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2016 Dallas Cowboys season

January 01, 1970

The 2016 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 57th season in the National Football League (NFL), the eighth playing their home games at AT&T Stadium and the 6th full season under head coach Jason Garrett.

2016 Dallas Cowboys season
OwnerJerry Jones
General managerJerry Jones
Head coachJason Garrett
Home fieldAT&T Stadium
Results
Record13–3
Division place1st NFC East
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Packers) 31–34
Pro Bowlers
7
AP All-Pros
5
Uniform
Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott during the Cowboys at Redskins game in September.

After losing their first game to the New York Giants, the Cowboys won 11 straight games. The streak ended with them losing again to the same team in week 14, making this the first time since 2011 that the Cowboys were swept by the Giants. With division rivals Washington Redskins losing to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13, the Cowboys clinched a playoff berth after missing the playoffs the previous year.[1] Following the Giants' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, the Cowboys became NFC East champions for the second time in three years and clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The 13–3 record, which was 9 wins more than their injury-plagued season they had the year before, is tied for the best record in team history, equaling its 1992 and 2007 records.

However, despite this, the Cowboys suffered a devastating loss in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 34–31, ending their season and extending their NFC Championship game drought to 22 seasons. This was also quarterback Tony Romo's last season in the NFL, as he announced his retirement on April 4, 2017. The Cowboys became the first team since the AFL-NFL merger to rise from the bottom of the NFC to the top seed in one season.

Offseason edit

Cowboys 2016 free agents
Position Player Restriction Date signed 2016 team
G Mackenzy Bernadeau UFA March 11[2] Jacksonville Jaguars
T Charles Brown[A] UFA March 10[4] -
QB Matt Cassel UFA March 9[5] Tennessee Titans
CB Morris Claiborne UFA March 11[6] Dallas Cowboys
FB Tyler Clutts UFA - -
DE Jack Crawford UFA April 4[7] Dallas Cowboys
RB Lance Dunbar UFA March 17[8] Dallas Cowboys
TE James Hanna UFA March 11[9] Dallas Cowboys
DE Greg Hardy UFA - -
DT Nick Hayden UFA - -
S Jeff Heath RFA April 13[10] Dallas Cowboys
G Ronald Leary RFA April 28[11] Dallas Cowboys
LB Rolando McClain[B] UFA March 9[13] -
S Danny McCray UFA - -
DE Jeremy Mincey UFA - -
CB Josh Thomas UFA March 10[14] Dallas Cowboys
RB Robert Turbin UFA March 15[15] Indianapolis Colts
LB Kyle Wilber UFA March 11[16] Dallas Cowboys
RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent
  1. ^ Brown was resigned, but later retired and did not play in the 2016 season.[3]
  2. ^ McClain was resigned, but later was suspended and did not play in the 2016 season.[12]

Background edit

Coming into the offseason the Cowboys had a few positions that concerned them as a result of injuries, suspensions, and players potentially leaving the team. The positions that were of most concern were quarterback,[17] defensive back,[18] and pass rusher.[19] The Cowboys had a total of eighteen players entering the free agency, which meant the players were free to negotiate with and sign a contract to play with any team in the league.[20] Of the eighteen players, two of them were restricted free agents, which meant they could get offers from other teams, and the Cowboys would have opportunity to match the offer and keep the player on their roster.[21] The free agency process officially started on March 9 for all thirty-two teams.[20]

Offense

After losing ten out of the eleven games without Romo in 2015,[22] the Dallas Cowboys wanted to find a reliable back up quarterback, either through the draft, or by signing a veteran free agent.[23] The Cowboys met with the top three quarterbacks entering the draft: Jared Goff, Carson Wentz,[24] and Paxton Lynch,[25] all of whom were projected to be drafted in the first round.[26][27] Another prospect for the Cowboys was Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, who met with the team on four separate occasions leading some to believe he would be their target in the middle rounds of the draft.[25] Including Prescott, Goff, Wentz and Lynch, the Cowboys had pre-draft meetings with a total of seven quarterbacks entering the draft.[28] Cowboys also looked at veteran quarterback Matt Moore, having him visit with the organization in March[29] before he re-signed with the Miami Dolphins later in the month.[30] After a mediocre performance the previous year, quarterback Matt Cassel entered free agency.[5] Tight end James Hanna re-signed with the Cowboys with a three-year contract worth $8.2 million on March 11.[9] Running back Lance Dunbar re-signed to a one-year contract worth $1.7 million on March 17. After the window to receive offers from other teams while being a restricted free agent closed, guard Ronald Leary re-signed with the Cowboys for a one-year deal worth $2.5 million on April 28.[11]

Defense

On the defensive side of the team the Cowboys were coming off a year where they only had 8 interceptions, and needed to make improvements with their defensive backs. Orlando Scandrick who was a starting cornerback for the team in 2013 and 2014, was still recovering from the ACL and MCL injury[18] that happened during practice in 2015 causing him to miss the entire season.[31] Cornerbacks Josh Thomas and Morris Claiborne both were unrestricted free agents and could potentially be signed by another team. Within the first two days after free agency started, they both were re-signed to the Cowboys, Claiborne for a one-year deal worth $3 million,[32] and Thomas for a one-year contract.[14] Defensive backs Nolan Carroll, Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson were brought in to meet with the Cowboys during free agency.[33] Safety Jeff Heath re-signed for a four-year contract worth $7.6 million on April 13.[34]

In regards to their needs with the pass rush Sports Illustrated writer Chris Burke said that defensive end was the position that most needed to be improve for the Cowboys.[35] Defensive end Randy Gregory had a suspension for the first four games of the season as a result of abusing the leagues substance abuse policy,[36] which would later be increased by ten games.[37] One of the Cowboys other defensive ends, DeMarcus Lawrence was recovering from back surgery spreading their defensive line even more thin.[38] Defensive tackle Nick Hayden, defensive ends Greg Hardy, Jeremy Mincey and Jack Crawford, all were entering the free agency.[35] Crawford was the only one to be re-signed and was given a one-year deal worth $1.1 million on March 9.[7] Defensive end Jason Jones was brought in to visit the Cowboys on March 28.[38] Linebacker Kyle Wilber re-signed for a two-year contract worth $3.2 million on March 11.

Departures edit

Of the eighteen Cowboys players who were in the free agency, the Cowboys were able to re-sign ten of them for the 2016 season. From those ten, linebacker Rolando McClain was re-signed on March 9,[13] but due to a suspension he received from the league for violating the NFL's drug policy he missed the entire season.[12][39] Offensive tackle Charles Brown was re-signed on March 10,[4] but in July decided to retire and was placed on the reserved/retired list.[3] From the eight that weren't re-signed, four of them signed with other teams. The first of these three was quarterback Matt Cassel, who left for the free agency after being benched in the previous season when he lost six of his seven games as a starter. He went on to be signed by the Tennessee Titans on March 9.[5] The next player to sign with another team was guard Mackenzy Bernadeau who signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 11.[2] Next up was running back Robert Turbin who signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts on March 15.[15] The last player to sign with another team was defensive tackle Nick Hayden who signed with the Cleveland Browns in March,[40] but ended up being released in August and not playing during the season.[41] Players that did not sign with the Cowboys or any other teams included defensive end Greg Hardy who was a free agent that had a lot of off the field issues. It was reported that Hardy not being re-signed was likely more due to fitting in with the Cowboys locker room rather than due to the off the field issues.[42] Defensive end Jeremy Mincey decided to retired in August.[43] The last two free agents, 31 year old fullback Tyler Clutts and 28 year old safety Danny McCray both were not re-signed, speculated to be due to their age.[44]

Acquisitions edit

While most of the activity made by the Cowboys during free agency was re-signing their own players, they also made a few acquisitions of players from other teams to add to their roster.[45] Defensive end Cedric Thornton was the first to be acquired, signing a four-year contract worth $18 million on March 10. Thorton comes from one of the Cowboys divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, and moved from defensive end to defensive tackle.[46] At the time of his signing, he was believed to be the likely replacement for Hayden who was still in the free agency.[47] Continuing to work on the improvement of their defensive line, the next acquisition for the Cowboys was defensive end Benson Mayowa from the Oakland Raiders, who signed a three-year contract on March 18 worth $8.5 million.[48] Mayowa was a restricted free agent, and the Raiders had five days to match the offer to retain him, but they declined to do so,[49] allowing the Cowboys to improve their pass rush some more. The next free agent acquisition was from another divisional rival, when the Cowboys signed Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris.[32] Morris signed a contract on March 22 for 2 years and worth $3.5 million.[50] Morris will be added into the running back rotation with starter Darren McFadden, who replaced Joseph Randle last year as the starter after Randle was injured and later cut for off the field issues.[51] The final free agent acquisition the Cowboys made was offensive lineman Joe Looney from the Tennessee Titans, who was signed on March 29. He is a flexible player who can play both center and guard, similar to the role Bernadeau had.[52] Looney's contract was for two years and worth $1.6 million.[53]

2016 NFL draft edit

Main article: 2016 NFL draft
 
Ezekiel Elliott interviewed in 2015

The Dallas Cowboys had nine draft picks for the 2016 NFL draft which was scheduled to take place from April 28 to April 30 in Chicago, Illinois.[54] The Cowboys originally had only five picks as a results of trades with the Raiders,[55] 49ers[56] and Seahawks,[57] but were awarded four compensatory picks on March 11 as a result of the net loss of players in free agency before the 2015 season. One of the compensatory picks received was a fourth round draft pick, and the other three picks were all in the sixth round.[58] After all the trades and the compensatory picks given, the Cowboys had one pick in each of the first three rounds, two picks in the fourth, zero in the fifth, four picks in the sixth round, and zero in the seventh. In January Neil Hornsby, the founder of Pro Football Focus, ranked the offseason needs for the Dallas Cowboys, and said the top needs for the draft were quarterback, cornerback, guard, and running back.[59] Leading up to the draft two of these needs, running back and guard, were addressed with the addition of Morris and Looney to the team during free agency. As the draft got closer on April 26, Bleacher Report also listed running back, quarterback and cornerback in their top five needs for the Cowboys in the draft, along with defensive end and safety.[60]

The Dallas Cowboys (are my pick). I want to go play behind that great offensive line they have down in Dallas.

—Ezekiel Elliott[61]

With the fourth overall pick in the draft, the Cowboys used their first round selection to draft Ezekiel Elliott from Ohio State. Prior to the draft the Cowboys had met with Elliott on two separate occasions, once in Ohio, and a second time in Dallas.[62] Elliott averaged seven yards per carry during his three-year college career, and had over 1,800 yards in both of his final two years.[63] In the 2015 season, Elliott was named unanimously to the first team of the All-Big Ten Conference,[64] and second on the 2015 College Football All-America Team.[65] Along with being first team Big Ten, Elliott was also named the offensive player of the year and the MVP for the conference.[64][66] In the 2014 season he and the Ohio State Buckeyes won the Big Ten Championship along with the College Football National Championship in which Elliott was named MVP.[67] In early February during an interview on NFL Network when asked about which team he wanted to be picked by, Elliott responded with: "The Dallas Cowboys. I want to go play behind that great offensive line they have down in Dallas."[61] Elliott was expected to help the Cowboys in the running game as he would be behind what was considered by some to be the best offensive line in the NFL.[68] Elliott's presence would also help with the passing game due to his blocking abilities and the fact that defenses would have to respect the backfield with him there, which would increase the effectiveness of play-action passes.[69] Elliott became the third running back to be drafted by the Cowboys with a top-20 pick. The previous two picks, Tony Dorsett in 1977 and Emmitt Smith in 1990 ended up being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the latter also is the NFL's all-time leading rusher.[70]

In the second round of the draft, the Cowboys selected Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith with the 34th overall pick. Smith was named first team All-American in 2015,[65] and led his team in tackles. Smith also won the Butkus Award, which is awarded to the best linebacker in the country at the high school, college, and professional levels. This was the second time Smith had won the award, the previous time in 2013 as a senior in high school.[71] In the Fiesta Bowl game versus Ohio State, Smith suffered a knee injury that later was determined to be a torn ACL and torn MCL.[72] With the injury to his knee, it was expected for him to miss a significant amount of time, potentially the entire season. The Cowboys team doctor was the ones to perform the surgery to repair his knee before the draft, so it was believed they might have a bit more knowledge of the situation than other teams.[42] With their third round and fourth round picks, the Cowboys shifted their focus to the defensive line. In the third, with the 67th overall pick, the Cowboys selected Nebraska defensive tackle Maliek Collins.[73] In the fourth round with the 101st overall pick, the Cowboys selected Charles Tapper, a defensive end out of Oklahoma. In 2015 Collins was named to the second team All-Big Ten Conference, and Tapper was first team All-Big 12 Conference.[74][75]

 
Dak Prescott in 2015

After selecting Elliott early in the first, the Cowboys attempted to trade with multiple teams for another first round selection in order to draft quarterback Paxton Lynch.[76] They were unsuccessful in finding a trade and it wasn't until their second fourth round pick that they decided on a quarterback with Mississippi State's Dak Prescott being selected 135th overall.[70] Prescott was selected with one of the compensatory picks the Cowboys received for the draft.[77] This marks the first time since 2009 the Cowboys have drafted a quarterback.[28] While Prescott was the starter for Mississippi State, he broke 38 school records and lead them to a #1 ranking in 2014 for the first time in the school's history.[78] Prescott was named to first team of both the 2014 and 2015 All-SEC football teams. Prescott was quickly compared to Tony Romo, being similar in size and being able to make plays with their feet.[70] Prescott's athletic talents contributed greatly to the Cowboys picking him, but team official also noted his locker room presence and leadership abilities as influencing the decision as well.[79] Prescott will enter training camp and try to compete with Kellen Moore for the backup quarterback role for the season, and then work towards become a starter, a task he accomplished both in high school and college.[80] The Cowboys looked forward to developing Prescott over the years and were confident he was a worthwhile talent.[79] When asked about not being the Cowboys first choice to draft, in regards to the attempt to trade up for Lynch, Dak responded with: “I'm sure at Mississippi State I wasn't the first one on the recruit board when I committed there. Everything works out and happens for a reason."[80]

With no picks in the fifth or seventh round, the Cowboys finished their draft in the sixth round where they had four picks. Their first two picks were two defensive backs, Anthony Brown a cornerback from Purdue, selected 189th overall, and Kavon Frazier a safety from Central Michigan, selected 212th overall. Brown showed off his impressive speed at the NFL combine, where he ran the 40 yard dash in 4.35 seconds, the second fastest time of all cornerbacks attending.[70] Brown was an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten Conference team, while Frazier was named second team All-MAC Conference.[74][81] The Cowboys switched their focus back to the offense with their next two picks and selected back to back with the 216th and 217th overall picks. First was Darius Jackson a running back from Eastern Michigan, then followed up with Rico Gathers a basketball player out of Baylor with intentions to play tight end.[79] Jackson was third team All-Mac Conference,[81] and was expected to use his ability to catch the ball from the backfield to fill the void that would be left at start of season while Lance Dunbar was out after a knee surgery.[70] Gathers hadn't played football since he was 13 years old,[82] but was an honorable mention AP All-American college basketball athlete.[83]

2016 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 4 Ezekiel Elliott *  RB Ohio State
2 34 Jaylon Smith *  OLB Notre Dame
3 67 Maliek Collins  DT Nebraska
4 101 Charles Tapper  DE Oklahoma
4 135 Dak Prescott *  QB Mississippi State Compensatory
6 189 Anthony Brown  CB Purdue From Oakland[55]
6 212 Kavon Frazier  S Central Michigan Compensatory
6 216 Darius Jackson  RB Eastern Michigan Compensatory
6 217 Rico Gathers  TE Baylor Compensatory
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

Staff edit

2016 Dallas Cowboys staff

Front office

  • Owner/president/general manager – Jerry Jones
  • COO/executive vice president/director of player personnel – Stephen Jones
  • Senior director of football operations/football administration – Todd Williams
  • Senior director college/pro personnel – Will McClay
  • Senior personnel executive – Tom Ciskowski
  • Director of college scouting – Lionel Vital
  • Director of pro scouting – Judd Garrett
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Chris Hall
  • Director of football research – Tom Robinson

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Rosters edit

Opening preseason roster edit

Dallas Cowboys 2016 opening preseason roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

90 active, 4 inactive

Week one roster edit

Dallas Cowboys 2016 week one roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice squad

53 active, 12 inactive, 10 practice squad

Final roster edit

Dallas Cowboys 2016 final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice squad

53 active, 12 inactive, 9 practice squad

Preseason edit

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 13 at Los Angeles Rams L 24–28 0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
2 August 19 Miami Dolphins W 41–14 1–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
3 August 25 at Seattle Seahawks L 17–27 1–2 CenturyLink Field Recap
4 September 1 Houston Texans L 17–28 1–3 AT&T Stadium Recap

Regular season edit

Schedule edit

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 11 New York Giants L 19–20 0–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
2 September 18 at Washington Redskins W 27–23 1–1 FedExField Recap
3 September 25 Chicago Bears W 31–17 2–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
4 October 2 at San Francisco 49ers W 24–17 3–1 Levi's Stadium Recap
5 October 9 Cincinnati Bengals W 28–14 4–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
6 October 16 at Green Bay Packers W 30–16 5–1 Lambeau Field Recap
7 Bye
8 October 30 Philadelphia Eagles W 29–23 (OT) 6–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
9 November 6 at Cleveland Browns W 35–10 7–1 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
10 November 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 35–30 8–1 Heinz Field Recap
11 November 20 Baltimore Ravens W 27–17 9–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
12 November 24 Washington Redskins W 31–26 10–1 AT&T Stadium Recap
13 December 1 at Minnesota Vikings W 17–15 11–1 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
14 December 11 at New York Giants L 7–10 11–2 MetLife Stadium Recap
15 December 18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 26–20 12–2 AT&T Stadium Recap
16 December 26 Detroit Lions W 42–21 13–2 AT&T Stadium Recap
17 January 1 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–27 13–3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries edit

Week 1: vs. New York Giants edit

Week One: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 13 0720
Cowboys 3 6 7319

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

The Cowboys fell short trying to win their home opener against the Giants in a hard-fought game. They dropped to 0–1 and lost to the Giants at AT&T Stadium for the first time since 2012.

Ezekiel Elliott struggled to find holes all game, but managed to record his first NFL touchdown. The Dallas defense failed to contain the Giants' rushing attack. The game also saw the return of Victor Cruz, who caught the game-clinching touchdown pass from Eli Manning.

Dallas' final play, a 14-yard catch-and-run by Terrance Williams, put them in field goal range, but he stayed inbounds and time expired.

Week 2: at Washington Redskins edit

Week Two: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 10 3 7727
Redskins 0 10 13023

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott was impressive in his second NFL start, rushing for a touchdown and playing mistake-free football as Dallas evened its record at 1–1 with a win over its long-time rival.

Barry Church's interception of Kirk Cousins in the end zone late in the fourth quarter sealed the game.

Week 3: vs. Chicago Bears edit

Week Three: Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 3 7717
Cowboys 10 14 0731

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Dallas won its first home game in over a year as it dispatched of the Bears, who were without normal starting quarterback Jay Cutler and instead started Brian Hoyer. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 140 yards on 30 carries in just his third NFL game and Dak Prescott threw his first NFL touchdown pass to Dez Bryant.

Week 4: at San Francisco 49ers edit

Week Four: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 14 7324
49ers 7 7 3017

at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

  • Date: October 2
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT/1:25 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 70,178
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Cowboys rallied from an early 14-point hole to win over the 49ers on the road, winning their third straight game in the process. Ezekiel Elliott went over the century mark again, rushing for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Week 5: vs. Cincinnati Bengals edit

Week Five: Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 0 01414
Cowboys 7 14 7028

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Dak Prescott extended his consecutive passes to begin a career without an interception streak to 155, trailing only Tom Brady all-time. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 134 yards on only 15 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run. The win put Dallas a half-game ahead of the Eagles for first place in the NFC East.

Week 6: at Green Bay Packers edit

Week Six: Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 10 31030
Packers 3 3 01016

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 78,481
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

It was the third straight year that the Cowboys traveled to Lambeau Field to face the Packers. Despite Dak Prescott being picked off for the first time this season, he still managed 247 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also passed Tom Brady's all-time record of consecutive pass attempts to start a career without an interception.

Ezekiel Elliott pounded the Green Bay Packers number one ranked run defense with 157 yards on 28 carries.

The Dallas defense dominated the Packers, forcing four Green Bay turnovers. It was the first time since 2008, and second time in franchise history that the Cowboys had won at Lambeau Field. With the 30–16 victory, the Cowboys went 5–1 heading into the bye week.

Week 8: vs. Philadelphia Eagles edit

Week Eight: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Eagles 3 10 73023
Cowboys 7 3 310629

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m. CDT/7:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C), clear skies — retractable roof open
  • Game attendance: 93,103
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Hoping to continue their winning streak, the Cowboys hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a primetime matchup duel between Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz. Jason Witten's touchdown in overtime sealed the victory for the Cowboys, who went 6–1; this was the Cowboys' first victory against the Eagles at AT&T Stadium since 2012.

Week 9: at Cleveland Browns edit

Week Nine: Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 14 14035
Browns 3 7 0010

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Game information

The winless Browns had no answer for Dak Prescott who threw three touchdown passes in a 35–10 win and improving the Cowboys to 7–1 for the first time since 2007.

Week 10: at Pittsburgh Steelers edit

Week Ten: Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 10 3 101235
Steelers 12 3 31230

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 67,737
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

A classic rivalry since the 1970s, the Cowboys traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers, who were coming off a three-game losing streak (including a loss to the Baltimore Ravens the previous week). With the win, the Cowboys extended their winning streak to eight games for the first time since 1977. Ezekiel Elliott reached 1,000 yards in this game and rushed for the game-winning touchdown in the space of 30 seconds. The Cowboys also clinched a non-losing season as they had the best win–loss record in the NFL.

Week 11: vs. Baltimore Ravens edit

Week Eleven: Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Ravens 7 3 0717
Cowboys 0 10 71027

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 20
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,056
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Cowboys returned home to take on the Baltimore Ravens. Ezekiel Elliott surpassed Tony Dorsett's record of 1,007 rushing yards as a rookie. With the win, the Cowboys extended their winning streak to nine games for the first time in the team's franchise history. The win also saw the Cowboys beat the Ravens for the very first time.

Week 12: vs. Washington Redskins edit

Thanksgiving Day game

Week Twelve: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 6 02026
Cowboys 7 10 01431

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,099
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Chris Myers and Erin Andrews
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In the traditional Thanksgiving game, the Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins, who had just came off a victory against the Green Bay Packers. In a game of catch-up, the Redskins never led; however, they made a valiant effort in the fourth quarter to take the lead. The Cowboys held them off and won the game, thus extending their winning streak to ten games for the first time in franchise history. This was also the first time since 2013 that the Cowboys would sweep the Redskins.

Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings edit

Week Thirteen: Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 01017
Vikings 3 0 3915

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: December 1
  • Game time: 7:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (fixed-roof stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,860
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (NBC/NFLN/Twitter): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Heather Cox
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Cowboys traveled to Minnesota to take on the struggling Vikings following their loss against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. In a rather tightly contested game that saw penalties on Dallas and strong Vikings defense, the Cowboys nevertheless managed to win and thus extended their historical win streak to eleven games. This was also the first time since 1995 in which Dallas had won at Minnesota. With the win, plus a loss from the Washington Redskins against the Cardinals the following Sunday, Dallas became the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff berth this season.

Week 14: at New York Giants edit

Week Fourteen: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 7 0 007
Giants 0 0 10010

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 80,874
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Rrcap, Gamebook
Game information

Trying to win their 12th straight and avenge their Week 1 loss, the Cowboys took on the second place New York Giants in a Sunday night showdown. After taking a 7–0 lead on their second possession of the game, the Cowboys failed to score any more points for the rest of the game and lost 10–7, thus ending their 11-game winning streak. Dak Prescott had his first multiple-interception game and the Cowboys committed three turnovers. It was the first time that they were swept in the regular season by the Giants since the 2011 season.

Week 15: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers edit

Week Fifteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 3 3 14020
Cowboys 0 17 0926

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 93,101
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Following their second loss to the Giants, the Cowboys returned to Arlington in a match against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who were coming off a five-game winning streak). Despite both teams sharing the lead from time and time again, the Cowboys were able to hold off the Buccaneers. With less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter, Orlando Scandrick intercepted a pass from Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (who fumbled earlier in the first half) and ended the game as a Cowboys victory.

Dallas' only other highlight came early in the second quarter when Ezekiel Elliott leapt onto the Salvation Army kettle after scoring a touchdown to lead Dallas 10–3. This celebration resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty; however, the following day, the NFL decided to not fine Elliott for the celebration.

The Cowboys improved to 12–2, and with the Giants' loss to the Eagles the following Thursday night, they clinched the NFC East title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions edit

Week Sixteen: Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 14 0021
Cowboys 14 7 14742

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

The Cowboys improved to 13–2 and swept the NFC North. They became the first team since the 2008 Tennessee Titans to sweep both the AFC and NFC North in the same regular season. They also won their 13th game in the regular season for the third time in franchise history, and first time since 2007. Dez Bryant threw his first touchdown pass of his career.

Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles edit

Week Seventeen: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 10 3013
Eagles 3 7 71027

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 69,596
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With everything already clinched, the Cowboys rested numerous key starters, including Elliott and Sean Lee, and only played Dak Prescott for two series. Tony Romo played for the first time since November 2015 and in his one series, threw a touchdown pass to Terrance Williams. With the 27–13 loss, their first in Philadelphia since Week 8 of the 2011 season, the Cowboys finished the regular season 13–3, with a 3–3 record against NFC East competition, and a 10–0 record outside of the division.

Standings edit

Division edit

NFC East
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Dallas Cowboys 13 3 0 .813 3–3 9–3 421 306 L1
(5) New York Giants 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 310 284 W1
Washington Redskins 8 7 1 .531 3–3 6–6 396 383 L1
Philadelphia Eagles 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 367 331 W2

Conference edit

NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Dallas Cowboys East 13 3 0 .813 3–3 9–3 .471 .440 L1
2 Atlanta Falcons South 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 .480 .452 W4
3 Seattle Seahawks West 10 5 1 .656 3–2–1 6–5–1 .441 .425 W1
4 Green Bay Packers North 10 6 0 .625 5–1 8–4 .508 .453 W6
Wild Cards
5 New York Giants East 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 .486 .455 W1
6[a] Detroit Lions North 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .475 .392 L3
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[a] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 9 7 0 .563 4–2 7–5 .492 .434 W1
8 Washington Redskins East 8 7 1 .531 3–3 6–6 .516 .430 L1
9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 5–7 .492 .457 W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West 7 8 1 .469 4–1–1 6–5–1 .463 .366 W2
11[b] New Orleans Saints South 7 9 0 .438 2–4 6–6 .523 .393 L1
12[b] Philadelphia Eagles East 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 .559 .518 W2
13 Carolina Panthers South 6 10 0 .375 1–5 5–7 .518 .354 L2
14 Los Angeles Rams West 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .504 .500 L7
15 Chicago Bears North 3 13 0 .188 2–4 3–9 .521 .396 L4
16 San Francisco 49ers West 2 14 0 .125 2–4 2–10 .504 .250 L1
Tiebreakers[c]
  1. ^ a b Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents—Detroit's cumulative record against Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and New Orleans was 3–2, while Tampa Bay's cumulative record against the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. ^ a b New Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs. conference opponents.
  3. ^ 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.

Postseason edit

See also: 2016–17 NFL playoffs

Schedule edit

Playoff round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
Wild Card First-round bye
Divisional January 15, 2017 Green Bay Packers (4) L 31–34 0–1 AT&T Stadium Recap

Game summaries edit

NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (4) Green Bay Packers edit

NFC Divisional Playoffs: (4) Green Bay Packers at (1) Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Packers 7 14 7634
Cowboys 3 10 01831

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game information

Despite having the #1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage, the Cowboys' season came to an end in Dallas when they were defeated by the #4 seed Green Bay Packers 34–31, who avenged their Week 6 loss with a Mason Crosby field goal with just 3 seconds left in the game. For the first time since Week 14, Dak Prescott threw an interception as Packers safety Micah Hyde intercepted Prescott with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter.

With the loss, the Cowboys closed out their season with a 13–4 record.

References edit

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External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2016 Dallas Cowboys season.
  • "2016 Dallas Cowboys Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  • Official website

January 01, 1970
2016, dallas, cowboys, season, franchise, 57th, season, national, football, league, eighth, playing, their, home, games, stadium, full, season, under, head, coach, jason, garrett, ownerjerry, jonesgeneral, managerjerry, joneshead, coachjason, garretthome, fiel. The 2016 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise s 57th season in the National Football League NFL the eighth playing their home games at AT amp T Stadium and the 6th full season under head coach Jason Garrett 2016 Dallas Cowboys seasonOwnerJerry JonesGeneral managerJerry JonesHead coachJason GarrettHome fieldAT amp T StadiumResultsRecord13 3Division place1st NFC EastPlayoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs vs Packers 31 34Pro Bowlers7 QB Dak PrescottRB Ezekiel ElliottWR Dez BryantT Tyron SmithG Zack MartinC Travis FrederickLB Sean LeeAP All Pros5 RB Ezekiel Elliott 1st team LT Tyron Smith 1st team C Travis Frederick 1st team RG Zack Martin 1st team LB Sean Lee 1st team Uniform 2015 Cowboys seasons 2017 Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott during the Cowboys at Redskins game in September After losing their first game to the New York Giants the Cowboys won 11 straight games The streak ended with them losing again to the same team in week 14 making this the first time since 2011 that the Cowboys were swept by the Giants With division rivals Washington Redskins losing to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 the Cowboys clinched a playoff berth after missing the playoffs the previous year 1 Following the Giants loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16 the Cowboys became NFC East champions for the second time in three years and clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time since 2007 The 13 3 record which was 9 wins more than their injury plagued season they had the year before is tied for the best record in team history equaling its 1992 and 2007 records However despite this the Cowboys suffered a devastating loss in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 34 31 ending their season and extending their NFC Championship game drought to 22 seasons This was also quarterback Tony Romo s last season in the NFL as he announced his retirement on April 4 2017 The Cowboys became the first team since the AFL NFL merger to rise from the bottom of the NFC to the top seed in one season Contents 1 Offseason 1 1 Background 1 2 Departures 1 3 Acquisitions 1 4 2016 NFL draft 2 Staff 3 Rosters 3 1 Opening preseason roster 3 2 Week one roster 3 3 Final roster 4 Preseason 5 Regular season 5 1 Schedule 5 2 Game summaries 5 2 1 Week 1 vs New York Giants 5 2 2 Week 2 at Washington Redskins 5 2 3 Week 3 vs Chicago Bears 5 2 4 Week 4 at San Francisco 49ers 5 2 5 Week 5 vs Cincinnati Bengals 5 2 6 Week 6 at Green Bay Packers 5 2 7 Week 8 vs Philadelphia Eagles 5 2 8 Week 9 at Cleveland Browns 5 2 9 Week 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers 5 2 10 Week 11 vs Baltimore Ravens 5 2 11 Week 12 vs Washington Redskins 5 2 12 Week 13 at Minnesota Vikings 5 2 13 Week 14 at New York Giants 5 2 14 Week 15 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 2 15 Week 16 vs Detroit Lions 5 2 16 Week 17 at Philadelphia Eagles 5 3 Standings 5 3 1 Division 5 3 2 Conference 6 Postseason 6 1 Schedule 6 2 Game summaries 6 2 1 NFC Divisional Playoffs vs 4 Green Bay Packers 7 References 8 External linksOffseason editCowboys 2016 free agents Position Player Restriction Date signed 2016 team G Mackenzy Bernadeau UFA March 11 2 Jacksonville Jaguars T Charles Brown A UFA March 10 4 QB Matt Cassel UFA March 9 5 Tennessee Titans CB Morris Claiborne UFA March 11 6 Dallas Cowboys FB Tyler Clutts UFA DE Jack Crawford UFA April 4 7 Dallas Cowboys RB Lance Dunbar UFA March 17 8 Dallas Cowboys TE James Hanna UFA March 11 9 Dallas Cowboys DE Greg Hardy UFA DT Nick Hayden UFA S Jeff Heath RFA April 13 10 Dallas Cowboys G Ronald Leary RFA April 28 11 Dallas Cowboys LB Rolando McClain B UFA March 9 13 S Danny McCray UFA DE Jeremy Mincey UFA CB Josh Thomas UFA March 10 14 Dallas Cowboys RB Robert Turbin UFA March 15 15 Indianapolis Colts LB Kyle Wilber UFA March 11 16 Dallas Cowboys RFA Restricted free agent UFA Unrestricted free agent Brown was resigned but later retired and did not play in the 2016 season 3 McClain was resigned but later was suspended and did not play in the 2016 season 12 Background edit Coming into the offseason the Cowboys had a few positions that concerned them as a result of injuries suspensions and players potentially leaving the team The positions that were of most concern were quarterback 17 defensive back 18 and pass rusher 19 The Cowboys had a total of eighteen players entering the free agency which meant the players were free to negotiate with and sign a contract to play with any team in the league 20 Of the eighteen players two of them were restricted free agents which meant they could get offers from other teams and the Cowboys would have opportunity to match the offer and keep the player on their roster 21 The free agency process officially started on March 9 for all thirty two teams 20 OffenseAfter losing ten out of the eleven games without Romo in 2015 22 the Dallas Cowboys wanted to find a reliable back up quarterback either through the draft or by signing a veteran free agent 23 The Cowboys met with the top three quarterbacks entering the draft Jared Goff Carson Wentz 24 and Paxton Lynch 25 all of whom were projected to be drafted in the first round 26 27 Another prospect for the Cowboys was Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott who met with the team on four separate occasions leading some to believe he would be their target in the middle rounds of the draft 25 Including Prescott Goff Wentz and Lynch the Cowboys had pre draft meetings with a total of seven quarterbacks entering the draft 28 Cowboys also looked at veteran quarterback Matt Moore having him visit with the organization in March 29 before he re signed with the Miami Dolphins later in the month 30 After a mediocre performance the previous year quarterback Matt Cassel entered free agency 5 Tight end James Hanna re signed with the Cowboys with a three year contract worth 8 2 million on March 11 9 Running back Lance Dunbar re signed to a one year contract worth 1 7 million on March 17 After the window to receive offers from other teams while being a restricted free agent closed guard Ronald Leary re signed with the Cowboys for a one year deal worth 2 5 million on April 28 11 DefenseOn the defensive side of the team the Cowboys were coming off a year where they only had 8 interceptions and needed to make improvements with their defensive backs Orlando Scandrick who was a starting cornerback for the team in 2013 and 2014 was still recovering from the ACL and MCL injury 18 that happened during practice in 2015 causing him to miss the entire season 31 Cornerbacks Josh Thomas and Morris Claiborne both were unrestricted free agents and could potentially be signed by another team Within the first two days after free agency started they both were re signed to the Cowboys Claiborne for a one year deal worth 3 million 32 and Thomas for a one year contract 14 Defensive backs Nolan Carroll Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson were brought in to meet with the Cowboys during free agency 33 Safety Jeff Heath re signed for a four year contract worth 7 6 million on April 13 34 In regards to their needs with the pass rush Sports Illustrated writer Chris Burke said that defensive end was the position that most needed to be improve for the Cowboys 35 Defensive end Randy Gregory had a suspension for the first four games of the season as a result of abusing the leagues substance abuse policy 36 which would later be increased by ten games 37 One of the Cowboys other defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence was recovering from back surgery spreading their defensive line even more thin 38 Defensive tackle Nick Hayden defensive ends Greg Hardy Jeremy Mincey and Jack Crawford all were entering the free agency 35 Crawford was the only one to be re signed and was given a one year deal worth 1 1 million on March 9 7 Defensive end Jason Jones was brought in to visit the Cowboys on March 28 38 Linebacker Kyle Wilber re signed for a two year contract worth 3 2 million on March 11 Departures edit Of the eighteen Cowboys players who were in the free agency the Cowboys were able to re sign ten of them for the 2016 season From those ten linebacker Rolando McClain was re signed on March 9 13 but due to a suspension he received from the league for violating the NFL s drug policy he missed the entire season 12 39 Offensive tackle Charles Brown was re signed on March 10 4 but in July decided to retire and was placed on the reserved retired list 3 From the eight that weren t re signed four of them signed with other teams The first of these three was quarterback Matt Cassel who left for the free agency after being benched in the previous season when he lost six of his seven games as a starter He went on to be signed by the Tennessee Titans on March 9 5 The next player to sign with another team was guard Mackenzy Bernadeau who signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 11 2 Next up was running back Robert Turbin who signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts on March 15 15 The last player to sign with another team was defensive tackle Nick Hayden who signed with the Cleveland Browns in March 40 but ended up being released in August and not playing during the season 41 Players that did not sign with the Cowboys or any other teams included defensive end Greg Hardy who was a free agent that had a lot of off the field issues It was reported that Hardy not being re signed was likely more due to fitting in with the Cowboys locker room rather than due to the off the field issues 42 Defensive end Jeremy Mincey decided to retired in August 43 The last two free agents 31 year old fullback Tyler Clutts and 28 year old safety Danny McCray both were not re signed speculated to be due to their age 44 Acquisitions edit While most of the activity made by the Cowboys during free agency was re signing their own players they also made a few acquisitions of players from other teams to add to their roster 45 Defensive end Cedric Thornton was the first to be acquired signing a four year contract worth 18 million on March 10 Thorton comes from one of the Cowboys divisional rivals the Philadelphia Eagles and moved from defensive end to defensive tackle 46 At the time of his signing he was believed to be the likely replacement for Hayden who was still in the free agency 47 Continuing to work on the improvement of their defensive line the next acquisition for the Cowboys was defensive end Benson Mayowa from the Oakland Raiders who signed a three year contract on March 18 worth 8 5 million 48 Mayowa was a restricted free agent and the Raiders had five days to match the offer to retain him but they declined to do so 49 allowing the Cowboys to improve their pass rush some more The next free agent acquisition was from another divisional rival when the Cowboys signed Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris 32 Morris signed a contract on March 22 for 2 years and worth 3 5 million 50 Morris will be added into the running back rotation with starter Darren McFadden who replaced Joseph Randle last year as the starter after Randle was injured and later cut for off the field issues 51 The final free agent acquisition the Cowboys made was offensive lineman Joe Looney from the Tennessee Titans who was signed on March 29 He is a flexible player who can play both center and guard similar to the role Bernadeau had 52 Looney s contract was for two years and worth 1 6 million 53 2016 NFL draft edit Main article 2016 NFL draft nbsp Ezekiel Elliott interviewed in 2015 The Dallas Cowboys had nine draft picks for the 2016 NFL draft which was scheduled to take place from April 28 to April 30 in Chicago Illinois 54 The Cowboys originally had only five picks as a results of trades with the Raiders 55 49ers 56 and Seahawks 57 but were awarded four compensatory picks on March 11 as a result of the net loss of players in free agency before the 2015 season One of the compensatory picks received was a fourth round draft pick and the other three picks were all in the sixth round 58 After all the trades and the compensatory picks given the Cowboys had one pick in each of the first three rounds two picks in the fourth zero in the fifth four picks in the sixth round and zero in the seventh In January Neil Hornsby the founder of Pro Football Focus ranked the offseason needs for the Dallas Cowboys and said the top needs for the draft were quarterback cornerback guard and running back 59 Leading up to the draft two of these needs running back and guard were addressed with the addition of Morris and Looney to the team during free agency As the draft got closer on April 26 Bleacher Report also listed running back quarterback and cornerback in their top five needs for the Cowboys in the draft along with defensive end and safety 60 The Dallas Cowboys are my pick I want to go play behind that great offensive line they have down in Dallas Ezekiel Elliott 61 With the fourth overall pick in the draft the Cowboys used their first round selection to draft Ezekiel Elliott from Ohio State Prior to the draft the Cowboys had met with Elliott on two separate occasions once in Ohio and a second time in Dallas 62 Elliott averaged seven yards per carry during his three year college career and had over 1 800 yards in both of his final two years 63 In the 2015 season Elliott was named unanimously to the first team of the All Big Ten Conference 64 and second on the 2015 College Football All America Team 65 Along with being first team Big Ten Elliott was also named the offensive player of the year and the MVP for the conference 64 66 In the 2014 season he and the Ohio State Buckeyes won the Big Ten Championship along with the College Football National Championship in which Elliott was named MVP 67 In early February during an interview on NFL Network when asked about which team he wanted to be picked by Elliott responded with The Dallas Cowboys I want to go play behind that great offensive line they have down in Dallas 61 Elliott was expected to help the Cowboys in the running game as he would be behind what was considered by some to be the best offensive line in the NFL 68 Elliott s presence would also help with the passing game due to his blocking abilities and the fact that defenses would have to respect the backfield with him there which would increase the effectiveness of play action passes 69 Elliott became the third running back to be drafted by the Cowboys with a top 20 pick The previous two picks Tony Dorsett in 1977 and Emmitt Smith in 1990 ended up being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame the latter also is the NFL s all time leading rusher 70 In the second round of the draft the Cowboys selected Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith with the 34th overall pick Smith was named first team All American in 2015 65 and led his team in tackles Smith also won the Butkus Award which is awarded to the best linebacker in the country at the high school college and professional levels This was the second time Smith had won the award the previous time in 2013 as a senior in high school 71 In the Fiesta Bowl game versus Ohio State Smith suffered a knee injury that later was determined to be a torn ACL and torn MCL 72 With the injury to his knee it was expected for him to miss a significant amount of time potentially the entire season The Cowboys team doctor was the ones to perform the surgery to repair his knee before the draft so it was believed they might have a bit more knowledge of the situation than other teams 42 With their third round and fourth round picks the Cowboys shifted their focus to the defensive line In the third with the 67th overall pick the Cowboys selected Nebraska defensive tackle Maliek Collins 73 In the fourth round with the 101st overall pick the Cowboys selected Charles Tapper a defensive end out of Oklahoma In 2015 Collins was named to the second team All Big Ten Conference and Tapper was first team All Big 12 Conference 74 75 nbsp Dak Prescott in 2015After selecting Elliott early in the first the Cowboys attempted to trade with multiple teams for another first round selection in order to draft quarterback Paxton Lynch 76 They were unsuccessful in finding a trade and it wasn t until their second fourth round pick that they decided on a quarterback with Mississippi State s Dak Prescott being selected 135th overall 70 Prescott was selected with one of the compensatory picks the Cowboys received for the draft 77 This marks the first time since 2009 the Cowboys have drafted a quarterback 28 While Prescott was the starter for Mississippi State he broke 38 school records and lead them to a 1 ranking in 2014 for the first time in the school s history 78 Prescott was named to first team of both the 2014 and 2015 All SEC football teams Prescott was quickly compared to Tony Romo being similar in size and being able to make plays with their feet 70 Prescott s athletic talents contributed greatly to the Cowboys picking him but team official also noted his locker room presence and leadership abilities as influencing the decision as well 79 Prescott will enter training camp and try to compete with Kellen Moore for the backup quarterback role for the season and then work towards become a starter a task he accomplished both in high school and college 80 The Cowboys looked forward to developing Prescott over the years and were confident he was a worthwhile talent 79 When asked about not being the Cowboys first choice to draft in regards to the attempt to trade up for Lynch Dak responded with I m sure at Mississippi State I wasn t the first one on the recruit board when I committed there Everything works out and happens for a reason 80 With no picks in the fifth or seventh round the Cowboys finished their draft in the sixth round where they had four picks Their first two picks were two defensive backs Anthony Brown a cornerback from Purdue selected 189th overall and Kavon Frazier a safety from Central Michigan selected 212th overall Brown showed off his impressive speed at the NFL combine where he ran the 40 yard dash in 4 35 seconds the second fastest time of all cornerbacks attending 70 Brown was an honorable mention for the All Big Ten Conference team while Frazier was named second team All MAC Conference 74 81 The Cowboys switched their focus back to the offense with their next two picks and selected back to back with the 216th and 217th overall picks First was Darius Jackson a running back from Eastern Michigan then followed up with Rico Gathers a basketball player out of Baylor with intentions to play tight end 79 Jackson was third team All Mac Conference 81 and was expected to use his ability to catch the ball from the backfield to fill the void that would be left at start of season while Lance Dunbar was out after a knee surgery 70 Gathers hadn t played football since he was 13 years old 82 but was an honorable mention AP All American college basketball athlete 83 2016 Dallas Cowboys draft Round Pick Player Position College Notes 1 4 Ezekiel Elliott RB Ohio State 2 34 Jaylon Smith OLB Notre Dame 3 67 Maliek Collins DT Nebraska 4 101 Charles Tapper DE Oklahoma 4 135 Dak Prescott QB Mississippi State Compensatory 6 189 Anthony Brown CB Purdue From Oakland 55 6 212 Kavon Frazier S Central Michigan Compensatory 6 216 Darius Jackson RB Eastern Michigan Compensatory 6 217 Rico Gathers TE Baylor Compensatory Made roster Pro Football Hall of Fame Made at least one Pro Bowl during career Notes The Cowboys conditionally traded their fifth round selection to the Oakland Raiders for wide receiver Brice Butler and the Raiders 2016 sixth round selection The pick swap occurred after Butler spent six games on the Cowboys 53 man roster in 2015 55 The Cowboys traded a sixth round selection to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 49ers 2015 seventh round selection 56 The Cowboys traded their seventh round selection to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for running back Christine Michael 57 Staff edit2016 Dallas Cowboys staff Front office Owner president general manager Jerry Jones COO executive vice president director of player personnel Stephen Jones Senior director of football operations football administration Todd Williams Senior director college pro personnel Will McClay Senior personnel executive Tom Ciskowski Director of college scouting Lionel Vital Director of pro scouting Judd Garrett Assistant director of college scouting Chris Hall Director of football research Tom Robinson Head coaches Head coach Jason Garrett Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan Quarterbacks Wade Wilson Running backs Gary Brown Wide receivers Derek Dooley Assistant wide receivers Kyle Valero Tight ends Mike Pope Offensive line Frank Pollack Assistant offensive line Marc Colombo Senior offensive assistant Steve Loney Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli Defensive tackle Leon Lett Defensive ends Ben Bloom Linebackers pass game coordinator Matt Eberflus Secondary Joe Baker Safeties Greg Jackson Defensive assistant Turner West Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia Assistant special teams Keith O Quinn Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning Mike Woicik Assistant strength and conditioning Brett Bech Assistant strength and conditioning Kendall SmithRosters editOpening preseason roster edit Dallas Cowboys 2016 opening preseason roster Quarterbacks 17 Kellen Moore 4 Dak Prescott 9 Tony Romo 7 Jameill Showers Running backs 21 Ezekiel Elliott 34 Darius Jackson 46 Alfred Morris 41 Keith Smith FB OLB 45 Rod Smith FB RB Wide receivers 11 Cole Beasley 10 Chris Brown 88 Dez Bryant 19 Brice Butler 81 Andy Jones 16 Vince Mayle 14 Rodney Smith 15 Devin Street 13 Lucky Whitehead 83 Terrance Williams Tight ends 89 Gavin Escobar 80 Rico Gathers 87 Geoff Swaim 86 Austin Traylor 82 Jason Witten Offensive linemen 78 Cameron Bradfield T 60 Jake Brendel G C 71 La el Collins G 72 Travis Frederick C 68 Doug Free T 79 Chaz Green T 65 Ronald Leary G 73 Joe Looney C G 61 Ryan Mack T 70 Zack Martin G 74 Mike McQueen G T 62 Jared Smith G 77 Tyron Smith T 63 Boston Stiverson G 76 Bryan Witzmann T Defensive linemen 67 Rodney Coe DT 58 Jack Crawford DT DE 98 Tyrone Crawford DT 75 Gerald Dixon DT 95 David Irving DE DT 69 Shaneil Jenkins DT DE 90 DeMarcus Lawrence DE 66 Mike McAdoo DE 97 Terrell McClain DT 74 Lawrence Okoye DE DT 99 Ryan Russell DE 79 Charles Tapper DE 92 Cedric Thornton DT 64 Zach Wood DT DE Linebackers 44 Derek Akunne OLB 56 Justin Durant OLB MLB 52 Andrew Gachkar OLB MLB 48 Brandon Hepburn MLB 59 Anthony Hitchens MLB OLB 47 Deon King OLB 50 Sean Lee OLB 40 James Morris MLB 49 Henoc Muamba OLB 53 Mark Nzeocha MLB OLB 51 Kyle Wilber OLB Defensive backs 30 Anthony Brown CB 39 Brandon Carr CB 42 Barry Church SS 24 Morris Claiborne CB 36 Arjen Colquhoun CB 35 Kavon Frazier SS FS 23 Isaiah Frey FS CB 38 Jeff Heath FS SS 31 Byron Jones FS 37 Jeremiah McKinnon CB 29 Deji Olatoye CB 32 Orlando Scandrick CB 28 Dax Swanson CB 26 Josh Thomas CB 27 J J Wilcox SS FS Special teams 5 Dan Bailey K 6 Chris Jones P 91 L P Ladouceur LS 2 Matt Wile P Reserve lists Darryl Baldwin T IR nbsp 96 Maliek Collins DT Active PUP nbsp 25 Lance Dunbar RB Active PUP nbsp 94 Randy Gregory DE Did Not Report 84 James Hanna TE Active PUP nbsp 93 Benson Mayowa DE Active PUP nbsp 55 Rolando McClain MLB Did Not Report 20 Darren McFadden RB Active NF Inj nbsp 43 Rolan Milligan FS IR nbsp 54 Jaylon Smith MLB Active NF Inj nbsp 57 Damien Wilson OLB MLB Active NF Inj nbsp 90 active 4 inactive Week one roster edit Dallas Cowboys 2016 week one roster Quarterbacks 4 Dak Prescott 9 Tony Romo 3 Mark Sanchez Running backs 25 Lance Dunbar 21 Ezekiel Elliott 34 Darius Jackson 46 Alfred Morris 41 Keith Smith FB OLB 45 Rod Smith FB RB Wide receivers 11 Cole Beasley 88 Dez Bryant 19 Brice Butler 13 Lucky Whitehead 83 Terrance Williams Tight ends 89 Gavin Escobar 87 Geoff Swaim 82 Jason Witten Offensive linemen 71 La el Collins G 72 Travis Frederick C 68 Doug Free T 79 Chaz Green T 65 Ronald Leary G 73 Joe Looney C G 70 Zack Martin G 77 Tyron Smith T Defensive linemen 96 Maliek Collins DT 58 Jack Crawford DT DE 98 Tyrone Crawford DT 95 David Irving DE DT 93 Benson Mayowa DE 97 Terrell McClain DT 99 Charles Tapper DE 92 Cedric Thornton DT Linebackers 56 Justin Durant OLB MLB 52 Andrew Gachkar OLB MLB 59 Anthony Hitchens MLB OLB 50 Sean Lee OLB 53 Mark Nzeocha MLB OLB 51 Kyle Wilber OLB DE 57 Damien Wilson OLB Defensive backs 30 Anthony Brown CB 39 Brandon Carr CB 42 Barry Church SS 24 Morris Claiborne CB 35 Kavon Frazier SS FS 38 Jeff Heath FS SS 31 Byron Jones FS 32 Orlando Scandrick CB 23 Dax Swanson CB 27 J J Wilcox SS FS Special teams 5 Dan Bailey K 6 Chris Jones P 91 L P Ladouceur LS Reserve lists Darryl Baldwin T IR nbsp 10 Chris Brown WR IR nbsp 94 Randy Gregory DE Did Not Report 84 James Hanna TE PUP nbsp 90 DeMarcus Lawrence DE Susp 66 Mike McAdoo DE IR nbsp 55 Rolando McClain MLB Did Not Report 20 Darren McFadden RB NF Inj nbsp 17 Kellen Moore QB IR nbsp James Morris MLB IR nbsp 54 Jaylon Smith MLB NF Inj nbsp 26 Josh Thomas CB IR nbsp Practice squad 60 Jake Brendel C G 80 Rico Gathers TE 48 Jeremiah George OLB 81 Andy Jones WR 16 Vince Mayle WR 40 Chris McCain DE OLB 78 Keavon Milton T 76 Zach Moore DE 7 Jameill Showers QB 86 Austin Traylor TE 53 active 12 inactive 10 practice squad Final roster edit Dallas Cowboys 2016 final roster Quarterbacks 4 Dak Prescott 9 Tony Romo 3 Mark Sanchez Running backs 25 Lance Dunbar 21 Ezekiel Elliott 20 Darren McFadden 46 Alfred Morris 41 Keith Smith FB Wide receivers 11 Cole Beasley 88 Dez Bryant 19 Brice Butler 13 Lucky Whitehead 83 Terrance Williams Tight ends 89 Gavin Escobar 82 Jason Witten Offensive linemen 63 Emmett Cleary T 72 Travis Frederick C 68 Doug Free T 65 Ronald Leary G 73 Joe Looney G 70 Zack Martin G 62 Ryan Seymour G 77 Tyron Smith T Defensive linemen 76 Richard Ash DT 96 Maliek Collins DT 58 Jack Crawford DE 98 Tyrone Crawford DE DT 94 Randy Gregory DE 95 David Irving DT DE 90 DeMarcus Lawrence DE 93 Benson Mayowa DE 97 Terrell McClain DT 92 Cedric Thornton DT Linebackers 56 Justin Durant OLB 52 Andrew Gachkar OLB 59 Anthony Hitchens MLB 50 Sean Lee OLB 53 Mark Nzeocha MLB 51 Kyle Wilber OLB 57 Damien Wilson OLB Defensive backs 30 Anthony Brown CB 39 Brandon Carr CB 42 Barry Church SS 24 Morris Claiborne CB 35 Kavon Frazier SS 38 Jeff Heath FS 31 Byron Jones FS 23 Leon McFadden CB 32 Orlando Scandrick CB 27 J J Wilcox SS Special teams 5 Dan Bailey K 6 Chris Jones P 91 L P Ladouceur LS Reserve lists 72 Darryl Baldwin T IR nbsp 10 Chris Brown WR IR nbsp 71 La el Collins G IR nbsp 75 Ryan Davis DE IR nbsp 79 Chaz Green T IR nbsp 84 James Hanna TE PUP nbsp 17 Kellen Moore QB IR nbsp 40 James Morris MLB IR nbsp 54 Jaylon Smith MLB IR nbsp 87 Geoff Swaim TE IR nbsp 99 Charles Tapper DE IR nbsp 26 Josh Thomas CB NF Inj nbsp Practice squad 67 Clay DeBord T 78 Kadeem Edwards G 80 Rico Gathers TE 48 Jeremiah George OLB 66 Shelby Harris DT 81 Andy Jones WR 29 Sammy Seamster CB 28 Jameill Showers SS 45 Rod Smith FB 53 active 12 inactive 9 practice squadPreseason editWeek Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL comrecap 1 August 13 at Los Angeles Rams L 24 28 0 1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap 2 August 19 Miami Dolphins W 41 14 1 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap 3 August 25 at Seattle Seahawks L 17 27 1 2 CenturyLink Field Recap 4 September 1 Houston Texans L 17 28 1 3 AT amp T Stadium RecapRegular season editSchedule edit Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL comrecap 1 September 11 New York Giants L 19 20 0 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap 2 September 18 at Washington Redskins W 27 23 1 1 FedExField Recap 3 September 25 Chicago Bears W 31 17 2 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap 4 October 2 at San Francisco 49ers W 24 17 3 1 Levi s Stadium Recap 5 October 9 Cincinnati Bengals W 28 14 4 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap 6 October 16 at Green Bay Packers W 30 16 5 1 Lambeau Field Recap 7 Bye 8 October 30 Philadelphia Eagles W 29 23 OT 6 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap 9 November 6 at Cleveland Browns W 35 10 7 1 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap 10 November 13 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 35 30 8 1 Heinz Field Recap 11 November 20 Baltimore Ravens W 27 17 9 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap 12 November 24 Washington Redskins W 31 26 10 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap 13 December 1 at Minnesota Vikings W 17 15 11 1 U S Bank Stadium Recap 14 December 11 at New York Giants L 7 10 11 2 MetLife Stadium Recap 15 December 18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 26 20 12 2 AT amp T Stadium Recap 16 December 26 Detroit Lions W 42 21 13 2 AT amp T Stadium Recap 17 January 1 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13 27 13 3 Lincoln Financial Field Recap Note Intra division opponents are in bold text Game summaries edit Week 1 vs New York Giants edit Week One New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalGiants 0 13 0720Cowboys 3 6 7319 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date September 11Game time 3 25 p m CDTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 92 867Referee Ronald TorbertTV announcers Fox Joe Buck Troy Aikman and Erin AndrewsRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Dan Bailey 23 yard field goal 6 35 Cowboys 3 0 Drive 15 plays 70 yards 8 25 Second quarter DAL Dan Bailey 56 yard field goal 11 09 Cowboys 6 0 Drive 15 plays 52 yards 7 58 NYG Larry Donnell 15 yard pass from Eli Manning Randy Bullock kick 9 36 Giants 7 6 Drive 4 plays 75 yards 1 33 DAL Dan Bailey 25 yard field goal 4 02 Cowboys 9 7 Drive 11 plays 68 yards 5 34 NYG Sterling Shepard 9 yard pass from Eli Manning kick failed wide left 0 07 Giants 13 9 Drive 12 plays 75 yards 3 55 Third quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 8 yard run Dan Bailey kick 10 47 Cowboys 16 13 Drive 7 plays 35 yards 3 27 Fourth quarter DAL Dan Bailey 54 yard field goal 13 59 Cowboys 19 13 Drive 11 plays 39 yards 5 01 NYG Victor Cruz 3 yard pass from Eli Manning Randy Bullock kick 6 13 Giants 20 19 Drive 9 plays 54 yards 3 59 Top passers NYG Eli Manning 19 28 207 yards 3 TD INT DAL Dak Prescott 25 45 227 yards Top rushers NYG Rashad Jennings 18 carries 75 yards DAL Ezekiel Elliott 20 carries 51 yards TD Top receivers NYG Odell Beckham Jr 4 receptions 73 yards DAL Jason Witten 9 receptions 66 yards The Cowboys fell short trying to win their home opener against the Giants in a hard fought game They dropped to 0 1 and lost to the Giants at AT amp T Stadium for the first time since 2012 Ezekiel Elliott struggled to find holes all game but managed to record his first NFL touchdown The Dallas defense failed to contain the Giants rushing attack The game also saw the return of Victor Cruz who caught the game clinching touchdown pass from Eli Manning Dallas final play a 14 yard catch and run by Terrance Williams put them in field goal range but he stayed inbounds and time expired Week 2 at Washington Redskins edit Week Two Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 10 3 7727Redskins 0 10 13023 at FedExField Landover Maryland Date September 18Game time 1 00 p m EDT 12 00 p m CDTGame weather 81 F 27 C sunnyGame attendance 80 612Referee Bill VinovichTV announcers Fox Kevin Burkhardt John Lynch and Pam OliverRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Dan Bailey 22 yard field goal 9 25 Cowboys 3 0 Drive 13 plays 76 yards 5 35 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 1 yard run Dan Bailey kick 1 39 Cowboys 10 0 Drive 9 plays 94 yards 5 13 Second quarter WAS Matt Jones 14 yard run Dustin Hopkins kick 13 08 Cowboys 10 7 Drive 8 plays 75 yards 3 31 DAL Dan Bailey 31 yard field goal 4 34 Cowboys 13 7 Drive 10 plays 43 yards 4 31 WAS Dustin Hopkins 36 yard field goal 0 26 Cowboys 13 10 Drive 12 plays 56 yards 4 08 Third quarter WAS Jamison Crowder 11 yard pass from Kirk Cousins Dustin Hopkins kick 11 16 Redskins 17 13 Drive 8 plays 75 yards 3 44 DAL Dak Prescott 6 yard run Dan Bailey kick 5 41 Cowboys 20 17 Drive 10 plays 75 yards 5 35 WAS Dustin Hopkins 29 yard field goal 2 06 Tied 20 20 Drive 7 plays 27 yards 3 35 WAS Dustin Hopkins 22 yard field goal 0 04 Redskins 23 20 Drive 5 plays 30 yards 1 35 Fourth quarter DAL Alfred Morris 4 yard run Dan Bailey kick 4 45 Cowboys 27 23 Drive 11 plays 80 yards 5 50 Top passers DAL Dak Prescott 22 30 292 yards WAS Kirk Cousins 28 46 364 yards TD INT Top rushers DAL Ezekiel Elliott 21 rushes 83 yards TD WAS Matt Jones 13 rushes 61 yards TD Top receivers DAL Dez Bryant 7 receptions 102 yards WAS Jordan Reed 5 receptions 70 yards Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott was impressive in his second NFL start rushing for a touchdown and playing mistake free football as Dallas evened its record at 1 1 with a win over its long time rival Barry Church s interception of Kirk Cousins in the end zone late in the fourth quarter sealed the game Week 3 vs Chicago Bears edit Week Three Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalBears 0 3 7717Cowboys 10 14 0731 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date September 25Game time 7 30 p m CDTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 90 554Referee Craig WrolstadTV announcers NBC Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth and Michele TafoyaRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Dak Prescott 1 yard run Dan Bailey kick 9 30 Cowboys 7 0 Drive 10 plays 75 yards 5 30 DAL Dan Bailey 49 yard field goal 1 54 Cowboys 10 0 Drive 9 plays 44 yards 4 59 Second quarter DAL Lance Dunbar 1 yard run Dan Bailey kick 11 11 Cowboys 17 0 Drive 9 plays 72 yards 4 09 CHI Connor Barth 34 yard field goal 7 47 Cowboys 17 3 Drive 7 plays 59 yards 3 24 DAL Alfred Morris 3 yard run Dan Bailey kick 0 38 Cowboys 24 3 Drive 12 plays 73 yard 7 09 Third quarter CHI Zach Miller 2 yard pass from Brian Hoyer Connor Barth kick 7 08 Cowboys 24 10 Drive 11 plays 63 yards 4 54 Fourth quarter DAL Dez Bryant 17 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 9 02 Cowboys 31 10 Drive 10 plays 88 yards 6 35 CHI Zach Miller 6 yard pass from Brian Hoyer Connor Barth kick 6 28 Cowboys 31 17 Drive 8 plays 75 yards 2 34 Top passers CHI Brian Hoyer 30 49 317 yards 2 TD DAL Dak Prescott 19 24 248 yards TD Top rushers CHI Jordan Howard 9 rushes 45 yards DAL Ezekiel Elliott 30 rushes 140 yards Top receivers CHI Zach Miller 8 receptions 78 yards 2 TD DAL Cole Beasley 7 receptions 73 yards Dallas won its first home game in over a year as it dispatched of the Bears who were without normal starting quarterback Jay Cutler and instead started Brian Hoyer Ezekiel Elliott ran for 140 yards on 30 carries in just his third NFL game and Dak Prescott threw his first NFL touchdown pass to Dez Bryant Week 4 at San Francisco 49ers edit Week Four Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 0 14 732449ers 7 7 3017 at Levi s Stadium Santa Clara California Date October 2Game time 3 25 p m CDT 1 25 p m PDTGame weather 68 F 20 C cloudyGame attendance 70 178Referee Terry McAulayTV announcers Fox Joe Buck Troy Aikman and Erin AndrewsRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter SF Jeremy Kerley 33 yard pass from Blaine Gabbert Phil Dawson kick 6 41 49ers 7 0 Drive 9 plays 63 yards 3 39 Second quarter SF Carlos Hyde 3 yard run Phil Dawson kick 13 55 49ers 14 0 Drive 12 plays 80 yards 5 03 DAL Terrance Williams 20 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 2 58 49ers 14 7 Drive 8 plays 66 yards 3 54 DAL Brice Butler 4 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 0 12 Tied 14 14 Drive 11 plays 58 yards 1 38 Third quarter SF Phil Dawson 36 yard field goal 12 18 49ers 17 14 Drive 6 plays 57 yards 2 42 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 1 yard run Dan Bailey kick 1 08 Cowboys 21 17 Drive 10 plays 78 yards 5 49 Fourth quarter DAL Dan Bailey 22 yard field goal 4 11 Cowboys 24 17 Drive 11 plays 62 yards 6 27 Top passers DAL Dak Prescott 23 32 245 yards 2 TD SF Blaine Gabbert 16 23 196 yards TD INT Top rushers DAL Ezekiel Elliott 23 rushes 138 yards TD SF Carlos Hyde 15 rushes 74 yards TD Top receivers DAL Cole Beasley 3 receptions 66 yards SF Jeremy Kerley 6 receptions 88 yards TD The Cowboys rallied from an early 14 point hole to win over the 49ers on the road winning their third straight game in the process Ezekiel Elliott went over the century mark again rushing for 138 yards and a touchdown Week 5 vs Cincinnati Bengals edit Week Five Cincinnati Bengals at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalBengals 0 0 01414Cowboys 7 14 7028 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date October 9Game time 3 25 p m CDTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 91 653Referee Tony CorrenteTV announcers CBS Jim Nantz Phil Simms and Tracy WolfsonRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 13 yard run Dan Bailey kick 11 09 Cowboys 7 0 Drive 7 plays 64 yards 3 51 Second quarter DAL Dak Prescott 5 yard run Dan Bailey kick 14 43 Cowboys 14 0 Drive 11 plays 89 yards 6 33 DAL Cole Beasley 14 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 4 09 Cowboys 21 0 Drive 8 plays 80 yards 3 38 Third quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 60 yard run Dan Bailey kick 11 38 Cowboys 28 0 Drive 1 play 60 yards 0 09 Fourth quarter CIN Brandon LaFell 7 yard pass from Andy Dalton Mike Nugent kick 10 10 Cowboys 28 7 Drive 10 plays 59 yards 5 13 CIN Brandon LaFell 5 yard pass from Andy Dalton Mike Nugent kick 2 39 Cowboys 28 14 Drive 12 plays 77 yards 5 03 Top passers CIN Andy Dalton 29 41 269 yards 2 TD DAL Dak Prescott 18 24 227 yards TD Top rushers CIN Giovani Bernard 9 rushes 50 yards DAL Ezekiel Elliott 15 rushes 134 yards 2 TD Top receivers CIN Brandon LaFell 8 receptions 68 yards 2 TD DAL Terrance Williams 5 receptions 70 yards Dak Prescott extended his consecutive passes to begin a career without an interception streak to 155 trailing only Tom Brady all time Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 134 yards on only 15 carries including a 60 yard touchdown run The win put Dallas a half game ahead of the Eagles for first place in the NFC East Week 6 at Green Bay Packers edit Week Six Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 7 10 31030Packers 3 3 01016 at Lambeau Field Green Bay Wisconsin Date October 16Game time 3 25 p m CDTGame weather 69 F 21 C clearGame attendance 78 481Referee Brad AllenTV announcers Fox Thom Brennaman Troy Aikman and Erin AndrewsRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Cole Beasley 1 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 10 08 Cowboys 7 0 Drive 8 plays 75 yards 4 57 GB Mason Crosby 37 yard field goal 5 14 Cowboys 7 3 Drive 9 plays 56 yards 4 52 Second quarter GB Mason Crosby 43 yard field goal 12 19 Cowboys 7 6 Drive 9 plays 45 yards 4 08 DAL Dan Bailey 44 yard field goal 6 05 Cowboys 10 6 Drive 12 plays 50 yards 6 15 DAL Brice Butler 20 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 0 31 Cowboys 17 6 Drive 5 plays 97 yards 0 33 Third quarter DAL Dan Bailey 22 yard field goal 7 02 Cowboys 20 6 Drive 7 plays 47 yards 3 05 Fourth quarter GB Mason Crosby 34 yard field goal 14 51 Cowboys 20 9 Drive 4 plays 0 yards 0 32 DAL Cole Beasley 4 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 10 31 Cowboys 27 9 Drive 7 plays 75 yards 4 22 GB Randall Cobb 4 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers Mason Crosby kick 6 57 Cowboys 27 16 Drive 9 plays 75 yards 3 33 DAL Dan Bailey 32 yard field goal 3 45 Cowboys 30 16 Drive 8 plays 48 yards 3 12 Top passers DAL Dak Prescott 18 27 247 yards 3 TD INT GB Aaron Rodgers 31 42 294 yards TD INT Top rushers DAL Ezekiel Elliott 28 rushes 157 yards GB Eddie Lacy 17 rushes 65 yards Top receivers DAL Terrance Williams 4 rec 75 yards GB Ty Montgomery 10 rec 98 yards It was the third straight year that the Cowboys traveled to Lambeau Field to face the Packers Despite Dak Prescott being picked off for the first time this season he still managed 247 passing yards and three touchdowns He also passed Tom Brady s all time record of consecutive pass attempts to start a career without an interception Ezekiel Elliott pounded the Green Bay Packers number one ranked run defense with 157 yards on 28 carries The Dallas defense dominated the Packers forcing four Green Bay turnovers It was the first time since 2008 and second time in franchise history that the Cowboys had won at Lambeau Field With the 30 16 victory the Cowboys went 5 1 heading into the bye week Week 8 vs Philadelphia Eagles edit Week Eight Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34OTTotalEagles 3 10 73023Cowboys 7 3 310629 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date October 30Game time 8 30 p m CDT 7 30 p m CDTGame weather 84 F 29 C clear skies retractable roof openGame attendance 93 103Referee Jerome BogerTV announcers NBC Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth and Michele TafoyaRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter PHI Caleb Sturgis 30 yard field goal 6 39 Eagles 3 0 Drive 10 plays 50 yards 5 11 DAL Dak Prescott 7 yard run Dan Bailey kick 4 41 Cowboys 7 3 Drive 5 plays 75 yards 1 58 Second quarter DAL Dan Bailey 38 yard field goal 14 50 Cowboys 10 3 Drive 8 plays 52 yards 3 20 PHI Ryan Mathews 1 yard run Caleb Sturgis kick 3 45 Tied 10 10 Drive 9 plays 45 yards 5 05 PHI Caleb Sturgis 55 yard field goal 0 00 Eagles 13 10 Drive 8 plays 43 yards 1 26 Third quarter PHI Jordan Matthews 5 yard pass from Carson Wentz Caleb Sturgis kick 6 20 Eagles 20 10 Drive 12 plays 69 yards 4 10 DAL Dan Bailey 23 yard field goal 0 56 Eagles 20 13 Drive 12 plays 70 yards 5 24 Fourth quarter PHI Caleb Sturgis 34 yard field goal 14 09 Eagles 23 13 Drive 6 plays 29 yards 1 47 DAL Dan Bailey 49 yard field goal 11 34 Eagles 23 16 Drive 4 plays 5 yards 1 24 DAL Dez Bryant 22 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 3 04 Tied 23 23 Drive 11 plays 90 yards 3 22 Overtime DAL Jason Witten 5 yard pass from Dak Prescott 7 48 Cowboys 29 23 Drive 12 plays 75 yards 7 12 Top passers PHI Carson Wentz 32 43 202 yards TD DAL Dak Prescott 19 39 287 yards 2 TD INT Top rushers PHI Darren Sproles 15 rushes 86 yards DAL Ezekiel Elliott 22 rushes 96 yards Top receivers PHI Jordan Matthews 11 receptions 65 yards TD DAL Dez Bryant 4 receptions 113 yards TD Hoping to continue their winning streak the Cowboys hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a primetime matchup duel between Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz Jason Witten s touchdown in overtime sealed the victory for the Cowboys who went 6 1 this was the Cowboys first victory against the Eagles at AT amp T Stadium since 2012 Week 9 at Cleveland Browns edit Week Nine Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 7 14 14035Browns 3 7 0010 at FirstEnergy Stadium Cleveland Ohio Date November 6Game time 1 00 p m EST 12 00 p m CSTGame weather 58 F 14 C clearGame attendance 67 431Referee Jeff TripletteTV announcers Fox Thom Brennaman Charles Davis Chris Spielman and Peter SchragerRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter CLE Cody Parkey 31 yard field goal 12 40 Browns 3 0 Drive 6 plays 62 yards 2 20 DAL Jason Witten 26 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 6 47 Cowboys 7 3 Drive 10 plays 75 yards 5 53 Second quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 10 yard run Dan Bailey kick 10 02 Cowboys 14 3 Drive 9 plays 69 yards 4 48 DAL Cole Beasley 6 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 1 50 Cowboys 21 3 Drive 9 plays 67 yards 4 39 CLE Terrelle Pryor 12 yard pass from Cody Kessler Cody Parkey kick 0 23 Cowboys 21 10 Drive 7 plays 80 yards 1 27 Third quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 8 yard run Dan Bailey kick 11 30 Cowboys 28 10 Drive 7 plays 75 yards 3 30 DAL Gavin Escobar 2 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 1 41 Cowboys 35 10 Drive 9 plays 64 yards 5 30 Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers DAL Dak Prescott 21 27 247 yards 3 TD CLE Cody Kessler 19 27 203 yards TD Top rushers DAL Ezekiel Elliott 18 rushes 92 yards 2 TD CLE Duke Johnson 5 rushes 30 yards Top receivers DAL Jason Witten 8 receptions 134 yards TD CLE Isaiah Crowell 4 receptions 63 yards The winless Browns had no answer for Dak Prescott who threw three touchdown passes in a 35 10 win and improving the Cowboys to 7 1 for the first time since 2007 Week 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers edit Week Ten Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 10 3 101235Steelers 12 3 31230 at Heinz Field Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Date November 13Game time 4 25 p m EST 3 25 p m CSTGame weather 56 F 13 C clearGame attendance 67 737Referee Clete BlakemanTV announcers Fox Joe Buck Troy Aikman and Erin AndrewsRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter PIT Le Veon Bell 2 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger pass failed 9 54 Steelers 6 0 Drive 8 plays 38 yards 3 51 DAL Dan Bailey 37 yard field goal 5 17 Steelers 6 3 Drive 10 plays 42 yards 4 37 PIT Eli Rogers 3 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger pass failed 1 13 Steelers 12 3 Drive 8 plays 75 yards 4 04 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 83 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 0 12 Steelers 12 10 Drive 2 plays 75 yards 1 01 Second quarter DAL Dan Bailey 53 yard field goal 11 04 Cowboys 13 12 Drive 6 plays 25 yards 3 24 PIT Chris Boswell 39 yard field goal 4 43 Steelers 15 13 Drive 10 plays 54 yards 6 21 Third quarter PIT Chris Boswell 25 yard field goal 13 10 Steelers 18 13 Drive 7 plays 68 yards 1 50 DAL Dan Bailey 46 yard field goal 5 35 Steelers 18 16 Drive 14 plays 46 yards 7 35 DAL Dez Bryant 50 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 1 35 Cowboys 23 18 Drive 3 plays 49 yards 1 48 Fourth quarter PIT Le Veon Bell 1 yard run pass failed 7 51 Steelers 24 23 Drive 6 plays 46 yards 3 05 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 14 yard run pass failed 1 55 Cowboys 29 24 Drive 10 plays 75 yards 5 56 PIT Antonio Brown 15 yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger pass failed 0 42 Steelers 30 29 Drive 5 plays 75 yards 1 13 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 32 yard run pass failed 0 09 Cowboys 35 30 Drive 5 plays 75 yards 0 33 Top passers DAL Dak Prescott 22 32 319 yards 2 TD PIT Ben Roethlisberger 37 46 408 yards 3 TD Top rushers DAL Ezekiel Elliott 21 rushes 114 yards 2 TD PIT Le Veon Bell 17 rushes 57 yards TD Top receivers DAL Dez Bryant 6 receptions 116 yards TD PIT Antonio Brown 14 receptions 154 yards TD A classic rivalry since the 1970s the Cowboys traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers who were coming off a three game losing streak including a loss to the Baltimore Ravens the previous week With the win the Cowboys extended their winning streak to eight games for the first time since 1977 Ezekiel Elliott reached 1 000 yards in this game and rushed for the game winning touchdown in the space of 30 seconds The Cowboys also clinched a non losing season as they had the best win loss record in the NFL Week 11 vs Baltimore Ravens edit Week Eleven Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalRavens 7 3 0717Cowboys 0 10 71027 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date November 20Game time 12 00 p m CSTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 93 056Referee John ParryTV announcers CBS Ian Eagle Dan Fouts and Evan WashburnRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter BAL Terrance West 18 yard run Justin Tucker kick 5 28 Ravens 7 0 Drive 6 plays 90 yards 3 09 Second quarter DAL Cole Beasley 3 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 5 55 Tied 7 7 Drive 6 plays 52 yards 3 36 BAL Justin Tucker 46 yard field goal 1 37 Ravens 10 7 Drive 9 plays 47 yards 4 18 DAL Dan Bailey 30 yard field goal 0 04 Tied 10 10 Drive 8 plays 63 yards 1 33 Third quarter DAL Dez Bryant 4 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 7 31 Cowboys 17 10 Drive 10 plays 92 yards 5 49 Fourth quarter DAL Dez Bryant 13 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 11 30 Cowboys 24 10 Drive 13 plays 88 yards 7 54 BAL Steve Smith Sr 5 yard pass from Joe Flacco Justin Tucker kick 8 16 Cowboys 24 17 Drive 8 plays 75 yards 3 14 DAL Dan Bailey 21 yard field goal 1 50 Cowboys 27 17 Drive 13 plays 72 yards 6 26 Top passers BAL Joe Flacco 23 35 269 yards TD DAL Dak Prescott 27 36 301 yards 3 TD Top rushers BAL Terrance West 8 rushes 42 yards TD DAL Ezekiel Elliott 25 rushes 97 yards Top receivers BAL Steve Smith Sr 8 receptions 99 yards TD DAL Dez Bryant 6 receptions 80 yards 2 TD The Cowboys returned home to take on the Baltimore Ravens Ezekiel Elliott surpassed Tony Dorsett s record of 1 007 rushing yards as a rookie With the win the Cowboys extended their winning streak to nine games for the first time in the team s franchise history The win also saw the Cowboys beat the Ravens for the very first time Week 12 vs Washington Redskins edit Thanksgiving Day game Week Twelve Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalRedskins 0 6 02026Cowboys 7 10 01431 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date November 24Game time 3 30 p m CSTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 93 099Referee Craig WrolstadTV announcers Fox Joe Buck Troy Aikman Chris Myers and Erin AndrewsRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 4 yard run Dan Bailey kick 11 09 Cowboys 7 0 Drive 7 plays 75 yards 3 51 Second quarter WAS Dustin Hopkins 24 yard field goal 14 04 Cowboys 7 3 Drive 10 plays 75 yards 4 10 DAL Dan Bailey 46 yard field goal 7 57 Cowboys 10 3 Drive 12 plays 47 yards 6 07 DAL Terrance Williams 10 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 1 45 Cowboys 17 3 Drive 6 plays 55 yards 2 06 WAS Dustin Hopkins 20 yard field goal 0 03 Cowboys 17 6 Drive 11 plays 73 yards 1 43 Third quarter None Fourth quarter WAS Jordan Reed 5 yard pass from Kirk Cousins pass failed 14 54 Cowboys 17 12 Drive 14 plays 90 yards 7 55 DAL Dak Prescott 6 yard run Dan Bailey kick 10 49 Cowboys 24 12 Drive 7 plays 75 yards 4 05 WAS DeSean Jackson 67 yard pass from Kirk Cousins Dustin Hopkins kick 9 22 Cowboys 24 19 Drive 3 plays 75 yards 1 27 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 1 yard run Dan Bailey kick 6 29 Cowboys 31 19 Drive 8 plays 53 yards 2 53 WAS Jordan Reed 8 yard pass from Kirk Cousins Dustin Hopkins kick 1 53 Cowboys 31 26 Drive 15 plays 75 yards 4 36 Top passers WAS Kirk Cousins 41 53 449 yards 3 TD DAL Dak Prescott 17 24 195 yards TD Top rushers WAS Robert Kelley 14 rushes 37 yards DAL Ezekiel Elliott 20 rushes 97 yards 2 TD Top receivers WAS DeSean Jackson 4 receptions 118 yards TD DAL Dez Bryant 5 receptions 72 yards In the traditional Thanksgiving game the Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins who had just came off a victory against the Green Bay Packers In a game of catch up the Redskins never led however they made a valiant effort in the fourth quarter to take the lead The Cowboys held them off and won the game thus extending their winning streak to ten games for the first time in franchise history This was also the first time since 2013 that the Cowboys would sweep the Redskins Week 13 at Minnesota Vikings edit Week Thirteen Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 0 7 01017Vikings 3 0 3915 at U S Bank Stadium Minneapolis Minnesota Date December 1Game time 7 25 p m CSTGame weather Played indoors fixed roof stadium Game attendance 66 860Referee Tony CorrenteTV announcers NBC NFLN Twitter Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth and Heather CoxRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter MIN Kai Forbath 48 yard field goal 2 28 Vikings 3 0 Drive 6 plays 32 yards 3 17 Second quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 1 yard run Dan Bailey kick 5 29 Cowboys 7 3 Drive 8 plays 84 yards 5 12 Third quarter MIN Kai Forbath 36 yard field goal 2 10 Cowboys 7 6 Drive 10 plays 49 yards 4 52 Fourth quarter MIN Kai Forbath 33 yard field goal 14 11 Vikings 9 7 Drive 4 plays 4 yards 0 56 DAL Dez Bryant 8 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 10 22 Cowboys 14 9 Drive 1 play 8 yards 0 06 DAL Dan Bailey 39 yard field goal 4 15 Cowboys 17 9 Drive 5 plays 33 yards 2 22 MIN Jerick McKinnon 3 yard pass from Sam Bradford pass failed 0 25 Cowboys 17 15 Drive 8 plays 65 yards 1 44 Top passers DAL Dak Prescott 12 18 139 yards TD MIN Sam Bradford 32 45 247 yards TD Top rushers DAL Ezekiel Elliott 20 rushes 86 yards TD MIN Jerick McKinnon 9 rushes 41 yards Top receivers DAL Dez Bryant 4 receptions 84 yards TD MIN Adam Thielen 7 receptions 86 yards The Cowboys traveled to Minnesota to take on the struggling Vikings following their loss against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving In a rather tightly contested game that saw penalties on Dallas and strong Vikings defense the Cowboys nevertheless managed to win and thus extended their historical win streak to eleven games This was also the first time since 1995 in which Dallas had won at Minnesota With the win plus a loss from the Washington Redskins against the Cardinals the following Sunday Dallas became the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff berth this season Week 14 at New York Giants edit Week Fourteen Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 7 0 007Giants 0 0 10010 at MetLife Stadium East Rutherford New Jersey Date December 11Game time 8 30 p m EST 7 30 p m CSTGame weather 32 F 0 C cloudyGame attendance 80 874Referee Carl CheffersTV announcers NBC Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth and Michele TafoyaRrcap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Terrance Williams 31 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 4 44 Cowboys 7 0 Drive 10 plays 67 yards 4 06 Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter NYG Robbie Gould 39 yard field goal 5 50 Cowboys 7 3 Drive 11 plays 35 yards 4 49 NYG Odell Beckham Jr 61 yard pass from Eli Manning Robbie Gould kick 1 07 Giants 10 7 Drive 2 plays 61 yards 0 43 Fourth quarter No scoring plays Top passers DAL Dak Prescott 17 37 165 yards TD 2 INT NYG Eli Manning 17 28 193 yards TD INT Top rushers DAL Ezekiel Elliott 24 rushes 107 yards NYG Rashad Jennings 15 rushes 45 yards Top receivers DAL Terrance Williams 5 receptions 76 yards TD NYG Odell Beckham Jr 4 receptions 94 yards TD Trying to win their 12th straight and avenge their Week 1 loss the Cowboys took on the second place New York Giants in a Sunday night showdown After taking a 7 0 lead on their second possession of the game the Cowboys failed to score any more points for the rest of the game and lost 10 7 thus ending their 11 game winning streak Dak Prescott had his first multiple interception game and the Cowboys committed three turnovers It was the first time that they were swept in the regular season by the Giants since the 2011 season Week 15 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers edit Week Fifteen Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalBuccaneers 3 3 14020Cowboys 0 17 0926 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date December 18Game time 7 30 p m CSTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 93 101Referee Terry McAulayTV announcers NBC Al Michaels Cris Collinsworth and Michele TafoyaRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter TB Roberto Aguayo 25 yard field goal 5 54 Buccaneers 3 0 Drive 9 plays 47 yards 3 52 Second quarter DAL Dan Bailey 27 yard field goal 14 56 Tied 3 3 Drive 11 plays 65 yards 5 58 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 2 yard run Dan Bailey kick 12 34 Cowboys 10 3 Drive 5 plays 14 yards 2 11 DAL Dak Prescott 2 yard run Dan Bailey kick 6 24 Cowboys 17 3 Drive 10 plays 64 yards 5 13 TB Roberto Aguayo 34 yard field goal 1 52 Cowboys 17 6 Drive 11 plays 59 yards 4 32 Third quarter TB Adam Humphries 42 yard pass from Jameis Winston Roberto Aguayo kick 11 44 Cowboys 17 13 Drive 8 plays 75 yards 3 16 TB Cameron Brate 10 yard pass from Jameis Winston Roberto Aguayo kick 4 12 Buccaneers 20 17 Drive 10 plays 81 yards 4 49 Fourth quarter DAL Dan Bailey 40 yard field goal 13 31 Tied 20 20 Drive 10 plays 58 yards 5 41 DAL Dan Bailey 38 yard field goal 9 35 Cowboys 23 20 Drive 4 plays 2 yards 2 14 DAL Dan Bailey 33 yard field goal 2 58 Cowboys 26 20 Drive 8 plays 81 yards 3 57 Top passers TB Jameis Winston 17 35 247 yards 2 TD DAL Dak Prescott 32 36 279 yards Top rushers TB Doug Martin 16 rushes 42 yards DAL Ezekiel Elliott 23 rushes 159 yards TD Top receivers TB Cameron Brate 5 receptions 73 yards TD DAL Dez Bryant 8 receptions 82 yards Following their second loss to the Giants the Cowboys returned to Arlington in a match against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who were coming off a five game winning streak Despite both teams sharing the lead from time and time again the Cowboys were able to hold off the Buccaneers With less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter Orlando Scandrick intercepted a pass from Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston who fumbled earlier in the first half and ended the game as a Cowboys victory Dallas only other highlight came early in the second quarter when Ezekiel Elliott leapt onto the Salvation Army kettle after scoring a touchdown to lead Dallas 10 3 This celebration resulted in a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty however the following day the NFL decided to not fine Elliott for the celebration The Cowboys improved to 12 2 and with the Giants loss to the Eagles the following Thursday night they clinched the NFC East title and home field advantage throughout the playoffs Week 16 vs Detroit Lions edit Week Sixteen Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalLions 7 14 0021Cowboys 14 7 14742 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date December 26Game time 7 30 p m CSTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 92 885Referee John HusseyTV announcers ESPN Sean McDonough Jon Gruden and Lisa SaltersRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Brice Butler 21 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey Kick 9 57 Cowboys 7 0 Drive 9 plays 66 yards 5 03 DET Zach Zenner 7 yard run Matt Prater Kick 5 23 Tied 7 7 Drive 9 plays 75 yards 4 34 DAL Ezekiel Elliott 55 yard run Dan Bailey Kick 2 49 Cowboys 14 7 Drive 4 plays 66 yards 2 34 Second quarter DET Matthew Stafford 1 yard run Matt Prater Kick 13 32 Tied 14 14 Drive 11 plays 58 yards 4 17 DET Zach Zenner 5 yard run Matt Prater Kick 7 40 Lions 21 14 Drive 8 plays 53 yards 4 01 DAL Dez Bryant 25 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey Kick 1 04 Tied 21 21 Drive 6 plays 51 yards 2 10 Third quarter DAL Ezekiel Elliott 1 yard run Dan Bailey Kick 10 19 Cowboys 28 21 Drive 3 plays 38 yards 1 46 DAL Jason Witten 10 yard pass from Dez Bryant Dan Bailey Kick 4 03 Cowboys 35 21 Drive 7 plays 95 yards 4 05 Fourth quarter DAL Dez Bryant 19 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey Kick 12 12 Cowboys 42 21 Drive 7 plays 63 yards 3 35 Top passers DET Matthew Stafford 26 46 260 yards INT DAL Dak Prescott 15 20 212 yards 3 TD Top rushers DET Zach Zenner 12 rushes 67 yards 2 TD DAL Ezekiel Elliott 12 rushes 80 yards 2 TD Top receivers DET Eric Ebron 8 receptions 93 yards DAL Dez Bryant 4 receptions 70 yards 2 TD The Cowboys improved to 13 2 and swept the NFC North They became the first team since the 2008 Tennessee Titans to sweep both the AFC and NFC North in the same regular season They also won their 13th game in the regular season for the third time in franchise history and first time since 2007 Dez Bryant threw his first touchdown pass of his career Week 17 at Philadelphia Eagles edit Week Seventeen Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalCowboys 0 10 3013Eagles 3 7 71027 at Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia Pennsylvania Date January 1 2017Game time 1 00 p m EST 12 00 p m CSTGame weather 50 F 10 C sunnyGame attendance 69 596Referee Walt ColemanTV announcers Fox Kevin Burkhardt John Lynch and Pam OliverRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter PHI Caleb Sturgis 22 yard field goal 3 57 Eagles 3 0 Drive 14 plays 79 yards 8 18 Second quarter DAL Dan Bailey 49 yard field goal 14 51 Tied 3 3 Drive 9 plays 44 yards 4 06 DAL Terrance Williams 3 yard pass from Tony Romo Dan Bailey kick 10 11 Cowboys 10 3 Drive 6 plays 81 yards 2 49 PHI Zach Ertz 6 yard pass from Carson Wentz Caleb Sturgis kick 0 07 Tied 10 10 Drive 9 plays 49 yards 1 50 Third quarter DAL Dan Bailey 23 yard field goal 9 18 Cowboys 13 10 Drive 7 plays 66 yards 3 21 PHI Zach Ertz 20 yard pass from Carson Wentz Caleb Sturgis kick 4 56 Eagles 17 13 Drive 10 plays 89 yards 4 22 Fourth quarter PHI Caleb Sturgis 33 yard field goal 2 18 Eagles 20 13 Drive 14 plays 75 yards 7 51 PHI Terrell Watson 1 yard run Caleb Sturgis kick 1 23 Eagles 27 13 Drive 3 plays 7 yards 0 16 Top passers DAL Mark Sanchez 9 17 85 yards 2 INT PHI Carson Wentz 27 43 245 yards 2 TD Top rushers DAL Darren McFadden 7 rushes 28 yards PHI Byron Marshall 10 rushes 42 yards Top receivers DAL Cole Beasley 3 receptions 49 yards PHI Zach Ertz 13 receptions 139 yards 2 TD With everything already clinched the Cowboys rested numerous key starters including Elliott and Sean Lee and only played Dak Prescott for two series Tony Romo played for the first time since November 2015 and in his one series threw a touchdown pass to Terrance Williams With the 27 13 loss their first in Philadelphia since Week 8 of the 2011 season the Cowboys finished the regular season 13 3 with a 3 3 record against NFC East competition and a 10 0 record outside of the division Standings edit Division edit NFC East viewtalkedit W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK 1 Dallas Cowboys 13 3 0 813 3 3 9 3 421 306 L1 5 New York Giants 11 5 0 688 4 2 8 4 310 284 W1 Washington Redskins 8 7 1 531 3 3 6 6 396 383 L1 Philadelphia Eagles 7 9 0 438 2 4 5 7 367 331 W2 Conference edit NFCvte Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK Division leaders 1 Dallas Cowboys East 13 3 0 813 3 3 9 3 471 440 L1 2 Atlanta Falcons South 11 5 0 688 5 1 9 3 480 452 W4 3 Seattle Seahawks West 10 5 1 656 3 2 1 6 5 1 441 425 W1 4 Green Bay Packers North 10 6 0 625 5 1 8 4 508 453 W6 Wild Cards 5 New York Giants East 11 5 0 688 4 2 8 4 486 455 W1 6 a Detroit Lions North 9 7 0 563 3 3 7 5 475 392 L3 Did not qualify for the postseason 7 a Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 9 7 0 563 4 2 7 5 492 434 W1 8 Washington Redskins East 8 7 1 531 3 3 6 6 516 430 L1 9 Minnesota Vikings North 8 8 0 500 2 4 5 7 492 457 W1 10 Arizona Cardinals West 7 8 1 469 4 1 1 6 5 1 463 366 W2 11 b New Orleans Saints South 7 9 0 438 2 4 6 6 523 393 L1 12 b Philadelphia Eagles East 7 9 0 438 2 4 5 7 559 518 W2 13 Carolina Panthers South 6 10 0 375 1 5 5 7 518 354 L2 14 Los Angeles Rams West 4 12 0 250 2 4 3 9 504 500 L7 15 Chicago Bears North 3 13 0 188 2 4 3 9 521 396 L4 16 San Francisco 49ers West 2 14 0 125 2 4 2 10 504 250 L1 Tiebreakers c a b Detroit finished ahead of Tampa Bay for the No 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs common opponents Detroit s cumulative record against Chicago Dallas Los Angeles and New Orleans was 3 2 while Tampa Bay s cumulative record against the same four teams was 2 3 a b New Orleans finished ahead of Philadelphia based on better record vs conference opponents 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 Postseason editSee also 2016 17 NFL playoffs Schedule edit Playoff round Date Opponent seed Result Record Game site NFL comrecap Wild Card First round bye Divisional January 15 2017 Green Bay Packers 4 L 31 34 0 1 AT amp T Stadium Recap Game summaries edit NFC Divisional Playoffs vs 4 Green Bay Packers edit NFC Divisional Playoffs 4 Green Bay Packers at 1 Dallas Cowboys Game summary Period 1 2 34TotalPackers 7 14 7634Cowboys 3 10 01831 at AT amp T Stadium Arlington Texas Date January 15 2017Game time 3 40 p m CSTGame weather Played indoors retractable roof closed Game attendance 93 396Referee Tony CorrenteTV announcers Fox Joe Buck Troy Aikman Erin Andrews and Chris MyersRecap Gamebook Game information First quarter DAL Dan Bailey 50 yard field goal 11 23 Cowboys 3 0 Drive 8 plays 43 yards 3 37 GB Richard Rodgers II 34 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers Mason Crosby kick 8 58 Packers 7 3 Drive 5 plays 75 yards 2 25 Second quarter GB Ty Montgomery 3 yard run Mason Crosby kick 14 05 Packers 14 3 Drive 13 plays 90 yards 5 47 GB Ty Montgomery 1 yard run Mason Crosby kick 7 37 Packers 21 3 Drive 9 plays 80 yards 5 24 DAL Dez Bryant 34 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 6 03 Packers 21 10 Drive 4 plays 75 yards 1 34 DAL Dan Bailey 33 yard field goal 1 00 Packers 21 13 Drive 10 plays 36 yards 3 55 Third quarter GB Jared Cook 3 yard pass from Aaron Rodgers Mason Crosby kick 11 25 Packers 28 13 Drive 6 plays 75 yards 3 35 Fourth quarter DAL Jason Witten 6 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dan Bailey kick 11 39 Packers 28 20 Drive 10 plays 59 yards 5 40 DAL Dez Bryant 7 yard pass from Dak Prescott Dak Prescott run 4 08 Tied 28 28 Drive 11 plays 80 yards 5 06 GB Mason Crosby 56 yard field goal 1 33 Packers 31 28 Drive 8 plays 37 yards 2 35 DAL Dan Bailey 52 yard field goal 0 35 Tied 31 31 Drive 6 plays 42 yards 0 58 GB Mason Crosby 51 yard field goal 0 00 Packers 34 31 Drive 6 plays 43 yards 0 35 Top passers GB Aaron Rodgers 28 43 356 yards 2 TD INT DAL Dak Prescott 24 38 302 yards 3 TD INT Top rushers GB Ty Montgomery 11 rushes 47 yards 2 TD DAL Ezekiel Elliott 22 rushes 125 yards Top receivers GB Randall Cobb 7 receptions 62 yards DAL Dez Bryant 9 receptions 132 yards 2 TD Despite having the 1 seed in the NFC and home field advantage the Cowboys season came to an end in Dallas when they were defeated by the 4 seed Green Bay Packers 34 31 who avenged their Week 6 loss with a Mason Crosby field goal with just 3 seconds left in the game For the first time since Week 14 Dak Prescott threw an interception as Packers safety Micah Hyde intercepted Prescott with 7 17 remaining in the third quarter With the loss the Cowboys closed out their season with a 13 4 record References edit Cowboys Officially Clinch Playoff Spot Can Claim NFC East Title Next Week Dallas Cowboys December 4 2016 Retrieved December 9 2016 a b Drummond K D Cowboys lose OL Mackenzy Bernadeau release Cedric Thornton contract details USA Today Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Phillips Rob Veteran OT Charles Brown Announces Retirement Cowboys Sign 2 Tackles Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Phillips Rob Cowboys Re sign Backup Tackle Brown G C Bernadeau Leaves For Jaguars Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 18 2017 a b c Gantt Darin Titans sign Matt Cassel to back up Marcus Mariota NBC Sports Retrieved May 18 2017 Smith Michael David Cowboys retain Morris Claiborne on one year deal NBC Sports Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Archer Todd Jack Crawford Cowboys agree to one year deal ESPN Retrieved May 18 2017 Helman David Cowboys Sign Versatile RB Lance Dunbar To One Year Contract Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Alper Josh James Hanna back to Cowboys on three year deal NBC Sports Retrieved May 18 2017 Machota Jon Safety Jeff Heath gets new four year contract from Cowboys Dallas News Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Alper Josh Ronald Leary signs RFA tender with Cowboys NBC Sports Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Schefter Adam Cowboys LB Rolando McClain suspended another year ESPN Retrieved May 20 2017 a b Orr Conor Cowboys re sign Rolando McClain to one year deal NFL Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Helman David Cowboys Re Sign CB Josh Thomas Re Work Tyrone Crawford s Contract Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Holder Stephen Colts sign veteran RB Robert Turbin The Indianapolis Star Retrieved May 18 2017 George Brandon Source Dallas Cowboys re sign LB Kyle Wilber to a two year deal Dallas News Retrieved May 18 2017 Davison Drew Five off season concerns for Dallas Cowboys Fort Worth Star Telegram Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Machota Jon 10 defensive backs the Dallas Cowboys could target in the NFL draft Dallas News Retrieved May 18 2017 David Helman Improving The Cowboys Pass Rush Remains As A Familiar Concern Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 18 2017 a b NFL Communications Free Agency Signing Period Begins 496 Players Become Free Agents NFL Retrieved May 18 2017 Brown Maury Everything You Need To Know About NFL Free Agency 2016 Forbes Retrieved May 18 2017 Kerr Dineen Luke One stat that shows how badly the Dallas Cowboys need Tony Romo back USA Today Retrieved May 18 2017 George Brandon Source QB Dak Prescott flying into Dallas for pre draft visit with Cowboys Dallas News Retrieved May 18 2017 Helman David Carson Wentz Excited For Opportunity To Re Connect With Cowboys Coaches Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Dubin Jared The Cowboys may have tipped their hand on which QB they ll draft CBS Sports Retrieved May 18 2017 Klein Gary California s Jared Goff considered the favorite to be selected No 1 overall by Rams at Thursday s NFL draft Los Angeles Times Retrieved May 18 2017 Reyes Lorenzo NFL combine Carson Wentz Paxton Lynch solidify status as two of the top quarterbacks USA Today Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Archer Todd Dak Prescott is Cowboys first QB draft pick since 2009 ESPN Retrieved May 18 2017 Hill Jr Clarence E Free agent quarterback Matt Moore will visit the Dallas Cowboys Fort Worth Star Telegram Retrieved May 18 2017 Kelly Omar Miami Dolphins re sign backup QB Matt Moore Sun Sentinel Retrieved May 18 2017 Polacek Scott Orlando Scandrick Injury Updates on Cowboys CB s Recovery from Torn ACL Bleacher Report Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Jones Mike Alfred Morris staying in the NFC East signs with rival Cowboys The Washington Post Retrieved May 19 2017 Moore David Source Cowboys closer to a deal with free agent CB Patrick Robinson than they are RB Alfred Morris Dallas News Retrieved May 19 2017 Archer Todd Cowboys value special teams in Jeff Heath s contract figures ESPN Retrieved May 22 2017 a b Burke Chris Off season Outlook Dallas Cowboys Sports Illustrated Retrieved May 18 2017 Pelissero Tom Cowboys LB Gregory suspended four games for violating substance abuse policy USA Today Retrieved May 18 2017 Knoblauch Austin Randy Gregory suspended additional 10 games by NFL NFL Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Williams Charean Cowboys hosting free agents Joe Looney and Jason Jones Fort Worth Star Telegram Retrieved May 19 2017 Machota Jon Rolando McClain suspended 10 games for violating NFL drug policy DeMarcus Lawrence s 4 game penalty upheld Dallas News Retrieved May 20 2017 Ulrich Nate Journeyman Nick Hayden hopes to rock and roll with Browns as they search for answers on depleted defensive line Akron Beacon Journal Retrieved May 20 2017 Loreno Darcie Cleveland Browns cut Austin Davis Nick Hayden Paul Kruger Fox 8 Cleveland Retrieved May 20 2017 a b Barnwell Bill Bill Barnwell s offseason report cards NFC East ESPN Retrieved May 18 2017 Sessler Marc Former Jaguars Cowboys DL Jeremy Mincey retires NFL Retrieved May 20 2017 Kairschner Shawn 2016 Cowboys Roster Benefits of going young WFAA 8 ABC Retrieved May 22 2017 Monson Sam Cowboys earn C grade for relatively quiet offseason Pro Football Focus Retrieved May 19 2017 George Brandon Dallas Cowboys sign former Eagles DL Cedric Thornton to 4 year 18 million deal Dallas News Retrieved May 19 2017 Associated Press Cowboys sign former Eagles d lineman Thornton to 4 year deal ESPN Retrieved May 19 2017 Dixon Schuyler AP sources Cowboys sign Raiders DE Mayowa to offer sheet The San Diego Union Tribune Retrieved May 19 2017 Bair Scott Mayowa joins Cowboys as Raiders decline to match offer sheet NBC Sports Bay Area Retrieved May 19 2017 Thomas Jeanna Alfred Morris signs with Cowboys SB Nation Retrieved May 19 2017 Greene Dan What Ever Happened to Joseph Randle Sports Illustrated Retrieved May 19 2017 Helman David Cowboys Add Offensive Line Depth By Signing Veteran OG C Joe Looney Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 18 2017 Williams Charean Cowboys Joe Looney ready to do whatever whenever wherever as a backup center and swing guard Fort Worth Star Telegram Retrieved May 20 2017 Goodbread Chase NFL draft to return to Chicago in 2016 NFL Retrieved May 26 2017 a b c Machota Jon Cowboys trade for Raiders Brice Butler to add WR depth Dallas News Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Gantt Darin Cowboys deal for Matt Cassel similar to one Bills made in March NBC Sports Retrieved May 18 2017 a b Condotta Bob Seahawks trade running back Christine Michael to Dallas Seattle Times Retrieved May 18 2017 Eatman Nick NFL Awards Four Compensatory Picks Including Fourth Rounder in 2016 Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 26 2017 Hornsby Neil Offseason To Do List for the Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Focus Retrieved May 26 2017 Owning John Dallas Cowboys Full 2016 Draft Guide and Preview Bleacher Report Retrieved May 26 2017 a b Goodbread Chase Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott wants to be drafted by Cowboys NFL Retrieved May 26 2017 Rapp Timothy Ezekiel Elliott Latest News Rumors and Buzz Surrounding RB s Draft Stock Bleacher Report Retrieved May 26 2017 Davis Nate NFL draft First round pick by pick analysis USA Today Retrieved May 26 2017 a b Yarina Brent View 2015 All Big Ten Offensive Team amp individual award winners Big Ten Network Retrieved May 26 2017 a b Associated Press AP All America Team List Associated Press Archived from the original on May 27 2017 Retrieved May 27 2017 Greenstein Teddy Ohio State s Ezekiel Elliott wins Chicago Tribune Silver Football Chicago Tribune Retrieved May 26 2017 Brugler Dane Ohio State s Joey Bosa Ezekiel Elliott headline Big Ten s top NFL prospects CBS Sports Retrieved May 26 2017 Wilson Ryan Ezekiel Elliott It would be an honor to run behind Cowboys O line CBS Sports Retrieved May 26 2017 Yousuf Saad Why selecting Ezekiel Elliott makes sense for Dallas Cowboys WFAA 8 Retrieved May 26 2017 a b c d e Archer Todd 2016 Dallas Cowboys draft picks Analysis for every selection ESPN Retrieved May 26 2017 Skrbina Paul Notre Dame s Jaylon Smith named Butkus Award winner Chicago Tribune Retrieved May 26 2017 Cooper Sam Reports Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith has torn ACL MCL Yahoo Sports Retrieved May 26 2017 Eatman Nick Cowboys Bolster D Line Interior Draft Nebraska DT Maliek Collins in Third Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 26 2017 a b Yarina Brent View 2015 All Big Ten Defensive Team amp individual award winners Big Ten Network Retrieved May 26 2017 Associated Press 2015 Associated Press All Big 12 team USA Today Retrieved May 26 2017 Brinson Will Here s how the Cowboys lost out on Paxton Lynch as their future QB CBS Sports Retrieved May 18 2017 Schefter Adam How Dallas almost missed on Dak over and over ESPN Retrieved May 26 2017 Aschoff Edward Life without Dak Prescott for Mississippi State and 10 more irreplaceable players ABC News via ESPN Retrieved May 26 2016 a b c Helman David Determining Roles amp Potential Roster Spots For The Late Round Draft Picks Dallas Cowboys Retrieved May 27 2017 a b Lang III Roy Dak Prescott no stranger to emerging from backup role The Shreveport Times Retrieved May 27 2017 a b MAC Sports MAC Announces 2015 All MAC Football Teams and Post Season Awards Mid American Conference Retrieved May 27 2017 Triplett Mike Baylor hoops standout Rico Gathers is serious about becoming an NFL tight end ESPN Retrieved May 27 2017 Associated Press Frank Kaminsky Jahlil Okafor lead AP All America team Perry Ellis Ron Baker Fred VanVleet earn honorable mention ESPN Retrieved May 27 2017 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2016 Dallas Cowboys season 2016 Dallas Cowboys Statistics amp Players Pro Football Reference com Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2016 Dallas Cowboys season amp oldid 1219952677, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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