Beginning today, we’ll be ranking the worst, ugliest, most despicable five losses of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2010 season. The difficulty in this task isn’t selecting five losses that were particularly ugly--all of the Cowboys’ losses this season were ugly in their own way. The difficulty is selecting only five of the team’s ten losses, and ranking them accordingly. Which probably explains why we copped out, and went with a three-way tie for the fifth spot.
5.) Tie: Week 8’s 35-17 loss vs. Jacksonville; Week 12’s 30-27 loss vs. New Orleans; Week 16’s 27-26 loss @ Arizona.
It’s difficult to say if any of these losses, on their own, would make the cut. But put them together and you have one terrible holiday season for Cowboys’ fans. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day--all tainted by Cowboys’ losses.
The Jacksonville game was the closest to stand on its own on this list. Of Jon Kitna’s four interceptions against Jacksonville, three bounced of the hands and / or pads of Cowboys’ receivers. David Garrard was made to look like a Hall of Famer against the Dallas defense, going 17-for-21 passing for 260 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
With the loss to the Jaguars, the Cowboys fell to 1-6, their worst start since 1989, the first year of the Jerry Jones era.
On Thanksgiving Day against New Orleans, Dallas had a four-point lead and the game all but wrapped up when Kitna hit Roy Williams on a crossing route. Williams looked to be headed for the end zone. Instead, he fumbled, giving Drew Brees and company plenty of time to drive the field and score the game-winning touchdown.
It was another holiday and another huge letdown for the Cowboys in their Christmas Day match-up with the Cardinals in Arizona. After a hip injury sidelined Jon Kitna before the half, third-string quarterback Stephen McGee hit Miles Austin on a 37-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes remaining. David Buehler missed the extra point, however, leaving the Dallas lead at 26-24, and giving the Cardinals the opportunity to win with a field goal. Which, of course, they did, for a 27-26 win over Dallas.
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