Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) sits on the bench after being defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at AT&T Stadium. Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys set dubious record with loss to 49ers

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 1/17/22

The Dallas Cowboys set a record on Sunday, but it's one they probably aren't too happy about.

With their whacky loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round, the Cowboys have officially gone into more than 10 straight playoff rounds without advancing to a conference final — the most posted by any team in the history of the league.

The Cowboys have now gone 11 straight playoff appearances without reaching a conference championship game.

That’s the longest streak by any team in NFL history.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 17, 2022

Setting such a record caps off what ended up being a very wild loss for Dallas. After mounting a comeback in the second half, the Cowboys' effort at a game-winning drive in the final minutes of play was halted after quarterback Dak Prescott failed to hand the ball to the referee before starting the next play of the drive.

To add to the gut punch of a loss, Prescott made headlines with his postgame comments praising Cowboys fans throwing trash at the refs.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott disparaged fans for throwing bottles, debris at players. Then Prescott was told the fans were aiming for officiating crew. Prescott retracted. “A credit to them then.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 17, 2022

#Cowboys fans throwing things at their own players. Got this sent to me by one. Be better fans wow! pic.twitter.com/mlVttbFlpg
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) January 17, 2022

The Cowboys now start their offseason with many questions to be answered, starting with whether Mike McCarthy will still be head coach next season. The way he managed Sunday's game was just the latest blunder during his tenure in Dallas, topped off by all the penalties his team racked up in the process.

Those 14 penalties, by the way, also set a record.

The 14 accepted penalties on the Cowboys are the most in a playoff game since the Cowboys had 14 in a 34-14 win vs Eagles 1/9/10
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) January 17, 2022

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