Cowboys’ upset win over Commanders divides fans in forsaken season

Did Sunday’s win make you happy? Or are you Team Tank?

The Dallas Cowboys did enough, with plenty of help from the misfiring Washington Commanders, to get an upset victory on the road. On the surface, this would seem to be a rare happy moment for a team with little reason for cheer in 2024. Instead, it’s proving divisive among fans based on conflicting philosophies.

There would be much more unity in reaction to the game if anyone felt the Cowboys still had meaningful goals this season. But even if this is the first in a miraculous seven-game win streak to close the year, a 10-7 record is no guarantee of a playoff spot. And if we’re keeping it real, that notion lies somewhere between fantastic and insane.

Sure, hitting the Commanders with an uppercut to their morale feels good in the moment. Hanging a loss on the team that wears the big “W” is always funny. And if you’re still bitter about how Dan Quinn made his exit from Dallas last January, seeing his reactions as the game went sideways at the end was enjoyable.

But in the end, Washington is still an ascending team with one of the best young quarterbacks in the game. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are still a floundering franchise with no idea who will be coaching in 2025 and how they’ll address so many roster issues in a single offseason. This win was nice for individual standouts like KaVontae Turpin, Cooper Rush, Luke Schoonmaker, Josh Butler, and others looking to build their résumés for the future, but Dallas is still riddled with large-scale questions and problems going forward.

For fans more worried about the big picture, and taking a mostly pragmatic view of the remaining season, all this victory did was hurt the Cowboys’ positioning in the 2025 Draft. With upset wins by the Browns and Titans in Week 12, Dallas could’ve moved even closer toward a top-five pick in their next rookie haul. But their own upset only lessens their chances of moving up the board.

This is a divisive topic on multiple levels. For the coaches and players, we certainly can’t expect them to throw in the towel. Mike McCarthy doesn’t have a contract after this season and hopefully isn’t getting another one from Dallas, but he’s probably not ready to retire just yet. Many of his assistants are also going to be looking for work, not to mention 20-plus potential free agents from among the players. These guys deserve to fight for themselves, even if it feels futile.

Fans are also divided on this. While some are bemoaning how this fourth win could hurt Dallas’ draft pick, others are proud of guys like CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons for continuing to fight in this lost season. Seeing their veteran leadership in these darkest days is encouraging and offers hope for the future, especially given their likely roles as pillars for the locker room going forward.

There is no right or wrong in how you feel about this. It’s all conjecture; the unanswerable question of what’s best for the team? You can be hyper-focused on that 2025 draft pick and still wind up with a player who doesn’t help the team improve. Conversely, whatever other kumbaya moments are squeezed out of these last six games may not matter if the team is getting blown up in the offseason.

If you’re happy about the win, then good for you. If you’re mad about it hurting the draft pick, you’re not wrong. This dichotomy of response isn’t going away as the Cowboys play out their remaining schedule. Moral victories depend on your values, and fans are going to remain divided on the value of wins like this one.