Despite devastating loss to Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys clinch back-to-back playoff berths
.jpg "Despite the loss to the Jaguars, the Cowboys clinched a playoff berth. Coach Mike McCarthy has led the Cowboys to back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first time since 2006-2007.")
The Dallas Cowboys had a chance to clinch a trip to the playoffs with a victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
But that was before they blew a halftime lead of 21-7, a third-quarter lead of 27-10 and a 34-31 advantage in the final seconds before succumbing 40-24 in a shocking overtime loss to the Jaguars.
Their postseason dream was only delayed, not deferred, thanks to the NFL East rival New York Giants.
The easiest and most straight forward path was to beat the Jaguars.
But the one that the did the trick was the combination of losses by the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.
The first leg of the scenario happened on Thursday with Seattle’s 21-13 loss to the San Francisco.
The pick to click came hours after the Cowboys loss to the Jaguars, after they had already arrived back in the Dallas following a solemn plane trip home from Jacksonville.
The Giants beat the Commanders 20-12 on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
It not only punched the Cowboys’ ticket to the playoffs, but it achieved for them the accomplishment of back-to-back trips to the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07.
The Cowboys won NFC East with a 12-5 mark in 2021 but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers.
They know they will ultimately be judged by how well they play in the postseason.
But getting there is the first step in the process.
The trip to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons comes one week after the Cowboys recorded back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time since 2005-06.
This story was originally published December 18, 2022 at 10:28 PM.
