Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas — As they do hours before kickoff of every game, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and coach Mike McCarthy met in McCarthy’s office, but this time a lot of words were spoken. was not exchanged.
“It was downtime,” Jones said. “It looked like we both lost someone.”
Roughly four hours before kickoff between Dallas and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys’ playoff chances officially ended as the Washington Commanders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the final seconds.
“I was really sick to my stomach before the game, to say the least,” McCarthy said.
Despite knowing their playoff streak would end after three seasons, the Cowboys defeated the Buccaneers 26-24, their fourth win in their last five games, and improved to 7-8.
The Cowboys, who are already without Pro Bowl players Dak Prescott, Zach Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Trevon Diggs due to injuries, have lost linebacker, their primary tackler, due to a calf injury that did not heal in pregame warmups. Eric Kendricks was also absent. In this game, Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missed most of the second half after landing on his injured right shoulder in the first half. They also lost receiver Jalen Tolbert to an open dislocation of his little finger after the first half.
The Cowboys were outgained by 93 yards, had 10 fewer first downs and held the ball for five minutes, 36 seconds less than the NFC South-leading Buccaneers.
Yet they still won.
Cooper Rush had a touchdown pass to Tolbert in the first half, gaining a career-high 226 yards. Ezekiel Elliott had a 1-yard touchdown on his only carry of the game, giving him 72 points in his Cowboys career.
In the fourth quarter, cornerback Jordan Lewis played with an elbow brace and intercepted Baker Mayfield’s pass in the end zone, then Daron Brand stole the ball from Rashard White with 1:31 left. , made the game-clinching fumble.
“I love how the team plays,” McCarthy said. “I can’t say enough about the locker room. Their pride, their character, their toughness, their resilience.”
Jones couldn’t say enough about McCarthy, who will be playing his final two games as coach as he has no contract beyond this season.
“I’m proud of those guys, kid,” Jones said. “They didn’t give up there. So I’m really proud of them. And Mike McCarthy just doesn’t make it seem like they can’t make the Super Bowl.”
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Coach McCarthy said before kickoff that he did not acknowledge his team was in playoff status. He said there were some one-on-one discussions about the impact of Washington’s win, but said the interaction between players was not much different than at any other game.
While driving to AT&T Stadium while listening to the Eagles-Commanders game, Rush learned that the season would end on January 4 or 5, whenever the NFL finalizes its Week 18 schedule.
“There’s a lot of guys in that locker room that have won a lot over the last three seasons,” Rush said. “So, we know what it is. We know who we are as competitors, and when you’re playing football, you compete to win. ”
The only change McCarthy made was electing to receive the ball after winning the coin toss. The decision to postpone was made after Friday’s match management meeting.
“I said, ‘Okay, let’s pick up the ball and get up and get things started in the right direction,'” McCarthy said. “So I thought it was good for our offense to come out aggressive and get some points.”
Brandon Aubrey made a 58-yard field goal to give the Cowboys a 3-0 lead. This was the first of three field goals of 50 yards or more he made in the game. Aubrey’s third field goal gave Dallas a 26-14 lead with 6:33 left in the third quarter. The Buccaneers pulled within two points with 2:36 remaining, but Brand then scored the Cowboys’ second goal to seal the victory.
“There’s a lot going on for us sitting here, not in the playoffs, and I want you to start with me,” Jones said. “And I’m not trying to go any other way than when you win, a lot of people contribute (and when you don’t win, a lot of people also contribute). But, well, you know. With such effort, with such professionalism, they came out and played like they were competing in a championship game to go to the Super Bowl.”
Except the Cowboys don’t. Their Super Bowl drought will extend to 29 seasons. However, with two games left, there is still work to be done.
“Everything,” Rush said. “I mean, this is your life. This is your ball. This is your job. You get paid to do it. I don’t think people need more motivation.”
