Cowboys must break the cycle of late-game letdowns

They say that football is a game of inches, and the Dallas Cowboys discovered exactly how agonizing those inches could be during their 2023 Week 9 trip to the unfriendly confines of Lincoln Financial Field against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a battle for supremacy in the NFC East, carrying massive divisional weight and eventual playoff seeding implications. When the clock struck double-zeros, Dallas fell on the short side of a 28-23 loss. This particular defeat was an especially difficult pill to swallow because of just how many close moments refused to go the team's way.

It was a fantastic back-and-forth battle, but Dallas struggled to keep pace for a stretch and found itself staring at a 28-17 deficit in the fourth quarter. Pre-snap penalties, a stagnant running game, and blown defensive assignments allowed the Eagles to take control. Then, a sudden late surge sparked a comeback. The defense abruptly came to life, forcing three consecutive three-and-outs and throwing the door wide open for the Cowboys to steal a huge divisional win on the road.