Jerry Jones Reacts to Cowboys Being on Brink of Elimination from NFL Playoff Picture

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't think there's much doubt as to whether the team has underperformed on the field.

"Yes. We certainly didn't think we'd be here in this kind of shape with three games to go, and have to be behind the eight ball the way we are," he said Monday, per The Athletic's Jon Machota. "It's very disappointing. I'm really obviously very disappointed for our fans. I'm disappointed for these players. I didn't expect that. I thought we could come out here and on both sides of the ball make a better accounting of ourselves. Minnesota did the best job out there on both sides of the ball."

Dallas slipped to 6-7-1 with Sunday's 34-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. NFL.com gives the Cowboys a less than one percent chance of reaching the playoffs.

▶️ Full Vikings-Cowboys Recap

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Whereas Jones clearly had high hopes for the squad, that was far from the wider consensus coming into the season.

The Cowboys didn't make a lot of marquee additions in the offseason, though wide receiver George Pickens has fully delivered. Promoting Brian Schottenheimer was an uninspiring resolution to the organization's coaching search. And then came the Micah Parsons trade a week out from the season opener.

Getting Kenny Clark back in that deal and then acquiring Quinnen Williams in a midseason trade only mitigated the effects of Parsons' departure so much.

If anything, the season has unfolded largely as one would've expected.

Dak Prescott has been prolific under center. His 3,931 passing yards are the most in the NFL, and he's third in touchdown passes with 26.

But that's not enough to cancel out a defense that's in the bottom five in both yards and points. Having to win shootouts most weeks is not a recipe to reach the postseason.

Concerns over Jones' stewardship of the Cowboys is nothing new. A Super Bowl drought spanning 30 years speaks for itself.

The owner's recent comments will lead the fanbase to wonder whether the offseason will be more of the same.