Cowboys remain optimistic even as hope seems futile

The task facing the reeling Dallas Cowboys is daunting, maybe even unprecedented.

Since 1990, no NFL team has started a season 2-6 and made the playoffs.

Considering the Cowboys are riding a six-game losing streak — their longest since going 1-15 in 1989 — hope seems futile.

But coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys are not ready to give up on the season.

The Cowboys are in last place in the NFC East and need to go 7-1 the rest of the way, starting Sunday at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5), just to get to 9-7.

And even that might not be enough.

“I think we always try to provide perspective for our team,” Garrett said. “I think you always want to address that, the perspective part of where we are, where we’ve been and where we’re going and what’s out there. But I don’t think you want to spend too much time talking about other teams in the division, playoff races and all that kind of stuff.

“What we need to do is get better.”

The Cowboys have been frustrated by a season that’s gone off the rails because of injuries and an inability to make plays when it matters most.

Sunday’s 33-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was the second overtime defeat during the six-game slide. It’s also the fourth loss that came down to the final drive, and the fifth in which the Cowboys had a chance to win in the fourth quarter.

But despite the frustrations, there are also sources of hope.

“In many of those games, it came down literally to the last play of the game — a couple of overtime games, a couple of last series of the game where you’re not getting a stop, not making a play on offense,” Garrett said. “That’s the nature of the NFL. The teams that make the playoffs and have success in this league are best in those situations.

“So all of this stuff about how we play is important. It’s the foundation of the entire program.”

The Cowboys rallied to tie four times in the second half against the Eagles, including three times in the fourth quarter, before losing in overtime.

“How we practice and how we play matters,” Garrett said. “We believe if you play the right way, over time, you’re going to get the results you want.”

The Cowboys also have hope for an emerging offense that is buoyed by the breakout play of running back Darren McFadden, the return to form of big-play receiver Dez Bryant and the knowledge that quarterback Tony Romo has to sit out just one more game before he returns from a fractured collarbone on Nov. 22.

Bryant, in his second game back after missing five with a fractured foot, had five catches for 104 yards, including an acrobatic 18-yard touchdown catch from Matt Cassel.

Bryant’s presence also allowed fellow receiver Cole Beasley to catch nine passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns after being held without a catch the previous two games.

Bryant had two catches for 12 yards against Seattle the week before.

“Dez worked his way through the Seattle game, did a couple good things, but I think you saw what he’s all about yesterday,” Garrett said. “He made some big plays in the game for us early on, made them in the middle, made an unbelievable catch for the touchdown, drew some pass interference penalties or defensive holding penalties at the end of the ballgame, so he’s a damn good player and he played well.”

Bryant tweaked his knee on the touchdown against the Eagles and will be limited in practice this week. Garrett doesn’t expect it to hold him back against the Buccaneers.

Another player who won’t be held back is McFadden, who rushed 27 times for 117 yards against the Eagles. It was his third consecutive game with 20 or more carries and the second time in the past three weeks that he topped 100 yards.

McFadden was signed in the off-season to be the backup to Joseph Randle in the team’s running-back-by-committee approach.

But Randle was released last week and McFadden — who never had three consecutive games of 20-plus carries during an injury-riddled seven years in Oakland from 2008-2014 — has become the team’s workhorse back.

No other runner carried the ball Sunday.

“Well, I think he’s symbolic of our team in a lot of ways,” Garrett said. “He’s competing and fighting and scratching and clawing.

“He’s made some great contributions in the last couple weeks.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Cowboys remain optimistic even as hope seems futile."