And there you have it. The Dallas Cowboys 2024 season is likely over after the 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9. We can put any rational thoughts of making the postseason this year to bed and start looking towards the future, even though there is still half of the regular-season to play this year.
This matchup against the Falcons was once again a bad all-around performance for the Cowboys if you’re only looking at how things stand presently. If you’re looking at it with the future in mind though, there’s actually some good we can take away from this loss. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the good, bad, and ugly after Dallas’ Week 9 loss.
THE GOOD – 2025 NFL Draft season starts early
Prepare yourselves, 2025 mock drafts for the Cowboys will start to pop up pretty regularly now that they have dwindling odds of making the playoffs after the 27-21 loss to the Falcons. This team really has nothing left to play for the rest of the season other than selecting as high as possible in the 2025 NFL Draft. The higher the pick, the better the player. This might be the only thing worth keeping track of the rest the year. Right now, it’s looking as if they will be a shoo-in to end up with a Top 10 selection.
THE BAD – Only at the halfway point in 2024
There is still half of the 2024 NFL regular-season to play, but for the Cowboys it feels like it is already over. Yes, they still have to play out the remainder of their schedule this year, but there is little hope they can turn things around to make the playoffs. That means things will probably start getting worse as the season progresses, making this team even harder to watch on a week-to-week basis. That’s especially true if they decide to try to finish the year strong, which will only hurt their draft position in the 2025 NFL Draft.
THE UGLY – Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury
Normally, the thought of Dak Prescott sidelined for any amount of time would be detrimental to the team’s success week in and week out. 2024 though isn’t a normal season for the Cowboys. This year has been bad from the start and it hasn’t really gotten any better over time. What Prescott’s injury does though is open the door for the Cowboys brass to start evaluating younger players with the future in mind. The opportunity to evaluate a few backups who could have starting potential could be invaluable for the draft/free agency. CeeDee Lamb’s injury might also be an issue to monitor,
