina Panthers | W 24–20 | 8–3 | Texas Stadium | 63,871 |
| 13 | November 27 | Miami Dolphins | L 21–40 | 8–4 | Texas Stadium | 64,110 |
| 14 | December 7 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 10–36 | 8–5 | Lincoln Financial Field | 69,773 |
| 15 | December 14 | at Washington Redskins | W 27–0 | 9–5 | FedExField | 70,284 |
| 16 | December 21 | New York Giants | W 19–3 | 10–5 | Texas Stadium | 64,118 |
| 17 | December 28 | at New Orleans Saints | L 7–13 | 10–6 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,451 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 3 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 27 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Parcells era of the Cowboys began inauspiciously in a 27–13 loss to the Falcons at Texas Stadium. With Michael Vick out with injury Doug Johnson started for the Falcons and had two passing touchdowns and a rushing score. Quincy Carter had a touchdown to Joey Galloway and an interception.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 35 |
| Giants | 7 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 0 | 32 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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On Monday Night Football Parcells returned to Giants Stadium for the first time since his final year as NY Jets coach and the ensuing game against the NY Giants became a memorable struggle. The Cowboys raced to a 23–7 lead as kicker Billy Cundiff proceeded through a huge day, but the Giants behind Kerry Collins erupted, outscoring the Cowboys 25–12 in the second half; the go-ahead Giants score (a 30-yard Matt Bryant field goal) came with eleven seconds left. A penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave Dallas the ball at its own 40 and a 26-yard catch by Antonio Bryant set up Cundiff's sixth field goal of the game, a 52-yarder with no time left. In overtime both teams traded punts before Quincy Carter led the Cowboys to the Giants 6-yard line and Cundiff connected on a seventh field goal and 35–32 win; in that process Cundiff tied Chris Boniol's record from Dallas' 1996 win over the Packers.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Jets | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Following their bye week the Cowboys returned to the Meadowlands, this time to face Bill Parcell’s third former team the Jets. The Cowboys rushed for 202 yards and Troy Hambrick and Antonio Bryant touchdowns in the second quarter were enough as the Cowboys won 17–6.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Cowboys hosted former NFC East foe Arizona; they limited the Cardinals to 151 total yards and sacked Jeff Blake twice in the endzone for a safety, ultimately winning 24–7. Quincy Carter had 277 yards and two touchdowns. Former Cowboy Emmitt Smith was knocked out of the game after failing to record a single yard (he had a net loss of one yard) on six carries and later admitted “i cried for forty five minutes before the game.”
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Eagles opened with an onside kick and Randal Williams ran it back for a Dallas touchdown, and became the quickest player to score a touchdown in NFL history, in only 3 seconds. From there the Cowboys raced to a 17–7 lead in the third quarter. But by late in the fourth quarter Duce Staley's 52-yard catch from Donovan McNabb and a Correll Buckhalter score put the Eagles up 21–20. Quincy Carter then completed a 19-yard pass to Joey Galloway; two Troy Hambrick runs set up the go-ahead Cowboys field goal with 1:14 to go; the Cowboys then sacked McNabb and he fumbled to Dallas, ending the game as a 23–21 Dallas win.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 38 |
| Lions | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Cowboys embarrassed the Lions by scoring the game's final 38 points, with a monster day for Quincy Carter and Terry Glenn, who both hooked up for three touchdowns; Mario Edwards then intercepted Joey Harrington and scored. In the end the Cowboys were 38–7 winners with a 5–1 record; it was also the club's second career win in five tries against Steve Mariucci.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The embattled Bucs shut out the Cowboys 16–0 as Keyshawn Johnson caught a touchdown pass while Quincy Carter was intercepted twice.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 6 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Cowboys ended 3 years of never winning more than 5 games in a season by beating the Redskins, 21–14 at home and improving to 6–2.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bills | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Bill Parcells faced his once and future quarterback Drew Bledsoe as the 4–4 Bills came to Dallas. Bledsoe managed just two drives ending in field goals while the Cowboys were only slightly better, managing a two-yard Quincy Carter touchdown for the 10–6 Cowboys win.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patriots | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Parcells traveled to Foxboro for the first time since the 1999 season and faced his former assistant Bill Belichick on Sunday night. The Patriots had won five straight and made it six as they sacked Quincy Carter once and intercepted three passes. Former Patriot Terry Glenn was held to one catch as the Patriots ground out a 12–0 win.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panthers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Cowboys hosted the surging Panthers and the game lead tied or changed six times. Joey Galloway caught a touchdown, one of two from Quincy Carter, while Aveion Cason's touchdown put Dallas up 24–17. John Kasay's field goal at 3:51 to go made it 24–20 late in the fourth, but the Cowboys killed the remaining clock on four Carter completions for 21 yards and a four-yard run aided by a Deon Grant personal foul penalty.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 7 | 16 | 14 | 3 | 40 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The 8–3 Cowboys hosted the 7–4 Dolphins for the first time since 1999. The two teams had clashed in memorable contests in 1993 and 1996 and both were in the thick of their playoff races. The second quarter became a frantic affair following a first quarter score by Jay Fiedler. The Dolphins erupted to outscore Dallas 23–14 in the second, and from there the game merely awaited its obsequies on two more Miami touchdowns (one a strip-sack of Quincy Carter run back by Jason Taylor) and a Carter score to Antonio Bryant. The Dolphins finished up 40–21 winners, and both teams faced key division matchups at 8–4.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Eagles | 0 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 36 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Eagles all but locked up the NFC East by crushing the Cowboys 36–10. They intercepted Quincy Carter twice and forced a fumble through the endzone for a safety. Donovan McNabb had three touchdown throws despite a failed fourth-down attempt in the fourth quarter, and Correll Buckhalter (144 combined yards from scrimmage) finished the game on a 64-yard touchdown run.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
| Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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On a dismal day for quarterbacking (Quincy Carter, Brian Barker, and Tim Hasselbeck combined for just 16 of 50 passes for 164 yards and a Carter touchdown for an average passer rating of just 75) Troy Hambrick exploded to 189 rushing yards as Dallas shut out the Skins 27–0. [3]
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Cowboys | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Carter got back in groove with 240 yards and a touchdown as four Billy Cundiff field goals (for an aggregate of eleven vs. the Giants in the season) aided a 19–3 Dallas win over the Giants. Dallas now stood in a three-way race for the NFC Wild Cards with the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. However, because Dallas owned a tiebreaker with Green Bay by virtue of conference record in the event that the Cowboys lost and both the Packers and Vikings won (who were both vying for the NFC North in which the Vikings were leading at the time via a divisional tiebreaker), Dallas had clinched at playoff berth regardless of whether or not the Seahawks were involved in a tie with the Cowboys and Packers. In addition, the Cowboys still had an outside chance at winning the NFC East and a first-round bye with a win and an Eagles' loss the following week.
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Saints | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Entering their last game of the regular season, the Cowboys were aware that the Eagles had defeated the Redskins the previous day, rendering the final week of the regular season meaningful in deciding whether Dallas would finish as the #5 or #6 seed prior to a road wild-card playoff game. A win would lock Dallas into the #5 seed. The Saints were still smarting from a shocking series of laterals ending in a touchdown and missed PAT against Jacksonville the week before. They responded by intercepting Quincy Carter three times and shutting out the Cowboys the remaining two quarters for the 13–7 Saints win. The Seahawks' win the previous day and various results in the final week of the regular season dropped the Cowboys to the sixth seed in the NFC as Seattle held the strength of victory tiebreaker.
| NFC East | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) Philadelphia Eagles | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 374 | 287 | W1 |
| (6) Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 289 | 260 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 287 | 372 | L3 |
| New York Giants | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 243 | 387 | L8 |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Panthers | 6 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 29 |
at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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For the first time since 1996 the Cowboys faced the Carolina Panthers in the postseason. It was also the first playoff game for Parcells since the 1998 AFC Championship Game. The result, though, was an ugly 29–10 curtain on the season as the Panthers forced a fumble, picked off Quincy Carter once, sacked him three times, and limited the Cowboys to 204 yards of offense. Carter accounted for roughly a third of Dallas' rushing production with 25 yards on the ground (one of them on a rushing touchdown, the only touchdown for Dallas in the game), but finished with a passer rating of 56.9, compared to the 104.5 put up by Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme. [4]
The 2005 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 46th in the National Football League (NFL), their 17th under the ownership of Jerry Jones, their 34th playing their home games at Texas Stadium, and their third season under head coach Bill Parcells. Despite the Cowboys being 7–3 by Week 11 and tying the Giants for first in the NFC East, the Cowboys suffered a season collapse going 2–4 during the last six games. The Cowboys missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season after the Washington Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the Cowboys were able to improve on their 6–10 record from last season and finished the season at 9–7.
The 2004 season was the Minnesota Vikings' 44th in the National Football League. The Vikings finished the 2004 season going 3–7 over the final 10 weeks, just like they did in 2003; however, they made the playoffs with an overall 8–8 record. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper amassed MVP-level statistics, throwing for 4,717 passing yards, 39 passing touchdowns and 5,123 total yards.
The 1995 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 26th in the National Football League (NFL), their 33rd in Kansas City and their 36th overall. The team improved on their 9–7 record from 1994 and finished the regular season with a 13–3 record and the AFC West division championship. However, the Chiefs suffered a devastating loss in the divisional round of the 1995–96 AFC playoffs when placekicker Lin Elliott missed three crucial field goals, allowing the Indianapolis Colts to win 10–7. Due to the retirement of Joe Montana, the Chiefs made a change at the quarterback position, by starting Steve Bono, who started two games in 1994 while Montana was injured.
The 1992 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 23rd season in the National Football League and the 33rd overall. The Chiefs matched their 10–6 record from 1991, but were shut out by the San Diego Chargers 17–0 in the wild-card round.
The 1992 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the fourth year of the franchise under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The Cowboys made the first of three Super Bowl appearances between 1992 and 1995.
The 2010 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League (NFL), and the second season playing their home games at Cowboys Stadium. After falling to the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round of the 2009-10 NFL Playoffs, the Cowboys sought to defend their NFC East division title and contend for a Super Bowl Championship, particularly given that Super Bowl XLV would be played at Cowboys Stadium.
The 2011 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), the third playing their home games at Cowboys Stadium and the first full season under head coach Jason Garrett. The team improved on their 6–10 record from 2010, but missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season due to their week 17 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants.
The 2012 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 53rd season National Football League (NFL), the fourth playing their home games at Cowboys Stadium and the second full season under head coach Jason Garrett. The Cowboys matched their win total from 2011 but missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season after losing their final game for the second straight season, this time to the Washington Redskins. Their 8–8 record was remarkable because the Cowboys trailed at some point during every game.
The 2013 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 54th in the National Football League (NFL), their fifth playing home games at AT&T Stadium and the third full season under head coach Jason Garrett. The Cowboys finished 8–8 for a third consecutive season, but missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season after losing their final game for the third straight season, this time to the Philadelphia Eagles. Tyrone Crawford missed the 2013 season after getting caught dating a 15-year-old minor while he was 21 in February 2011.
The 2014 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 55th season in the National Football League (NFL), the sixth playing their home games at AT&T Stadium and the fourth full season under head coach Jason Garrett.
The 2015 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 56th season in the National Football League (NFL), the seventh playing their home games at AT&T Stadium and the fifth full season under head coach Jason Garrett. The Cowboys finished the regular season at 4–12. It was the team's worst record since 1989, when they went 1–15, and the first time the Cowboys finished in last place in the NFC East since 2002.
The 2016 Green Bay Packers season was their 98th season overall, 96th season in the National Football League (NFL), and the 11th under head coach Mike McCarthy. Despite a 4–6 start to the season, the Green Bay Packers went on a 6-game winning streak to finish the regular season with a 10–6 record. The team clinched the NFC North for the fifth time in six years with their week 17 win over the Detroit Lions. They routed the fifth-seeded New York Giants 38–13 in the wild card round of the playoffs and defeated the top-seeded and heavily favored Dallas Cowboys 34–31 in the divisional round of the playoffs, but their season came to an end when they were beat by the second-seeded Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game 44–21.
The 2017 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 58th season in the National Football League (NFL), the ninth playing their home games at AT&T Stadium and the seventh full season under head coach Jason Garrett. It was also the 29th season under owner Jerry Jones.
The 2018 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 59th in the National Football League (NFL), their 30th under the ownership of Jerry Jones, their 10th playing their home games at AT&T Stadium, and their eighth full season under head coach Jason Garrett. AT&T Stadium also became the first stadium venue to host the annual draft. For the first time since 2009, wide receiver Dez Bryant was not on the opening day roster, as he was released on April 13, 2018 and later signed with the New Orleans Saints on November 7, 2018. For the first time since 2002, tight end Jason Witten was not on the opening day roster, having announced his retirement on May 3, 2018. For the first time since 2010, kicker Dan Bailey was not on the opening day roster, as he was released on September 1, 2018.
The 2019 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 60th in the National Football League (NFL), their 11th playing home games at AT&T Stadium and their ninth and final season under head coach Jason Garrett. It also marked the return of tight end Jason Witten, who retired in 2018 and spent a year as the color analyst for Monday Night Football. Wide receiver Cole Beasley, who was the second-longest tenured player on the roster, left the team in the offseason and signed with the Bills.
The 2020 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 61st in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under head coach Mike McCarthy. This was the first season since 2006 that Jason Garrett was not part of the coaching staff, as his contract expired on January 14, 2020. For the second time since 2002, tight end Jason Witten was not on the opening day roster, as he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders on March 17, 2020. For the first time since 2012, center Travis Frederick was not on the opening day roster, as he announced his retirement on March 23, 2020.
The 2021 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 62nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 33rd under the ownership of Jerry Jones, and their 13th playing home games at AT&T Stadium.
The 2022 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their third under head coach Mike McCarthy.
The 2022 season was the Chicago Bears' 103rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. They failed to improve upon their 6–11 record from the previous season.
The 2023 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 64th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 35th under the ownership of Jerry Jones, and their fourth under head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys matched their 12–5 record from the previous two seasons and won the NFC East division for the first time since the 2021 season and the second time in three seasons. They ended up in a three-way tie with the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC at 12–5. However, they lost the conference record tiebreaker to the 49ers but won the head to head tiebreaker over the Lions, giving them the second seed in the playoffs. Although the Cowboys lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, they clinched their third straight playoff berth before taking the field when the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers, respectively. This marked the Cowboys' first run of three consecutive postseason appearances since appearing in six straight from 1991 to 1996.
