Cowboys Must Finally Surrender to Lost Season After Ugly Loss, Tony Romo Injury

For all intents and purposes, the Carolina Panthers ended the Dallas Cowboys' season with a 33-14 victory at AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving, leaving the Cowboys and their fans thankful merely for the fact 2016 is only five weeks away. 

Of course, nobody expected Dallas to be 3-8, but it's an unpredictable game, and the NFC East—a division that hasn't been won by the same team in back-to-back years in over a decade—is as capricious as pro sports divisions come. 

Even with the offseason loss of reigning Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray, the Cowboys were supposed to do damage with the league's reigning passer-rating leader, the league's reigning receiving-touchdown leader and an offensive line featuring three young Pro Bowlers (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin).

Throw in that, on paper, the defense was healthier and stronger than in 2014, and there were myriad reasons to be confident in America's Team. 

Instead, the Cowboys are essentially out of contention before December, stuck in last place in the entire NFC and facing the likely loss of Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo, who on Thursday reinjured the collarbone that cost him seven games—all losses—earlier this season. 

Team	Record
Cleveland Browns	2-8
San Diego Chargers	2-8
Tennessee Titans	2-8
Dallas Cowboys	3-8
Baltimore Ravens	3-7
San Francisco 49ers	3-7

But the good news for the Cowboys is their 2015 demise had nothing to do with Murray's departure or letdowns from the budding offensive line. It had nothing to do with defensive lapses or poor play from the receiving corps. 

In other words: There's nothing systemically wrong with this roster. 

Instead, this season can be written off entirely because of injuries suffered by Romo and Dez Bryant. No team in this league can lose its starting quarterback for at least half the season and live to tell about it. But on top of that, Bryant missed five games. 

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

That's simply too much to overcome. 

According to a report from Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, there's "most likely" a small fracture in Romo's pesky left collarbone. And if that's the case—and ESPN's Ed Werder reported along the same lines—it should spell the end of his 2015 campaign. 

In fact, Romo should be shut down now regardless of the severity of this injury.

Per Mark Maske of the Washington Post, Romo said after the loss that this injury had a "similar" feel to the one he suffered in Week 2, so it's obvious something's not right. And although it's tough to throw in the towel when you're still mathematically in contention, Dallas can't afford to further risk the 35-year-old Romo's long-term health by chasing a far-fetched playoff spot. 

Date	Injury	Time missed
October 2008	Hand	3 games
October 2010	Clavicle	10 games
December 2013	Back	1 game
October 2014	Back	1 game
September 2015	Clavicle	7 games
November 2015	Clavicle	TBD

It's time to turn to 2016.

That doesn't mean you stop game-planning for the Redskins, Packers, Jets, Bills and Redskins (again). But it means you preserve expensive, invaluable cogs such as Romo and Bryant while treating the final five weeks as a dress rehearsal for next season.

A healthy Romo can still be effective at 36, which is by no means beyond the expiration date for your typical star pocket passer. That talented line will remain intact, and Bryant and stud tight end Jason Witten will return as well. 

Dallas will have some decisions to make, especially on defense. Pass-rusher Greg Hardy has been a nuisance off the field. He and the talented but sometimes unreliable Rolando McClain are scheduled to become free agents.

Can Hardy avoid negative buzz? Do they bring him back? What about McClain? Or cornerback Morris Claiborne, who's also set to become an unrestricted free agent? Should Darren McFadden be the lead dog in the backfield entering 2016? 

Player	Position	Age
Greg Hardy	DE	27
Rolando McClain	LB	25
Morris Claiborne	CB	26
Jeremy Mincey	DE	31

These are the types of questions the Cowboys should be asking themselves as they audit the roster over the next five weeks. That way, they'll have a head start on a very important offseason—one of the advantages of bowing out of the race early. 

The Cowboys weren't lucky to lose on Thursday, but considering the unsightly circumstances surrounding the 2015 season, Dallas fans might eventually be thankful for the fact that—for the first time since 2010—they've been put out of their misery prior to the final Sunday of the regular season. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon