CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 08: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on after the game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium on September 08, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cowboys defeated the Browns 33-17. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
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When the 2025 NFL season began, the Dallas Cowboys were the laughing stock of the league. Now, they’re the talk of the town.
It all started a week before Dallas’ first game of the year when team owner Jerry Jones dealt superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay for a package that many considered to be underwhelming. Then, after losing two of its first three games, Dallas tied Green Bay 40-40 on September 28.
A tie?! Sure, laugh all you want Cowboy haters—but that outcome was actually the spark the team needed. It was a window in how the roster could play. High-scoring, up-tempo. All of a sudden, the Cowboys had a template for success. Still, there were struggles to come.
Despite the 40-piece against the Packers, Dallas lost three of their next five games, including bad ones to Carolina and then Arizona on Monday Night Football. That brought their record to 3-5-1. By their Week 10 bye, Dallas’ season looked finished, cooked well before Thanksgiving.
But that’s the thing about success—it’s not always linear.
Over the past three weeks, the ‘Boys are 3-0, taking down the Las Vegas Raiders before back-to-back marquee victories against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Dallas has a record of 6-5-1 and they’re squarely in the playoff picture. Next week, the team plays Detroit. If they get a win in the Motor City, they may actually squeak into the postseason.
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott marveled at his team’s gutsy, resilient play after they defeated the two squads that played in the Super Bowl just last year.
“On top of where we put ourselves right before these games and just the place that we’re in, having to get these wins against two elite teams,” said Prescott. “I mean, two teams that played in the Super Bowl last year. Last year’s last year, but you’re talking about two organizations that obviously know how to win and we just beat them both in two great games.”
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 10: Quarterback Dak Prescott #4 and team owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys hug each other during pregame warm ups prior to the start of an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on August 10, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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It’s a common misconception that results are achieved via a straight line. Sometimes a team takes a major leap forward only to see that it has to take a step or two back. But to see that as a negative thing—and not as an opportunity—is where a franchise can go wrong.
Speaking after the win against the Eagles two weeks ago, Prescott shared some wise words. In that game, Dallas was down 21-0 the first half. The Cowboys could have packed it in and started to think about their upcoming offseason. But no.
“A game like this is all about confidence and belief in one another,” said Prescott after his Cowboy team came back to beat Philly 24-21. “When you’re down 21-0 early like that to one of the best teams in the league, defending Super Bowl champion, [you] keep your resilience high and stay focused and understand that you’ve got a chance.”
Just give yourself a chance—that’s all you can hope for. Writing in Forbes, contributor Joe Ferreira agrees. He explains that when it comes to victories personal or professional “there certainly isn’t one straight-line path” to achieve the results you want. The work never ends, he says, offering, “The three necessary ingredients for success are hard work, perseverance, and the investment of time.”
Easier said than done, of course.
Indeed, in both sports and the business world, there can be an imbalanced expectation for constant success. But it’s failure—as much as we try to avoid it—that can at times be our best teacher. “Failures, both large and small, serve as invaluable feedback no matter how uncomfortable they are,” Ferreira writes. “They can show you where your weak spots are and, therefore, what areas you need to focus on next.”
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – DECEMBER 30: CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates with Dak Prescott #4 after scoring a 92 yard touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the first quarter in the game at AT&T Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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Early in the season, Dallas seemed to have a lot of weak spots. Now, they’re finding those in their opponents’ schemes.
“We’ve got to continue with the same mentality,” Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said after beating the Chiefs on Thursday. “Now we get a little time to rest…We get our bodies back, relax, build, grow, get better and on to next week.”