The 2024 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 65th in the National Football League (NFL) and their fifth and final season under head coach Mike McCarthy. This was their first season since 2020 without Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator, as the Washington Commanders hired him to be their head coach. He was replaced in that role by former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who returned to the Cowboys after eighteen years. The Cowboys failed to improve upon their 12âÂÂ5 record from the past three seasons following a loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. After the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Carolina Panthers in Week 14, the Cowboys were knocked out of NFC East contention, marking the 20th straight season the division would not have a repeat champion. With the Commanders' 36âÂÂ33 win over the Eagles in Week 16, the Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2020. After their 41âÂÂ7 loss at Philadelphia in Week 17, the Cowboys suffered a losing season for the first time since that same year, and were also swept by the Eagles for the first time since 2011.
For the first time since 2010, offensive tackle Tyron Smith was not on the roster, as he signed with the New York Jets during free agency. On April 29, running back Ezekiel Elliott signed a one-year contract to return to the team after a year away.
The Cowboys notably struggled at home, going 2âÂÂ7 at home. Conversely, they performed moderately well on the road with a 5âÂÂ3 road record. The 2âÂÂ7 home record notably came after a year in which the Cowboys went undefeated at home at 8âÂÂ0.
After the season, head coach Mike McCarthy's contract expired. It was announced McCarthy would not return to the Cowboys, as the two sides failed to reach an extension, ending McCarthy's tenure in Dallas. Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was promoted to head to coach on January 24, 2025.
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Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
With the win, the Cowboys started 1âÂÂ0 for the second consecutive year.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 1âÂÂ1, and this was their first home loss to the Saints since 2012.
Despite a late comeback, the Cowboys were outclassed by the Ravens, as the Cowboys trailed the entire game, and at some point fell behind 28âÂÂ6. Following a Ravens missed field goal, the Cowboys were able to score a touchdown to cut the score to 28âÂÂ12. The Cowboys then proceeded to recover an onside kick and score another touchdown to cut down the lead to 28âÂÂ18. Despite the subsequent onside kick attempt being unsuccessful, the Cowboys defense forced a stop and got the ball back with over five and a half minutes remaining, and the Cowboys were able to score another touchdown to cut the lead down to 28âÂÂ25. However, the Cowboys were unable to get a defensive stop and proceeded to lose by that score. This was the first time since 2010 the Cowboys started 0âÂÂ2 at home.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 2âÂÂ2, and Dak Prescott recorded his 13th consecutive win as a starter against the Giants.
A thunderstorm delayed the game, pushing the original start time from 8:20 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. EDT. The game ended with a Dallas victory at 12:59 a.m. EDT, marking the longest day in NFL history since the 1970 AFLâÂÂNFL merger at 15 hours and 37 minutes (the game between the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings had kicked off in London at 9:30 a.m. EDT). The Cowboys improved to 3âÂÂ2 with the win.
This was the Cowboys' worst loss at AT&T Stadium in franchise history, dropping them to 3âÂÂ3 (and 0âÂÂ3 at home) and their first loss to Detroit since 2013.
With the loss, the Cowboys fell to 3âÂÂ4, and lost to the 49ers for the fourth straight season (including playoffs).
During the game, quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a hamstring injury and missed the remainder of the game. Prescott would later undergo surgery for what was revealed as a partial tendon avulsion, which forced him to miss the rest of the season.
With their third straight loss (their longest losing streak since 2020), the Cowboys fell to 3âÂÂ5.
This was the Cowboys' first home loss to the Eagles since 2017, and also dropped them to 3âÂÂ6, and 0âÂÂ4 at home for the season.
The Cowboys set an NFL record by trailing by over 20 points in six straight home games, dating back to last season's wild-card loss to the Packers, and fell to 3âÂÂ7. This was also their first-ever home loss to the Texans and their first home loss to Houston since 1988 when it was called the Houston Oilers.
Despite entering as heavy underdogs, the Cowboys shocked their division rivals, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in the game, and snapped their five-game losing streak, improving to 4âÂÂ7.
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 5âÂÂ7 and won at home for the first time this season. They also swept the Giants for the fourth consecutive season.
The Cowboys continued their homestand with a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Dallas entered this game having been eliminated from contention for the NFC East title due to the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Carolina Panthers the day before. In addition, the retractable roof of AT&T Stadium was opened for the first time since 2022. While the Cowboys played the Bengals close for most of the game, a devastating special teams blunder would ultimately cost them the game â after the Cowboys blocked a Bengals punt late in the fourth quarter, Amani Oruwariye would inadvertently touch the ball past the line of scrimmage, which the Bengals recovered. The play was ruled as a muffed catch, giving Cincinnati a fresh set of downs. Three plays later, Joe Burrow threw the go-ahead touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase with 1:09 remaining. The Cowboys failed to respond on their final drive, and dropped to 5âÂÂ8 on the season. This was the Cowboys' first loss to the Bengals since the 2004 season, as well as their first home loss to Cincinnati since 1988.
Before the Cowboys took the field, the Cowboys were eliminated from playoff contention after the Washington Commanders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles earlier that day.
The Cowboys traveled to Philadelphia seeking to avenge their Week 10 loss. A promising opening drive for the Cowboys ended in disaster when Cooper Rush threw a 69-yard pick six to C. J. Gardner-Johnson to give the Eagles a 7âÂÂ0 lead. The Cowboys responded with a twelve-play, 70-yard drive culminating in a game-tying Jalen Tolbert touchdown reception for what ultimately would be Dallas's only points of the afternoon. After the teams traded punts twice, the Eagles reclaimed a 14âÂÂ7 lead with a DeVonta Smith touchdown and never looked back. The Cowboys turned the ball over twice before halftime, leading to 10 more Eagles points and a 24âÂÂ7 deficit. Philadelphia then scored 17 points in the second half to put the game out of reach for Dallas. With the crushing 41âÂÂ7 loss, the Cowboys dropped to 7âÂÂ9 on the year, thus sealing their first losing season since 2020. It was also the first time since 2011 that the Cowboys were swept by the Eagles.
With this loss, the Cowboys finished the season at 7âÂÂ10. They also finished the year 2âÂÂ7 at home, their worst home record since 2015. Eight days after the loss, on January 13, the Cowboys announced that head coach Mike McCarthy's contract would not be renewed as the team could not reach an agreement with him on an extension, thus ending his tenure in Dallas. It marked the first time since 2020 that the Cowboys would miss the playoffs.