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The Dallas Cowboys will have gone 30 straight years without reaching the Super Bowl after they were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday night when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 29-18.
The Eagles’ win over Washington clinched Philadelphia’s second consecutive NFC East title, becoming the division’s first repeat champion since the 2004 Eagles.
The Cowboys’ had an outside chance to compete for the division title entering Saturday night. They would have needed to win their last three games and the Eagles to lose their last three games.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones interacts with fans during warmups before the Cowboys take on the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium October 23, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
By virtue of the Eagles’ victory, Dallas will now take the field against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday with nothing to play for.
It’s also the first time the Cowboys have missed the playoffs in two consecutive seasons since 2020.
Dallas went all-in at this year’s trade deadline in an attempt to bolster its playoff chances, trading a 2027 first-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick to the New York Jets for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. But it won’t pay off in the short term for the Cowboys after their failure in 2025. Williams is under contract through 2027.
COWBOYS TRADE FOR JETS STAR QUINNEN WILLIAMS MEASURES HARSH CRITICISM: ‘DALLAS IS DRUNK’
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer during the second half against the New York Jets on October 5, 2025 in East Rutherford, NJ (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Questions about whether the Cowboys would be competitive in 2025 were raised after the team traded star linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers prior to the season. The Cowboys’ defense is 29th in the NFL this year without Parsons.
Dallas gave its fans some hope with a three-game winning streak in November, rebounding from 3-5-1 to 6-5-1 and within striking distance of the seventh seed in the NFC. But a 44-30 primetime loss to the Detroit Lions on Dec. 4 took all the air out and dropped Dallas’ playoff chances to just 8%.
They lost their next game at home to JJ McCarthy’s Minnesota Vikings, who are also not going to the playoffs.
The Eagles are looking to defend their Super Bowl championship and right the ship after their win over Washington.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at training camp at River Ridge Fields on July 26, 2025 (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The Eagles lost three straight games, including a 21-point blowout to the Cowboys, before snapping the losing streak with a lopsided win over the Raiders last week.
Philadelphia closes out its season against the Buffalo Bills next week and a rematch at home with Washington in Week 18.
