The Dallas Cowboys won, but did they lose in the long run?
That's what some fans are feeling after the club's Week 12 win at Washington. Dallas traveled to the East Coast for its annual regular season trek to visit the Commanders in NFC East action. The script was modified from the usual routine. Dallas has dominated the rivalry in recent years and has been the better team in most cases.
When these two teams meet, the Cowboys are usually fighting for the playoff spot, and Washington fans have marked on their calendar the one game they want to win in a losing season. Dallas ultimately emerged victorious 34-26, ending its five-game losing streak and improving to 5-7. But did they lose by winning?
The victory knocked Dallas out of the top 10 of the 2025 draft for the time being. Dallas had an outside shot against a top-five pick, but diminished those chances significantly with the win.
Of course, the views of the fans as well as the team's coaches and players differ greatly. Coaches and players want to win every time they step on the field. They don't care about draft positioning and the idea of caring more about the long term than the immediate future.
Players aren't aiming for a top draft pick. That amateur will be welcomed into the locker room when they arrive, but in November all they mean is that they are taking the job away from a teammate that the player is currently in the trenches with.
There may be situations where a coaching staff leans the other way, but 2024 in Dallas certainly isn't. It's almost certain that Mike McCarthy and his staff will be sent off after the final whistle; They won't be anywhere close to being the Cowboys' next No. 1 pick.
But for fans? Certainly draft positioning is more important than a single win in a losing season.
Here's a look at the current draft order ahead of the final two games of the Week 12 schedule: Philadelphia at LA Rams and Baltimore at LA Chargers. Only the Rams score will update this current listing.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) – SOS: .492
- New York Giants (2-9) – SOS .519
- Las Vegas Raiders (2-9) – SOS: .538
- New England Patriots (3-9) – SOS: .471
- Carolina Panthers (3-8) – SOS: .487
- Tennessee Titans (3-8) – SOS: .505
- NY Jets (3-8) – SOS: .508
- Cleveland Browns (3-8) – SOS: .513
- New Orleans Saints (4-7) – SOS: .489
- Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) – SOS: .489
- Dallas Cowboys (4-7) – SOS: .511
- Chicago Bears (4-7) – SOS: .558
- Indianapolis Colts (5-7) – SOS: .482
- Miami Dolphins (5-6) – SOS: .432
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) – SOS .508
- San Francisco 49ers (5-6) – SOS: .559
- LA Rams (5-5) – SOS: .529
- Arizona Cardinals (6-5) – SOS: .538