ARLINGTON, Texas _ You never want to be in the position of needing help to make the postseason. Never. The Cowboys needed help from one of their longtime rivals but didn't get it.
The Cowboys dominated the Redskins in the regular-season finale, winning 47-16 at AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles handled their business, knocking off the Giants 34-17 to clinch the NFC East and end the Cowboys' season.
Now here comes the hard part: Do you keep Jason Garrett? What to do with Amari Cooper? Is Jason Witten returning? Sean Lee? What's up with the NFL draft? Get a cornerback? A defensive tackle? How concerned are you with Leighton Vander Esch's pending neck surgery? So many questions with no answers right now.
As it stands, the Cowboys finished the season 8-8. After a 3-0 start, they had a pair of three-game losing streaks, including a loss at the then-winless New York Jets and road defeats at New England and Chicago. The season turned into a mess after a fast start.
And the Cowboys played one of their best games in beating the Redskins.
_Jason Garrett ... What can we say? The Cowboys' head coach finished the 2019 season with an 85-67 overall mark, three playoff appearances and four 8-8 finishes. He also has three NFC East titles on his resume. His contract runs out and it's doubtful he'll receive a new contract from club owner Jerry Jones. The Cowboys know what they have in Garrett, a good coach who couldn't push this franchise to a Super Bowl berth. If the Cowboys wanted to give Garrett a new contract, he needed to lead his team on a deep playoff run. It didn't happen.
_Michael Gallup shows out: It may be too late, but the three touchdown receptions by Michael Gallup _ on the first one, he got two feet down in the corner of the end zone; on the second one, he broke two tackles; the final one was a slant _ tell you the Cowboys have a No. 2 guy. Not sure if he's a No. 1, but if the Cowboys fail to re-sign Cooper, Gallup is going to be asked to lead this offense in the passing game. Is he ready for that? He's talented but not as good as Cooper. The issue is how much do you want to pay Cooper? If you lose him, the best receiver is now Gallup.
_Strange personnel groupings: In the first half, the Cowboys had an alignment with Cooper or Randall Cobb on the sideline when faced with a third-and-18. Then in the second half, the Cowboys had three tight ends and Ventell Bryant on the field for a third-and-1. Dak Prescott was sacked. If Kellen Moore is going to continue as the offensive play-caller, you just need to have your best players on the field for a majority of the game, especially when the season is on the line. Nobody wants to hear about rotations with your best players sitting. The same goes for the defensive line rotation. It's one thing to pull a player out if he's tired, but your best players need to play at least 70% of the snaps, not 60-65%. The Cowboys don't have the depth for that.
_Health issues for Cowboys: The Cowboys went into this game minus starting left tackle Tyron Smith, starting cornerback Byron Jones and starting defensive tackle Antwaun Woods because of injuries. As the game progressed, they lost defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to a back injury. Health has compromised this team at times in 2019 and in the biggest game of the season, it was an issue again.
_The future is now at cornerback: With Jones out, the Cowboys got a glimpse of their future at cornerback. Jourdan Lewis, the people's favorite, gave up a 65-yard catch and run, Donovan Olumba was promoted from the practice squad Saturday when it was determined Jones was doubtful and, of course, the Cowboys have Chidobe Awuzie as the other starter. Dallas, regardless if Jones re-signs, needs to invest in a corner. Finding one in the draft or in free agency is imperative because this current group isn't good enough on a consistent basis.
