Another year, another lost season. The Dallas Cowboys have two games left to play and once again find themselves mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture. Despite undergoing major changes to the coaching staff over the previous offseason, the Cowboys are on the same trajectory as they were last year under Mike McCarthy.
The situation in Year 1 of Brian Schottenheimer has caused many to call for something along the lines of an “organic tank.” By replacing proven veterans with young up-and-comers the Cowboys can simultaneously learn more about their roster and increase their odds of losing in a somewhat respectable fashion. Obviously, the motivation behind that would be to gain better draft position in the 2026 NFL draft.
It was a similar plea heard around Cowboys Nation in McCarthy’s final season last year. The year was 2024 and McCarthy had just finished his fifth and final season under contract. After three consecutive 12-win seasons, 2024 marked a clear decrescendo for McCarthy’s tenure.
While the plea and circumstances behind it are similar for this year, the situations are apples and oranges. The first season in any head coach’s term is about building a culture. Messages are important and have lasting consequences. Send the wrong message early and a coach may never be able to overcome. It’s why letting off the gas, even a little, is a dangerous proposition, even when there’s seemingly nothing to gain.
Standing at 6-8-1, it would be impossible for the Cowboys to achieve a winning season. But closing out on a two-game winning streak, with Dak Prescott leading the NFL in passing, his weapons operating at peak efficiency and the defense potentially on the upswing would all be positive steps in establishing a strong culture for the offseason. It’s something even the vaguest scent of tanking would undermine.
Last season, under a lame duck head coach and injury-plagued roster, the Cowboys just wanted to turn the page. This season the Cowboys are trying to build something. For as pointless as these final games may feel, they hold an intangible value that can’t be quantified. Let’s close out red hot.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Culture change: How 2025 is incomparable to McCarthy’s final season
Reporting by Reid D Hanson, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
