What to make of the Dallas Cowboys' fourth straight home loss

By Levi Coovert October 14, 2024 10:42

Gareth Patterson/AP Photo

Is Jerry World cursed? Or has the Cowboys' luck just run dry?

Recent success at AT&T stadium

Although the Cowboys have been struggling at home lately, it was not long ago that Dallas was considered virtually unbeatable at home. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Dallas did not lose a single game at home, winning 16 straight and looking downright dominant on their home turf.

Dallas was 8-1 at home in 2022, and capped off the season with a win at home in the playoffs over the Buccaneers. In the 2023 regular season, Dallas was a perfect 8-0 at home, and when they entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in January of 2024, Dallas was riding a 17 game winning streak at AT&T stadium, with their last loss being week one of 2022 against Tom Brady.

A wild upset

In the Wild Card Round of 2024, the Cowboys were heavily favored to defeat the No. 7 Green Bay Packers. At just 9-8, the Packers had snuck into the playoffs, but as the youngest team in football, most people doubted their ability to go into Dallas and defeat the Cowboys' juggernaut, especially on a field where they had not lost in 17 games.

And yet, the impossible happened. The Cowboys fell behind 27-0, and even a late attempt at a comeback wasn't enough. The Packers won 48-32, handing the Cowboys a devastating loss at their home stadium. If that had been the extent of the Cowboys home struggles, it still would have been an embarrassment, but their struggles have continued in 2024.

0-3

So far this season, the Cowboys are 0-3 in Dallas, and what's particularly telling is their halftime deficits in each of the games.

Against the Saints in week two, Dallas went into halftime down 35-16, after allowing the Saints to score in each of their first five drives. The Cowboys went on to lose 44-19 in a game in which they were not competitive. New Orleans, a team with just two wins in 2024, bullied the Cowboys at their own house.

The next week, the Ravens came to Dallas and handed them another loss. Although the final score of 28-25 made it look close, the Ravens had the Cowboys beat early on. At halftime, the Cowboys were down 21-6, and by the fourth quarter their deficit had grown to 28-6. Dallas scored 19 in a late fourth-quarter comeback attempt, but ultimately it was too little, too late.

The latest blowout

In their latest loss at home, the Cowboys were manhandled by the Lions in a 47-9 loss that saw Detroit jump out to a 27-6 halftime lead and never look back. Their worst loss of the season was devastating, as Dallas fell a game behind the Commanders and Eagles in their division, and also lost their spot in the NFC Playoff Picture.

The Cowboys allowed over 400 total yards of offense, and struggled to move the ball. Dak Prescott threw a pair of interceptions, and was sacked four times.

Moving forward

At 3-3, Dallas is now on the outside looking into the playoff picture, and the road does not get much easier. The good news? They have a bye next week, followed by road dates with San Francisco (3-3) and Atlanta (4-2). Though not necessarily easy games, it may be a breath of fresh air to play on the road, where the Cowboys are undefeated in 2024.

When they return home on Nov. 10, they host the division rival Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) in a game that will likely have serious playoff implications. The next week they host the Texans (5-1) on Monday Night Football. On Thanksgiving they host the Giants (2-4), and their final three home games come against the Bengals (2-4), and Buccaneers (4-2) and the Commanders (4-2).

With four of their last six home games coming against teams with winning records, and three of them featuring division opponents, the Cowboys need to figure out their struggles at home, and soon, or else they risk falling further behind and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.