# 2017 Dallas Cowboys season

The 2017 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 58th in the National Football League (NFL), their 29th under the ownership of Jerry Jones, their 9th playing their home games at AT&T Stadium, and their 7th full season under head coach Jason Garrett.
For the first time since 2002, quarterback Tony Romo was not on the opening day roster, as he announced his retirement on April 4, 2017. The Cowboys failed to improve or match upon their 13–3 record from the previous season. In Week 16 via a loss at home to the Seattle Seahawks, they were eliminated from playoff contention and missed the playoffs for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.

## Offseason
### Signings

| Position | Player | Age | 2016 Team | Contract |
| WR | Terrance Williams | 27 | Dallas Cowboys | 4 years, $17 million |
| CB | Nolan Carroll(†) | 30 | Philadelphia Eagles | 3 years, $10 million |
| OG | Byron Bell | 28 | Tennessee Titans | 1 year, $2 million |
| DT | Stephen Paea(††) | 28 | Cleveland Browns | 1 year, $2 million |
| DE | Damontre Moore(†) | 24 | Seattle Seahawks | 2 years, $1.6 million |
| RB | Darren McFadden(††) | 29 | Dallas Cowboys | 1 year, $980,000 |
| OG | Jonathan Cooper | 27 | Cleveland Browns | 1 year, $2 million |
| LB | Justin Durant (†) | 31 | Dallas Cowboys | 1 year, $615,000 |
| QB | Kellen Moore | 27 | Dallas Cowboys | 1 year, $775,000 |
* (†) - Later released
* (††) - Later retired

### Departures

| Position | Player | Age | 2017 Team |
| QB | Tony Romo | 37 | Retired |
| QB | Mark Sanchez | 30 | Chicago Bears |
| RB | Lance Dunbar | 27 | Los Angeles Rams |
| WR | Lucky Whitehead | 25 | New York Jets |
| TE | Gavin Escobar | 26 | Baltimore Ravens |
| OG | Ronald Leary | 27 | Denver Broncos |
| OG/OT | Emmett Cleary | 27 | Detroit Lions |
| OT | Doug Free | 33 | Retired |
| DE | Ryan Davis | 28 | Buffalo Bills |
| DT | Jack Crawford | 28 | Atlanta Falcons |
| DT | Terrell McClain | 28 | Washington Redskins |
| LB | Rolando McClain | 27 | Unsigned |
| LB | Andrew Gachkar | 28 | Carolina Panthers |
| CB | Josh Thomas | 27 | Unsigned |
| CB | Brandon Carr | 30 | Baltimore Ravens |
| CB | Morris Claiborne | 27 | New York Jets |
| SS | Barry Church | 29 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| FS | J.J. Wilcox | 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers |

## Draft

2017 Dallas Cowboys draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 28 | Taco Charlton | DE | Michigan |
| 2 | 60 | Chidobe Awuzie | CB | Colorado |
| 3 | 92 | Jourdan Lewis | CB | Michigan |
| 4 | 133 | Ryan Switzer | WR | North Carolina |
| 6 | 191 | Xavier Woods | S | Louisiana Tech |
| 6 | 216 | Marquez White | CB | Florida State |
| 7 | 228 | Joey Ivie | DT | Florida |
| 7 | 239 | Noah Brown | WR | Ohio State |
| 7 | 246 | Jordan Carrell | DE | Colorado |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||
Notes
* The Cowboys traded their original fifth-round (No. 171 overall) selection to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a seventh-round (No. 228 overall) selection and quarterback Matt Cassell.
* The Cowboys traded their 2018 fifth-round selection to the New York Jets in exchange for a 2017 sixth-round (No. 191 overall) selection.
* The Cowboys traded their original sixth-round (No. 211 overall) selection to the New England Patriots in exchange for sixth (No. 216 overall) and seventh-round (No. 239 overall) selections.

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
| HOF | August 3 | vs. Arizona Cardinals | W 20–18 | 1–0 | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | Recap |
| 1 | August 12 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 10–13 | 1–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap |
| 2 | August 19 | Indianapolis Colts | W 24–19 | 2–1 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 26 | Oakland Raiders | W 24–20 | 3–1 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | August 31 | at Houston Texans | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey † | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey † | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey † | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey † |
† The game was originally scheduled for August 31, and to be moved from its original venue, NRG Stadium, to the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, due to public safety concerns regarding flooding in the Houston area from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey. However, the game was later cancelled in order to allow Texans' players and coaches to return to Houston after the storm. Instead, the Cowboys held a public practice session as well as a telethon to raise money for the relief efforts.

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
| 1 | September 10 | New York Giants | W 19–3 | 1–0 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 17 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–42 | 1–1 | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 3 | September 25 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 28–17 | 2–1 | University of Phoenix Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | Los Angeles Rams | L 30–35 | 2–2 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | Green Bay Packers | L 31–35 | 2–3 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 7 | October 22 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 40–10 | 3–3 | Levi's Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | at Washington Redskins | W 33–19 | 4–3 | FedExField | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 28–17 | 5–3 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 7–27 | 5–4 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 19 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 9–37 | 5–5 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 23 | Los Angeles Chargers | L 6–28 | 5–6 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | November 30 | Washington Redskins | W 38–14 | 6–6 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 10 | at New York Giants | W 30–10 | 7–6 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | at Oakland Raiders | W 20–17 | 8–6 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Recap |
| 16 | December 24 | Seattle Seahawks | L 12–21 | 8–7 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 31 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 6–0 | 9–7 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 19 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 93,183
* Referee: Carl Cheffers
* TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 21-yard field goal, 6:25. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 51 yards, 2:58.
Second quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 48-yard field goal, 12:45. Cowboys 6–0. Drive: 14 plays, 41 yards, 7:38.
DAL – Jason Witten 12-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 1:41. Cowboys 13–0. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:07.
DAL – Dan Bailey 42-yard field goal, 0:05. Cowboys 16–0. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 1:14.
Third quarter
NYG – Aldrick Rosas 25-yard field goal, 5:16. Cowboys 16–3. Drive: 16 plays, 68 yards, 9:44.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 36-yard field goal, 1:55. Cowboys 19–3. Drive: 11 plays, 34 yards, 5:53.
Top passers
NYG – Eli Manning – 29/38, 220 yards, INT
DAL – Dak Prescott – 24/39, 268 yards, TD
Top rushers
NYG – Paul Perkins – 7 rushes, 16 yards
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 24 rushes, 104 yards
Top receivers
NYG – Roger Lewis – 4 receptions, 54 yards
DAL – Terrance Williams – 6 receptions, 68 yards
Top tacklers
NYG –B. J. Goodson–18 tackles
DAL –Sean Lee– 8 tackles :
Dallas opened its third straight season at home against NFC East division rival New York. Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. sat out the game still nursing a preseason injury. Dallas' solid and workmanlike performance was punctuated early in the fourth quarter when Cole Beasley made a spectacular one-handed circus catch for a key first down. Dallas tight end Jason Witten surpassed Michael Irvin as the all-time receiving-yards leader in franchise history and also scored the lone touchdown of the game on a second-quarter 12-yard pass from quarterback Dak Prescott, who had some passes sail high early but settled down to turn in another solid and turnover-free performance. The Dallas win snapped its three-game losing streak against New York.

#### Week 2: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Broncos | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT/2:25 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 76,919
* Referee: Brad Allen
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DEN – Emmanuel Sanders 10-yard pass from Trevor Siemian (Brandon McManus kick), 9:25. Broncos 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:45.
Second quarter
DAL – Dez Bryant 3-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 12:39. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 3 yards, 0:46.
DEN – C. J. Anderson 16-yard pass from Trevor Siemian (Brandon McManus kick), 5:54. Broncos 14–7. Drive: 14 plays, 81 yards, 6:45.
DEN – Emmanuel Sanders 6-yard pass from Trevor Siemian (Brandon McManus kick), 1:38. Broncos 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 2:42.
DAL – Dan Bailey 56-yard field goal, 0:02. Broncos 21–10. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 1:36.
Third quarter
DEN – Virgil Green 2-yard pass from Trevor Siemian (Brandon McManus kick), 7:56. Broncos 28–10. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 7:04.
DEN – C. J. Anderson 23-yard run (Brandon McManus kick), 6:14. Broncos 35–10. Drive: 2 plays, 23 yards, 0:14.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Jason Witten 28-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 14:24. Broncos 35–17. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:35.
DEN – Aqib Talib 103-yard interception return (Brandon McManus kick), 0:53. Broncos 42–17.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott – 30/50, 238 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
DEN – Trevor Siemian – 22/32, 231 yards, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
DAL – Dak Prescott – 3 rushes, 24 yards
DEN – C. J. Anderson – 25 rushes, 118 yards, TD
Top receivers
DAL – Jason Witten – 10 receptions, 97 yards, TD
DEN – Demaryius Thomas – 6 receptions, 71 yards
Top tacklers
DAL – Jaylon Smith, 10 tackles
DEN – Brandon Marshall, 7 tackles :
In a stunning reversal of the previous week's performance, the Dallas Cowboys struggled in almost every aspect of the game, getting blown out by an inspired Denver Broncos team in Denver. The Broncos defense stuffed the Dallas run game and pressured quarterback Dak Prescott, who threw two interceptions – one returned late in the game for a pick-six. Defensively Dallas had no answers for the Broncos attack, plagued with poor tackling and bad pursuit angles, giving up yards after pass catches and rushing yards in chunks. Dallas fell to 1–1, looking to be in total disarray – nursing several key injuries to its secondary – heading into its Monday night meeting at Arizona against the Cardinals.

#### Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT/5:30 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Referee: Craig Wrolstad
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
ARI – Jaron Brown 25-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Phil Dawson kick), 10:06. Cardinals 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 5:01.
Second quarter
DAL – Dak Prescott 10-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 1:16. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 84 yards, 2:41.
Third quarter
DAL – Dez Bryant 15-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 8:42. Cowboys 14–7. Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, 1:58.
ARI – Larry Fitzgerald 15-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Phil Dawson kick), 3:21. Tied 14–14. Drive: 3 plays, 54 yards, 1:32.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Brice Butler 37-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 12:03. Cowboys 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:53.
ARI – Phil Dawson 37-yard field goal, 6:40. Cowboys 21–17. Drive: 16 plays, 56 yards, 5:17.
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 8-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 5:03. Cowboys 28–17. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:38.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott – 13/18, 183 yards, 2 TD
ARI – Carson Palmer – 29/48, 325 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 22 rushes, 80 yards, TD
ARI – Andre Ellington – 5 rushes, 22 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Brice Butler – 2 receptions, 90 yards, TD
ARI – Larry Fitzgerald – 13 receptions, 149 yards, TD
Top tacklers
DAL – Sean Lee – 8 tackles
ARI – Tyvon Branch – 12 tackles :
After a precarious start which saw Arizona take its opening possession straight down the field for a touchdown, and then Dallas following up with a prompt three-and-out, the Dallas Cowboys adjusted their defensive schemes and got their running game going and slowly but surely overcame the Cardinals on Monday Night Football.
Despite Carson Palmer's 325 yards passing, Dallas was able to limit scoring damage with key pressures and sacks, and run stoppages to keep the Cardinals neutralized. Dak Prescott turned in a turnover-free performance for the Cowboys with 183 yards passing and two touchdown tosses, while running for Dallas' first score – a second quarter 10-yard scamper on a read-option play. Ezekiel Elliott rebounded from last week's dismal performance to accumulate 80 yards on 22 carries and scored one touchdown. Dallas found itself with a 2–1 record heading into a short week to prepare for the visiting Los Angeles Rams October 1.

#### Week 4: vs. Los Angeles Rams

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rams | 3 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 35 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 30 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 91,869
* Referee: Clete Blakeman
* TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 34-yard field goal, 11:30. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 3:30.
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 49-yard field goal, 7:07. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 4:23.
Second quarter
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 10-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 14:05. Cowboys 10–3. Drive: 15 plays, 81 yards, 8:02.
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 44-yard field goal, 12:39. Cowboys 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 9 yards, 1:26.
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 10:53. Cowboys 17–6. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:46.
LAR – Cooper Kupp 7-yard pass from Jared Goff (Greg Zuerlein kick), 6:33. Cowboys 17–13. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 1:56.
DAL – Brice Butler 10-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 1:51. Cowboys 24–13. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:42.
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 44-yard field goal, 0:00. Cowboys 24–16. Drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 1:51.
Third quarter
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 30-yard field goal, 7:26. Cowboys 24–19. Drive: 8 plays 54 yards, 3:15.
LAR – Todd Gurley 53-yard pass from Jared Goff (Greg Zuerlein kick), 2:59. Rams 26–24. Drive: 4 plays, 90 yards, 1:59.
Fourth quarter
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 28-yard field goal, 11:56. Rams 29–24. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 4:26.
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 43-yard field goal, 9:41. Rams 32–24. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:19.
DAL – James Hanna 28-yard pass from Dak Prescott (pass failed), 7:11. Rams 32–30. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:30.
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 33-yard field goal, 1:55. Rams 35–30. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 5:16.
Top passers
LAR – Jared Goff – 21/36, 255 yards, 2 TD,
DAL – Dak Prescott – 20/36, 252 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
LAR – Todd Gurley – 23 rushes, 121 yards
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 21 rushes, 85 yards, TD
Top receivers
LAR – Todd Gurley – 7 receptions, 94 yards, TD
DAL – Dez Bryant – 5 receptions, 98 yards
Top tacklers
LAR – Mark Barron – 8 tackles
DAL – Jaylon Smith – 10 tackles :
The "tale of two halves" sports cliché was never more true to life as it was Sunday October 1 in AT&T Stadium, as the Dallas Cowboys lost to the visiting Los Angeles Rams 35–30 after dominating the first half of play.
Dallas was in the driver's seat and looked ready to demolish the young Rams and their rookie head coach after a workmanlike, dominating first half that saw Dallas post three touchdowns after long-distance drives and hold a 24–16 halftime lead.
The second half saw Dallas' offense virtually grind to a halt while Los Angeles slowly chipped away at the lead, finally finding themselves ahead to stay after Todd Gurley's 53-yard catch-and-run put Los Angeles up 26–24 late in the third quarter. After Dallas posted a 4th-quarter touchdown on a pass to tight end James Hanna, Los Angeles was able to answer with its 7th field goal of the game. With the score 35–30, a late Dallas rally failed, and the Cowboys found themselves 2–2 with a looming meeting at home versus the Green Bay Packers October 8.

#### Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 6 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 35 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 93,329
* Referee: Terry McAulay
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Cole Beasley 2-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 8:24. Cowboys 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:36.
GB – Davante Adams 10-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (kick failed), 4:01. Cowboys 7–6. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:23.
Second quarter
DAL – Cole Beasley 5-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey), 13:37. Cowboys 14–6. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:24.
DAL – Dez Bryant 10-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 6:10. Cowboys 21–6. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 5:56.
GB – Aaron Jones (kick failed), 0:54. Cowboys 21–12. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:16.
Third quarter
GB – Mason Crosby 22-yard field goal, 11:09. Cowboys 21–15. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:51.
Fourth quarter
GB – Jordy Nelson 10-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 14:54. Packers 22–21. Drive: 14 plays, 88 yards, 7:43.
DAL – Dan Bailey 43-yard field goal, 11:45. Cowboys 24–22. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:09.
GB – Damarious Randall 21-yard interception return (pass failed), 9:56. Packers 28–24. Drive: 2 plays, 3 yards, 0:41.
DAL – Dak Prescott 11-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 1:13. Cowboys 31–28. Drive: 17 plays, 79 yards, 8:43.
GB – Davante Adams 12-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 0:11. Packers 35–31. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:02.
Top passers
GB – Aaron Rodgers – 19/29, 221 yards, 3 TD
DAL – Dak Prescott – 25/36, 251 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
GB – Aaron Jones – 19 rushes, 125 yards, TD
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 29 rushes, 116 yards
Top receivers
GB – Davante Adams – 7 receptions, 66 yards, 2 TD
DAL – Jason Witten – 8 receptions, 61 yards
Top tacklers
GB – Blake Martinez – 12 tackles
DAL – Jourdan Lewis – 7 tackles :
With Dallas posting a 21–12 halftime lead, they looked in prime form for revenge in this rematch of their Divisional round playoff the previous season. Green Bay kept chipping away and Aaron Rodgers led the Packers on a late nine-play 75-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 11 seconds remaining in the game. Damarious Randall earlier added a pick-six to the scoring with a 21-yard return of a Dak Prescott interception to give Green Bay a 28–24 lead at 9:56 of the fourth quarter. Dallas had answered that, regaining the lead on an 11-yard Dak Prescott touchdown run after a grueling 17-play, eight-minute 79-yard scoring drive which left 1:13 on the game clock for Green Bay to work with. Dallas dropped to 2–3 with the loss, heading into its bye week, while Green Bay improved to 4–1 moving forward with a visit against division rival Minnesota Vikings October 15.

#### Week 7: at San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 14 | 6 | 13 | 7 | 40 |
| 49ers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 70,133
* Referee: Ronald Torbert
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 12:46. Cowboys 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 20 yards, 1:18.
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 25-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 7:57. Cowboys 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:28.
SF – Robbie Gould 42-yard field goal, 4:33. Cowboys 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 3:28.
Second quarter
DAL – Jason Witten 18-yard pass from Dak Prescott (pass failed), 10:33. Cowboys 20–3. Drive: 12 plays, 86 yards, 5:03.
Third quarter
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 72-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Jeff Heath kick), 11:12. Cowboys 27–3. Drive: 1 play, 72 yards, 0:14.
DAL – Dak Prescott 2-yard run (kick failed), 0:46. Cowboys 33–3. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 7:44.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Dez Bryant 2-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Jeff Heath kick), 10:54. Cowboys 40–10. Drive: 8 plays, 29 yards, 4:11.
SF – C. J. Beathard 4-yard run (Robbie Gould kick), 6:19. Cowboys 40–10. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:35.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott – 16/25, 234 yards, 3 TD
SF – C. J. Beathard – 22/38, 235 yards
Top rushers
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 26 rushes, 147 yards, 2 TD
SF – Carlos Hyde – 14 rushes, 68 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 1 reception, 72 yards, TD
SF – Marquise Goodwin – 4 receptions, 80 yards
Top tacklers
DAL – Anthony Hitchens – 8 tackles
SF – Dontae Johnson – 6 tackles :
Bouncing back from a two-game losing streak, Dallas dominated a winless San Francisco 49ers team 40–10. Ezekiel Elliott led the attack with 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, with 219 total yards from scrimmage. Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 64 percent of his passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and wasn't sacked, completing passes to eight different receivers and finishing with a 134.0 passer rating. The Dallas offense racked up 501 total yards with Dez Bryant posting 74 receiving yards on a game-leading 7 catches and scored one touchdown. The defense dominated throughout, with constant pressure on the quarterback including five sacks and aggressive pass coverage and run defense which held the 49ers to only 103 rushing yards. Dallas improved to 3–3 with the victory and a looming division match-up at Washington October 29.

#### Week 8: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 33 |
| Redskins | 10 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/3:25 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), rain
* Game attendance: 78,428
* Referee: Walt Anderson
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
WAS – Nick Rose 38-yard field goal, 13:17. Redskins 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:39.
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 13-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 10:37. Cowboys 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 3:56.
WAS – Rob Kelley 1-yard run (Nick Rose kick), 6:39. Redskins 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:56.
Second quarter
WAS – Nick Rose 42-yard field goal, 10:09. Redskins 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards, 2:53.
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 1-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 2:24. Cowboys 14–13. Drive: 2 plays, 2 yards, 0:39.
Third quarter
DAL – Mike Nugent 36-yard field goal, 8:44. Cowboys 17–13. Drive 9 plays, 27 yards, 3:44.
DAL – Mike Nugent 48-yard field goal, 6:29. Cowboys 20–13. Drive 4 plays, -4 yards, 2:08.
DAL – Mike Nugent 27-yard field goal, 0:42. Cowboys 23–13. Drive 10 plays, 48 yards, 4:02.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Mike Nugent 37-yard field goal, 8:47. Cowboys 26–13. Drive 9 plays, 44 yards, 4:53.
WAS – Josh Doctson 1-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (kick failed), 4:39. Cowboys 26–19. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 4:08.
DAL – Byron Jones 21-yard interception return (Mike Nugent kick), 0:30. Cowboys 33–19.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott – 14/22, 143 yards
WAS – Kirk Cousins – 26/39, 263 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Top rushers
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 33 rushes, 150 yards, 2 TD
WAS – Rob Kelly – 8 rushes, 19 yards, TD
Top receivers
DAL – Dez Bryant – 4 receptions, 39 yards
WAS – Jamison Crowder – 9 receptions, 123 yards
Top tacklers
DAL – Orlando Scandrick – 7 tackles
WAS – Zach Brown – 8 tackles :
On a windy, chilly, rainy Sunday afternoon at FedEx Field in Washington, Dallas earned its second consecutive road victory with a somewhat sloppy and penalty-ridden 33–19 result over NFC East rival Washington. Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball a career-high 31 times for 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns, to lead Dallas' 307 yards of total offense.
Dallas' defense limited the Redskins to only 49 yards rushing and 285 yards of total offense while recording 4 sacks for minus 27 yards, recovering two fumbles and grabbing one interception by cornerback Byron Jones – Dallas' first interception since week two versus Denver. On special teams, Dallas recovered a fumbled kickoff and Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick returned a blocked field goal attempt 86 yards to the Washington 2-yard line, setting up an Ezekiel Elliott rushing touchdown, which put Dallas ahead 14–13 with 2:20 left to play in the first half.
Dallas improved its record to 4–3 and captured sole possession of second place in the NFC East, with a looming visit from the Kansas City Chiefs at AT&T Stadium November 5.

#### Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 93,273
* Referee: Pete Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Cole Beasley 6-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Mike Nugent kick), 2:42. Cowboys 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 3:58.
Second quarter
KC – Harrison Butker 38-yard field goal, 7:24. Cowboys 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 5:08.
DAL – Dak Prescott 10-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 0:21. Cowboys 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 82 yards, 1:31.
KC – Tyreek Hill 56-yard pass from Alex Smith (Harrison Butker kick), 0:02. Cowboys 14–10. Drive: 2 plays, 63 yards, 0:13.
Third quarter
KC – Travis Kelce 2-yard pass from Alex Smith (Harrison Butker kick), 9:11. Chiefs 17–14. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 5:54.
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott 2-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 3:33. Cowboys 21–17. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:37.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Cole Beasley 7-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Mike Nugent kick), 9:02. Cowboys 28–17. Drive: 13 plays, 87 yards, 6:46.
Top passers
KC – Alex Smith – 25/34, 263 yards, 2 TD, INT
DAL – Dak Prescott – 21/33, 249 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
KC – Kareem Hunt – 9 rushes, 37 yards
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 27 rushes, 93 yards, TD
Top receivers
KC – Travis Kelce – 7 receptions, 73 yards, TD
DAL – Terrance Williams – 9 receptions, 141 yards
Top tacklers
KC –
DAL – :
With Ezekiel Elliott playing on a last-minute stay of his looming suspension and carrying the ball 27 times for 93 yards and one touchdown, and Dak Prescott throwing two touchdown passes to Cole Beasley, running for another score and finding receiver Terrance Williams nine times for a game high 141 yards, the Cowboys notched their third straight victory by a score of 28–17 and improved their record to 5–3 at AT&T Stadium against the AFC West division leading Kansas City Chiefs.
Two long touchdown drives in the second half lifted Dallas to the win after Kansas City had taken command on an unexpected 56-yard Tyreek Hill touchdown catch and run with no time left on the 2nd quarter game clock, then Kansas City following that up with a Travis Kelce 2-yard touchdown grab from Alex Smith at 9:11 of the third quarter to take its first lead of the game, 17–14. Dallas' two long touchdown drives were 12 and 13 plays respectively, eating up over 12 minutes of second-half game clock.
This was also Tony Romo's first return to AT&T Stadium, this time, as an announcer. Romo played for the Dallas Cowboys form 2003 to 2016.

#### Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Falcons | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 73,761
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Dak Prescott 11-yard run (Mike Nugent kick), 6:19. Cowboys 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 1:30.
ATL – Matt Bryant 50-yard field goal, 0:00. Cowboys 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 6:19.
Second quarter
ATL – Tevin Coleman 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 1:31. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:25.
Third quarter
ATL – Justin Hardy 3-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 8:26. Falcons 17–7. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:34.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Austin Hooper 1-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 13:48. Falcons 24–7. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:41.
ATL – Matt Bryant 29-yard field goal, 8:28. Falcons 27–7. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 3:55.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott – 20/30, 176 yards
ATL – Matt Ryan – 22/29, 215 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
DAL – Alfred Morris – 11 carries, 53 yards
ATL – Tevin Coleman – 20 carries, 83 yards, TD
Top receivers
DAL – Jason Witten – 7 receptions, 59 yards
ATL – Julio Jones – 6 receptions, 57 yards
Top tacklers
DAL –
ATL – :
Already without Ezekiel Elliott, whose suspension had finally taken effect, the Cowboys lost key players Tyron Smith and Sean Lee to injuries. Dak Prescott had a miserable day, being sacked an astounding eight times. Six of those sacks came from an unknown Adrian Clayborn, who set the Falcons record for most sacks in one game. The Cowboys lost the game 27–7, dropping to 5–4.

#### Week 11: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 7 | 0 | 16 | 14 | 37 |
| Cowboys | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), clear skies — retractable roof open
* Game attendance: 93,247
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Mike Nugent 48-yard field goal, 13:27. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:38.
PHI – Kenjon Barner 4-yard run (Jake Elliott kick), 9:16. Eagles 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:19.
DAL – Mike Nugent 27-yard field goal, 3:20. Eagles 7–6. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 5:47.
Second quarter
DAL – Mike Nugent 47-yard field goal, 1:00. Cowboys 9–7. Drive: 15 plays, 59 yards, 7:19.
Third quarter
PHI – Corey Clement 11-yard run (Corey Clement run), 10:56. Eagles 15–9. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:04.
PHI – Torrey Smith 11-yard pass from Carson Wentz (Alshon Jeffery pass from Carson Wentz), 5:40. Eagles 23–9. Drive: 5 plays, 90 yards, 2:28.
Fourth quarter
PHI – Alshon Jeffrey 17-yard pass from Carson Wentz (pass failed), 12:10. Eagles 29–9. Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 5:48.
PHI – Nigel Bradham 37-yard fumble return (Trey Burton pass from Carson Wentz), 10:43. Eagles 37–9. Drive: 3 plays, -3 yards, 1:19.
Top passers
PHI – Carson Wentz – 14/27, 168 yards, 2 TD
DAL – Dak Prescott – 18/31, 145 yards, 3 INT
Top rushers
PHI – Jay Ajayi – 7 carries, 91 yards
DAL – Alfred Morris – 17 carries, 91 yards
Top receivers
PHI – Alshon Jeffrey – 3 receptions, 50 yards, TD
DAL – Dez Bryant – 8 receptions, 63 yards :
The game immediately began with Ryan Switzer running a kickoff for 61 yards to Eagles' territory. The Cowboys would open the scoring with a field goal from Mike Nugent, who was filling in for injured Dan Bailey. The Cowboys closed the half leading 9–7. Afterwards, the Cowboys would allow 30 unanswered points to make the game 37–9. Dak Prescott was harassed all game by the Eagles' defense, losing a fumble and getting intercepted three times. This loss dropped them to 5–5 on the season and 0–2 without Elliott. The 28-point loss margin was the worst Cowboys loss at AT&T Stadium at the time; it would be surpassed seven years later when the Cowboys lost 47–9 to the Detroit Lions.

#### Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

NFL on Thanksgiving Day
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 28 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 93,012
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
LAC – Nick Novak 22-yard field goal, 1:56. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 66 yards, 6:59.
Third quarter
LAC – Hunter Henry 3-yard pass from Philip Rivers (kick failed), 8:59. Chargers 9–0. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 6:01.
LAC – Tyrell Williams 27-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Drew Kaser kick), 1:46. Chargers 16–0. Drive: 8 plays, 92 yards, 3:59.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Rod Smith 2-yard run (pass failed), 12:48. Chargers 16–6. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 3:58.
LAC – Keenan Allen 42-yard pass from Philip Rivers (kick failed), 9:58. Chargers 22–6. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:50.
LAC – Desmond King 90-yard interception return (kick failed), 7:41. Chargers 28–6.
Top passers
LAC – Philip Rivers – 27/33, 434 yards, 3 TD
DAL – Dak Prescott – 20/27, 179 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
LAC – Melvin Gordon – 21 carries, 65 yards
DAL – Rod Smith – 9 carries, 41 yards, TD
Top receivers
LAC – Keenan Allen – 11 receptions, 172 yards, TD
DAL – Jason Witten – 7 receptions, 44 yards
Top tacklers
LAC –
DAL – :
The Chargers dominated the Cowboys all game and only surrendered 6 points. With the loss, the Cowboys dropped to 5–6 on the season and 0–3 without Elliott. This would be their last loss without Elliott, as the Cowboys turned things around the next week.

#### Week 13: vs. Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 17 | 0 | 21 | 38 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 7:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), clear — retractable roof open
* Game attendance: 91,712
* Referee: Craig Wrolstad
* TV announcers (NBC/NFLN/Amazon Video): Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Heather Cox
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
DAL – Jason Witten 8-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 10:43. Cowboys 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 59 yards, 6:09.
DAL – Dan Bailey 24-yard field goal, 5:29. Cowboys 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 13 yards, 4:14.
DAL – Ryan Switzer 83-yard punt return (Dan Bailey kick), 3:46. Cowboys 17–0.
WAS – Ryan Grant 20-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Nick Rose kick), 0:59. Cowboys 17–7. Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 3:25.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Dez Bryant 13-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 14:53. Cowboys 24–7. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 5:28.
WAS – Josh Doctson 14-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Nick Rose kick), 11:28. Cowboys 24–14. Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 3:25.
DAL – Alfred Morris 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 4:55. Cowboys 31–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:33.
DAL – Rod Smith 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 2:37. Cowboys 38–14. Drive: 4 plays, 11 yards, 1:39.
Top passers
WAS – Kirk Cousins – 26/37, 251 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
DAL – Dak Prescott – 11/22, 102 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
WAS – Samaje Perine – 12 carries, 38 yards
DAL – Alfred Morris – 27 carries, 127 yards, TD
Top receivers
WAS – Ryan Grant – 5 receptions, 76 yards, TD
DAL – Dez Bryant – 5 receptions, 61 yards, TD
Top tacklers
WAS –
DAL – :
The Cowboys led the entire game. The biggest highlight was an 83-yard punt return by Ryan Switzer. With the win, they snapped a 3-game losing streak and improved to 1-3 without Elliott.

#### Week 14: at New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 30 |
| Giants | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: December 10
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C), fair
* Game attendance: 78,125
* Referee: Walt Anderson
* TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 21-yard field goal, 7:14. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 16 plays, 73 yards, 7:46.
Second quarter
NYG – Aldrick Rosas 39-yard field goal, 12:50. Tied 3–3. Drive: 17 plays, 62 yards, 9:24.
NYG – Rhett Ellison 1-yard pass from Eli Manning (Aldrick Rosas kick), 2:07. Giants 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 4:17.
DAL – Dez Bryant 50-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 1:38. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 0:29.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Jason Witten 20-yard pass from Dak Prescott (Dan Bailey kick), 7:38. Cowboys 17–10. Drive: 4 plays, 82 yards, 1:51.
DAL – Rod Smith 81-yard pass from Dak Prescott (kick failed), 4:08. Cowboys 23–10. Drive: 3 plays, 88 yards, 0:25.
DAL – Rod Smith 15-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 2:57. Cowboys 30–10. Drive: 3 plays, 21 yards, 0:19.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott – 20/30, 332 yards, 3 TD
NYG – Eli Manning – 31/46, 228 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
DAL – Alfred Morris – 19 carries, 62 yards
NYG – Wayne Gallman – 12 carries, 59 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Rod Smith – 5 receptions, 113 yards, 1 TD
NYG – Evan Engram – 4 receptions, 54 yards :
For the first time in franchise history, the Cowboys wore white pants and navy jerseys. The jerseys are usually paired with silver pants. The white pants were the Color Rush pants with a navy/silver/navy stripe down the side, and the navy jersey is the regular alternate navy jersey, usually worn on Thanksgiving.
The Cowboys defeated the Giants 30-10 and improve to 7-6 and 2-3 without Elliott. They also swept the Giants for the first time since 2014.

#### Week 15: at Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Raiders | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
at Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: December 17
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST/5:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), clear
* Game attendance: 55,372
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 45-yard field goal, 4:56. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 41 yards, 4:08.
Second quarter
DAL – Rod Smith 1-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 14:04. Cowboys 10–0. Drive: 8 plyas, 65 yards, 4:45.
Third quarter
OAK – Michael Crabtree 2-yard pass from Derek Carr (Giorgio Tavecchio kick), 8:03. Cowboys 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 90 yards. 6:57.
OAK – Giorgio Tavecchio 39-yard field goal, 6:14. Tie 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 1:00.
DAL – Dak Prescott 5-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 0:45. Cowboys 17–10. Drive 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:29.
Fourth quarter
OAK – Michael Crabtree 2-yard pass from Derek Carr (Giorgio Tavecchio kick), 10:35. Tie 17–17. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 5:10.
DAL – Dan Bailey 19-yard field goal, 1:44. Cowboys 20–17. Drive: 11 plays 69 yards, 4:46.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott 18/27, 212 yards, 2 INT
OAK – Derek Carr 21/38, 171 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
DAL – Alfred Morris 16 rushes, 61 yards
OAK – Marshawn Lynch 16 rushes 76 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Dez Bryant 2 receptions, 59 yards
OAK – Seth Roberts 3 receptions, 52 yards
Top tacklers
DAL – Sean Lee 10 tackles
OAK – NaVorro Bowman 9 tackles :
The game was close all the way. The game was clinched when Derek Carr fumbled the ball out of the end zone with less than a minute left in the game, allowing the Cowboys to improve to 8–6 on the season and finish the last game without Elliott at 3–3. Elliott returned the next week.

#### Week 16: vs. Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 12 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: December 24
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 92,150
* Referee: John Hussey
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
DAL – Dan Bailey 34-yard field goal, 14:11. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 42 yards, 5:50.
DAL – Dan Bailey 51-yard field goal, 5:48. Cowboys 6–0. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 5:24.
SEA – Jimmy Graham 3-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Blair Walsh kick), 1:38. Seahawks 7–6. Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 2:24.
DAL – Dan Bailey 51-yard field goal, 0:03. Cowboys 9–7. Drive: 8 plays, 49 yards, 1:35.
Third quarter
SEA – Justin Coleman 30-yard interception return (Blair Walsh kick), 11:19. Seahawks 14–9.
DAL – Dan Bailey 39-yard field goal, 8:36. Seahawks 14–12. Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 2:43.
Fourth quarter
SEA – Doug Baldwin 6-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Blair Walsh kick), 11:59. Seahawks 21–12. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 6:25.
Top passers
SEA – Russell Wilson – 14/21, 93 yards, 2 TD
DAL – Dak Prescott – 21/34, 182 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
SEA – Russell Wilson – 9 carries, 29 yards
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott – 24 carries, 97 yards
Top receivers
SEA – Doug Baldwin – 4 receptions, 35 yards, TD
DAL – Dez Bryant – 3 receptions, 44 yards
Top tacklers
SEA –
DAL – :
Elliott returned from his six-game suspension and rushed for 97 yards in his first game back. However, the Cowboys could not find the end zone all game, and were doomed by a costly third-quarter pick six by Justin Coleman that ended up being the decisive score. Dallas dropped to 8–7 on the year and was eliminated from playoff contention with the 21–12 loss.

#### Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 31
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 19 °F (−7 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 69,596
* Referee: John Parry
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber and Kristina Pink
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
No Scoring plays.
Second quarter
No Scoring plays.
Third quarter
No Scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Brice Butler 20-yard pass from Dak Prescott (kick failed), 12:19. Cowboys 6–0. Drive: 12 plays, 103 yards, 5:48.
Top passers
DAL – Dak Prescott: 17/30, 179 yards, TD
PHI – Nate Sudfeld: 19/23, 134 yards
Top rushers
DAL – Ezekiel Elliott: 27 rushes, 103 yards
PHI – LeGarrette Blount: 9 rushes, 37 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Brice Butler: 2 receptions, 50 yards, TD
PHI – Mack Hollins: 3 receptions, 25 yards
Top tacklers
DAL – Sean Lee: 7 tackles, 1 assist
PHI – Jaylen Watkins: 7 tackles :
In a tight, defensive game against the Eagles backups, the Cowboys narrowly prevailed 6-0, with the only score coming on a fourth-quarter touchdown by Brice Butler. With the close win, the Cowboys finished a difficult season with a 9–7 record. Despite this, it was the first time they had recorded back-to-back winning seasons since the 2008 and 2009 seasons. They also recorded their first shutout since the 2009 season which was, coincidentally, also during a Week 17 game against the Eagles. This was Dez Bryant's last game with Dallas, as the Cowboys released him on April 13, 2018. This was Jason Witten's last game in the NFL until Week 1 of the 2019 season, as he retired on May 3, 2018 and joined the Monday Night Football booth. He later came out of retirement and rejoined the Cowboys in 2019. It would also be the final game in a Cowboys uniform for kicker Dan Bailey, who missed the extra point on Butler's touchdown, as well as a late field goal attempt. Bailey was released on September 1, 2018 and signed with the Minnesota Vikings on September 17, 2018.

### Standings
#### Division

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Philadelphia Eagles | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 457 | 295 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | 354 | 332 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 5–7 | 342 | 388 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 1–11 | 246 | 388 | W1 |

#### Conference

NFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division leaders ||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .461 | .433 | L1 |
| 2 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .447 | W3 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams | West | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .504 | .460 | L1 |
| 4 | New Orleans Saints | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .535 | .483 | L1 |
| Wild Cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | Carolina Panthers | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .539 | .500 | L1 |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .543 | .475 | W1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 7 | Detroit Lions | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .496 | .368 | W1 |
| 8 | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .492 | .444 | L1 |
| 9 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .496 | .438 | W1 |
| 10 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .488 | .406 | W2 |
| 11 | Green Bay Packers | North | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .539 | .357 | L3 |
| 12 | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 5–7 | .539 | .429 | L1 |
| 13 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .438 | W5 |
| 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .555 | .375 | W1 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | North | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 0–6 | 1–11 | .559 | .500 | L1 |
| 16 | New York Giants | East | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .531 | .458 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 Philadelphia claimed the No. 1 seed over Minnesota based on winning percentage vs. common opponents. Philadelphia's cumulative record against Carolina, Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams and Washington was 5–0, compared to Minnesota's 4–1 cumulative record against the same four teams. 1 2 LA Rams claimed the No. 3 seed over New Orleans based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 New Orleans clinched the NFC South division over Carolina based on head-to-head sweep. 1 2 3 Detroit finished ahead of Dallas and Seattle based on conference record, while Seattle finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 Green Bay finished ahead of Washington based on record vs. common opponents. Green Bay's cumulative record against Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans and Seattle was 2–3, compared to Washington's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams. 1 2 Tampa Bay finished ahead of Chicago based on head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division. ||||||||||||