Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Blowout losses a common theme in 2017 for Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Since Jason Garrett took over as head coach midway through the 2010 season, the Dallas Cowboys have not suffered many blowout losses.

Until this year.

Sunday’s 37-9 setback against the Philadelphia Eagles was the third loss of at least 20 points by the Cowboys this season. They lost 42-17 to the Denver Broncos in Week 2. They were defeated last week by the Atlanta Falcons, 27-7.

Even in the miserable 4-12 finish of 2015, the Cowboys had only two losses of more than 20 points. Half of their losses were by seven points or less.

Following Sunday night's game, Garrett would not get into whether losing by one point or more than 20 points mattered.

“The biggest thing we have to do is focus on what happened in this ballgame and learn from the experience," Garrett said. “I thought we did a good job in the first half of the game and not a very good job in the second half of the game, so you learn from this particular experience and move forward. Obviously it’s a quick turnaround for us. The Chargers will be here on Thursday, so we have to put this one to bed quickly.”

In five of Garrett's seven full seasons as coach, the Cowboys suffered a single 20-plus point loss in a season five times.

But on a night in which owner and general manager Jerry Jones received his Hall of Fame ring, the Cowboys suffered their worst loss in AT&T Stadium history.

“Having been honored, I’m just grateful,” Jones said. “I certainly wanted to win, but not just because it falls on the same (night as being honored).”

This is the seventh time the Cowboys have had at least three losses by 20 or more points in the same season since Jones became owner and general manager in 1989. They missed the playoffs the previous six times it happened and posted just one winning record (2008). That team finished 9-7 but imploded from within by the end of the season.

In 1989, the Cowboys had three losses by at least 23 points on their way to a 1-15 mark. The Cowboys had three or more 20-plus point losses in each season from 2000-02 and in 2004.

The last time the Cowboys had four losses by 20 or more points came in 2004 when they finished 6-10 in Bill Parcells’ second season. They lost 41-20 to the Green Bay Packers, 26-3 to the Cincinnati Bengals, 49-21 to the Philadelphia Eagles and 30-10 to the Baltimore Ravens.

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