3 Takeaways from Cowboys' Week 17 Loss

The Dallas Cowboys 2020 season came to a crashing halt on Sunday against the New York Giants. The Cowboys had an opportunity to claim the NFC East title and make the postseason. While that would have required some help from the Washington Football Team later in the day, that ultimately never came into play.

Andy Dalton threw an interception in the end zone with just over a minute remaining, the Giants ran out the clock on the ensuing drive, and New York took this one 23-19.

It was a tough finish for what has been a difficult Dallas season. Now, it's on to the 2021 offseason, a big decision on quarterback Dak Prescott and perhaps some much-needed roster retooling.

Let's take a few moments, though, to look back on Dallas' regular-season finale and a few key takeaways from the first loss of the calendar year.  

Dallas Has Work to Do on Defense

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The Cowboys defense has been an issue all season long. It came into this game ranked 26th overall and 30th in points allowed. On Sunday, it was once again a liability.

The Giants came into Week 17 as an offensively inept unit. The last time New York had topped 20 points in a game was back in Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles. New York reached that threshold before halftime thanks in large part to a Dallas defense that allowed gaping holes to materialize.

Now, the Cowboys did tighten up in the second half, helping to turn a 20-9 deficit into a 23-19 final score. However, allowing Wayne Gallman to average 5.9 yards per carry in a game of this magnitude is unacceptable. So is allowing Daniel Jones to go 17-of-25 for 229.

Yes, the Giants were held without a third-down conversion. They also racked up 336 yards of offense and 22 first downs without getting one, and they put the Cowboys into a hole that it couldn't climb out of.

This is an issue that needs to be addressed in the offseason. Dallas cannot hope to contend in the NFC East if it cannot contain the likes of Gallman on the ground. Had New York fielded a healthy Saquon Barkley in this game, it may have never gotten close.

The Cowboys will need to make a decision on Prescott before the start of free agency. They'll also need to decide the futures of defenders like Sean Lee, Aldon Smith and Tyrone Crawford—and, ideally, further bolster the defense with some fresh talent.

Andy Dalton Is Still a Gamer

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Regardless of what the Cowboys decide to do with Prescott, it would be a wise move to bring back Dalton as quarterback insurance in 2021. While he didn't play particularly well in the first half—and his fourth-quarter interception was a game-killer—he produced three second-half scoring drives and had the Cowboys in position to win the game late.

Dalton finished the game with 243 yards passing and 48 yards rushing, despite constantly being pressured by Leonard Williams and the Giants defensive front.

While Dalton is not a long-term option for the Cowboys, he's about as good of a Plan B as a team could hope to have. Despite getting little help from a patchwork offensive line this year, he finished the season 4-5 as a starter and at least gave the Cowboys a crack at the playoffs. When Prescott was lost for the season, even that felt like a pipe dream.

The problem, of course, is that Dalton may not be content playing the backup role.

"I’m very thankful for the opportunity that I had this year, with the ability to play and just put some tape out there. We’ll see what happens come March," Dalton told reporters after the game.

This offseason decision, it seems, may be out of Dallas' hands.

Mike McCarthy Coached Not to Lose

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Head coach Mike McCarthy may have cost the Cowboys this game thanks to a couple of curious coaching decisions. The first came in the third quarter, when Elliott scored to pull Dallas within five points. A successful two-point try would have pulled the Cowboys to within three, but McCarthy opted for the extra point.

"It was too early in the game to go for two in my opinion there," McCarthy said, per Rob Phillips of the team's official website.

That lost point loomed large as Dalton forced the ball into the end zone for the nearly game-sealing interception. Yes, there was no guarantee that the two-point try would have been successful, but the Cowboys would have been down five points instead of four if it wasn't.

The second decision came just before a 50-yard Graham Gano field goal that moved the deficit back to four after Dallas had pulled within one. Daniel Jones hit Dante Pettis for a 10-yard completion that moved New York in position for the try. Only it appeared fairly obvious in the replay that the pass wasn't complete and was instead trapped by Pettis and the ground.

McCarthy chose not to challenge. While the officiating crew may have stuck with the ruling on the field, we'll never know because McCarthy decided to take the cautious approach for the second time in the half.

It remains to be seen if McCarthy is the right coach to get Dallas back into the postseason. But if fans are hoping to see an aggressive, chance-taking head coach in 2021, they're not likely to get it.

On Sunday, McCarthy coached not to lose, and as a result, he failed to win the biggest game of the year.