Inside The Star
Pretty much all the Dallas Cowboys had to play for on Sunday in New York, aside from pride, was a chance to finish the year at .500.
They didn’t seem very much interested in doing that once the Giants closed out the first half with a go-ahead touchdown.
For the second-straight year, Dallas closed out a season with a losing record. It is the first time since 2002 that the Cowboys finished below .500 for a second-straight year.
They will head into the 2026 season in the fall hoping to avoid joining the 2002 season with three-straight losing seasons.
In addition to a second-straight losing year, the Cowboys lost four of their last five games. It was also the second time in three weeks that Dallas lost a game by the score of 34-17.
There is one positive for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer to take into the 2026 season.
The Cowboys improved their record by a half game over last year’s 7-10 finish.
The Cowboys are now 78-48-2 all-time against New York. They are a solid 35-27-1 when playing at New York.
When it comes to Week 18 contests, the Cowboys are now 3-3 all-time and 32 when those came are played on the road.
It might be time for the league to have Dallas play two or three of the next regular season finales at home for a change.
The Cowboys have beaten all three of its NFC East rivals once each in Week 18.
Sunday’s loss is the only Week 18 loss to the Giants.
The Commanders have two Week 18 wins over Dallas in three meetings. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles in the only Week 18 meeting between the clubs.
Dallas is now 576-432-7 (.567) all time after 66 seasons in the NFL.
The Cowboys are 318-170-5 (.650) at home and 258-262-2 (.496) on the road in the regular season.
With the Cowboys missing the playoffs for a second straight year, they remain 36-31 (.537) overall in postseason play.
Dallas has eight NFC champions along with five Super Bowl victories on the books. However, none of them have come in the 21st Century.
As mentioned above, the 34-17 final score was the second time in three weeks the Cowboys ended a game with that score. It’s also the third straight time they’ve lost a game that ended 34-17.
All three losses have come in this decade, the last in Week 13 of the 2020 season at the Baltimore Ravens.
The Cowboys had won their previous two 34–17 games, Week 2 in 1983 and Week 12 in 1985.
In the Cowboys’ 1.081 regular season and playoff games, Dallas has 425 unique final scores in those contests.
