Cowboys stand alone in NFL history with embarrassing Wild Card Weekend stat

The Dallas Cowboys were watching the start of the NFL Playoffs from home for the second consecutive year, but they still managed to find a way to make Wild Card Weekend history.

Since the NFL expanded the postseason field to seven teams, there have been 12 Wild Card games featuring the No. 2 seed hosting the No. 7 seed, while the top seed in each conference gets a bye week.

In those games, the No. 2 seeds are an impressive 11-1.

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Unfortunately, the Cowboys are that one in the record, thanks to the 2023 team's heartbreaking defeat to the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium, which is a game the team has never been able to recover from.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on the bench against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on the bench against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It was a brutal end to what looked like a promising run, where the team finished the regular season 12-5 with the NFC East title.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones often reflects on that Packers game, and it's one of the team's toughest losses in recent memory. Unfortunately, at least for another year, all Cowboys fans will be reminded of that loss when they see the 11-1 record for No. 2 seeds on Wild Card Weekend.

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It also highlights the Cowboys' lack of postseason success. As we know, it's been 30 years since the team has won a Super Bowl, and 30 years since the team has even reached a conference championship game. The 2023 season appeared to be Dallas' best shot, but they haven't been back to the playoffs since.

Let's hope that a complete overhaul of the defense in the offseason and a new defensive coordinator will help the team get over the hump for the 2026 season, because it is long overdue.

Dallas Cowboys fans react to a play against the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

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