Dallas Cowboys' season-defining stat tanked 2025 NFL campaign

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The Dallas Cowboys fell short of the NFL playoffs for a second season, despite entering December as one of the hottest teams in the league.
Dallas dropped four of its final five games to finish the year at 7-9-1.
The Cowboys' season was bookended by poor outings, which ultimately tanked the team's playoff hopes before they could really get off of the ground. One stat from the year perfectly shows why the Cowboys' season was doomed, as Bleacher Report points out.
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When discussing "one stat that defines every NFL team's season," the number for the Cowboys was: 1, the number of wins against teams in this season's playoff field.

"That's how many games the Cowboys won in seven matchups with teams that made the playoffs this season, a sample that included a Week 4 tie against Green Bay and could have been worse if not for a shocking Week 12 comeback against Philadelphia," B/R's Brad Gagnon wrote.
"First-half road losses to the Eagles, Bears and Broncos did Dallas in."
It's unfortunate how the season played out, but it shows the team was not up to par with the teams who will be in the mix for a championship. Luckily, the team got right to work and fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus to begin a much-needed overhaul on the defensive side of the ball.
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Dallas Cowboys' 2025 regular season schedule & results

WEEK 1: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles | LOSS, 24-20
WEEK 2: Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants | FOX | WIN, 40-37 OT
WEEK 3: Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears | LOSS, 31-14
WEEK 4: Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers (SNF) | TIE, 40-40 OT
WEEK 5: Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets | WIN, 37-22
WEEK 6: Dallas Cowboys at Carolina Panthers | LOSS, 30-27
WEEK 7: Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders | WIN, 44-22
WEEK 8: Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos | LOSS, 44-24
WEEK 9: Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals (MNF) | LOSS, 27-17
WEEK 10: BYE WEEK
WEEK 11: Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders (MNF) | WIN, 33-16
WEEK 12: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles | WIN, 24-21
WEEK 13: Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Thanksgiving) | WIN, 31-28
WEEK 14: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions (TNF) | LOSS, 44-30
WEEK 15: Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings (SNF) | LOSS, 34-26
WEEK 16: Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Chargers | LOSS, 34-17
WEEK 17: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders (Christmas) | WIN, 30-23
WEEK 17: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (Christmas) | LOSS, 34-17
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