The Cowboys came into Miami with plenty to prove. Following their loss to the Bills in Week 15, Dallas faced questions about their toughness, their ability to stop the run and whether or not they could perform on the road against a quality opponent.
They responded to a couple of those challenges, except the most important one. Dallas’ offense made a hideous mistake to start the game and then the defense was unable to close things out at the end of it. An early fumble took what looked like a certain scoring chance off the board. Dallas battled back and took the lead late, but couldn’t stop Miami’s final drive that led to their fifth field goal of the game. Dallas fell, 22-20.
The loss dropped Dallas to 10-5 on the season, with two games left to go. They will return home for a Saturday game against the Detroit Lions in Week 17 before finishing their season Week 18 in Washington.
Dallas now has a 3-4 record against teams above .500; falling to San Francisco, Philadelphia, Buffalo and Miami – the last two over the last two weeks. They have wins over the Eagles, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle, with Detroit their final above-.500 opponent remaining.