The Dallas Cowboys were left watching Wild Card weekend which gave them ample opportunity to learn from the mistakes that left them on the outside looking in.
DALLAS — The NFL playoffs began this past weekend, and for the first time in four years, the Dallas Cowboys weren’t participating. After a disappointing, injury-riddled 7-10 campaign, the organization was forced to spectate along with 17 other teams.
To make matters worse, the Cowboys and their fans had to watch as the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders won their wild-card games. There will be two NFC East teams advancing to the final eight, which only adds insult to the abundance of injury.
The rivals, and other winners from the league’s wild-card weekend, can teach the Cowboys a few lessons about how Jerry Jones’ franchise can be back in the postseason in 2025, and maybe even win. Turnarounds are quick in the NFL, and if the Cowboys can be fast learners, they might be playing again when next January arrives.
Here are the lessons that the Cowboys can learn from wild-card weekend:
Running backs matter
There has been a popular theory that’s been going around in the last five or so years that running backs don’t mean much in the NFL anymore. Well, that philosophy took a hit in the regular season, when sixteen RBs ran for over 1,000 yards, up four from the previous year.
The flawed concept is also one that got smashed into pieces when four of the five winning teams in the playoffs saw their leading rusher accumulate greater than 100 yards. Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry had 186 yards rushing and two scores in an incredible performance to lead the way for the maligned position.
The Cowboys were among the franchises that heeded the devaluation of running backs as they claimed that they couldn’t afford a difference-maker at the position like Henry, and didn’t seek one after Tony Pollard left in free agency. Pollard went for over a thousand yards for his new team in Tennessee and Henry showed that he still has plenty left in the tank.
Henry’s big game was followed up by the Buffalo Bills’ RB James Cook, who had 120 yards and a touchdown, while Saquon Barkley of the Eagles, added 119 yards on the ground, and the Houston Texans’ Joe Mixon rushed for 106 yards and a score as well.
During the season, after all but abandoning the position, the Cowboys discovered how important having a lead RB was late in the 2024 campaign, and it resulted in wins when Rico Dowdle began getting heavily involved in the offense after splitting time with returning former lead back Ezekiel Elliott. Dowdle managed to rush for 1,000 yards despite much of his success coming in the last seven weeks of the season.
On the opening weekend of the playoffs, running backs did, in fact, matter.
Quarterback is still king
Yes, RBs matter and you are at an advantage with a good one, but to win in the playoffs, you also need to have great quarterback play and all five winners had that in spades. The five winning QBs combined to throw for nine touchdowns against just one interception. Losing signal callers had seven passing scores, but turned the ball over eight times, which included seven interceptions.
Committing turnovers is always a recipe for disaster, but the damage is magnified when they come from the QB. The winning QBs were efficient and kept the ball out of harm’s way, which is how you win playoff games.
The Cowboys didn’t have good enough play from the position in 2024 – even when Dak Prescott was healthy – and that was a primary reason for finishing under .500. Prescott needs to get back to being a top signal caller in 2025 if the Cowboys are to return to the playoffs.
Defense wins championships
It might be among the longest-standing football adages, but great defense certainly turned the tide in several contests early stages of these playoffs. Every winner from the weekend saw their defense hold their opponents to 20 points or less, and three out of five didn’t allow more than one touchdown.
When the Texans were having trouble getting their offense going for most of the first half, it was their defense that kept the game close, and eventually, they took control. The Eagles put together an ugly performance on the offensive side of the ball, but their defense didn’t flinch, leading the way to victory.
The Bills gave up a touchdown on their first series but didn’t allow another point in their blowout win, and the Commanders came up with a big stop late to fuel their game-winning drive.
Every winning team either won the turnover battle or got to the QB more than the eventual losers.
Dallas, meanwhile, struggled on defense for most of the season under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, which was reflected in their early season record. The unit did turn around their play late as they acclimated to the new scheme and it showed as the Cowboys went 4-3 down the stretch when their defense came to life.
In an era where the game is built for offenses to thrive, defenses won the weekend to start the playoffs and set the tone for what to expect come Super Bowl Sunday.
Home-field advantage is real
Everyone knows what a struggle it was for the Cowboys to win games at home this year, as they finished just 2-7 at AT&T Stadium, but that wasn’t the case for the playoff teams over the weekend.
Four of the five playoff winners had home-field advantage, with only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being on the losing end on their home turf. However, in that loss, the Commanders had a better record than the Buccaneers, where only winning the NFC South earned them the home contest.
The four winning home teams outscored their road opponents by a score of 113-43, and all home teams bested their road travelers overall by a total of 133-66 on the weekend. The home squads more than doubled up on the road teams, proving that having a playoff game in your stadium is a big advantage.
Of course, the Cowboys have lost each of their last two home playoff contests, but despite Dallas’ lack of success, the rest of the league still prefers to play at home.
Do you think the Cowboys will learn their lesson and reach the playoffs in 2025? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.