 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2023) |
| 2023 Dallas Cowboys season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owner | Jerry Jones |
| General manager | Jerry Jones |
| Head coach | Mike McCarthy |
| Offensive coordinator | Brian Schottenheimer |
| Defensive coordinator | Dan Quinn |
| Home field | AT&T Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–5 |
| Division place | 1st NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Packers) 32–48 |
| Pro Bowlers | |
| AP All-Pros | 9
|
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2023 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 64th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 35th under the ownership of Jerry Jones, and their fourth under head coach Mike McCarthy. The Cowboys matched their 12–5 record from the previous two seasons and won the NFC East division for the first time since the 2021 season and the second time in three seasons. They ended up in a three-way tie with the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions for first place in the NFC at 12–5. However, they lost the conference tiebreaker to the 49ers but won the head to head tiebreaker over the Lions, giving them the second seed in the playoffs.[1] Although the Cowboys lost to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, they clinched their third straight playoff berth before taking the field when the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers,[2] respectively. This marked the Cowboys' first run of three consecutive postseason appearances since appearing in six straight from 1991 to 1996.
However, the Cowboys collapsed yet again in the playoffs, and, despite having one of the best-ranked offenses and defenses of the league, were defeated 48–32 by their rival, seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round, at one point trailing 48–16 during the fourth quarter. With the loss, the Cowboys became the first team to lose to a #7 seed since the playoff bracket expanded for the 2020–21 NFL playoffs.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
This also marked the first time a team failed to reach a Conference Championship Game despite winning at least 12 games in three consecutive seasons.[9]
This was the first season since 2015 without running back Ezekiel Elliott on the roster, as he was released on March 15[10] and signed with the New England Patriots on August 14.[11]
- ^ Robinson, Dallas (December 31, 2023). "NFC No. 1 Seed Playoff Scenarios: 49ers, Eagles, Lions, Cowboys Still in Mix for First-Round Bye". Pro Football Network. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (December 17, 2023). "Cowboys clinch third straight trip to postseason following losses by Packers, Falcons". NFL.com.
- ^ MAADDI, ROB. "Analysis: After another playoff failure by Dallas, maybe a call to Belichick can save the Cowboys". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ Hamm, Timm (January 25, 2024). "'Ain't Gonna Work!' Deion Supports Coach McCarthy, Reveals Cowboys Weakness". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ Beviglia, Jim (January 24, 2024). "Why Can't Dallas Win in the NFL Playoffs?". CapperTek. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Packers 48-32 Cowboys (Jan 14, 2024) Game Recap". ESPN.com. January 14, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ "By the numbers: Green Bay Packers dominate Dallas Cowboys". ESPN.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Treacy, Dan (January 14, 2024). "No. 7 seeds to win an NFL playoff game: How Packers made history with wild-card win over Cowboys | Sporting News". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- ^ "Cowboys' playoff failures by the numbers since last NFC title game appearance". CBSSports.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ Archer, Todd (March 15, 2023). "Cowboys officially release RB Ezekiel Elliott after 7 seasons". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ Baca, Michael (August 14, 2023). "Patriots signing ex-Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott to one-year deal worth up to $6 million". NFL.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023.