In the Wild Card round of the playoffs the team lost to the eventual NFC champion Carolina Panthers 29–10.
Notes Running backs Wide receivers Tight ends Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams Practice squad Rookies in italics 53 active, 5 inactive, 5 practice squad Despite the release of team legend Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys' fortunes began to change with the introduction of Parcells as head coach.
Though the Cowboys opened the season with a loss, a dramatic come-from-behind victory the next week against the Giants at New York spurred the team's confidence, particularly in third-year quarterback Quincy Carter.
After starting with a 7–2 record, the Cowboys went 3–4 in the second half of the season including a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in Foxboro.
Though the Cowboys finished 10–6 and earned a playoff berth, they lost in the first round to the eventual NFC champions, the Carolina Panthers.
With Michael Vick out with injury Doug Johnson started for the Falcons and had two passing touchdowns and a rushing score.
The Cowboys raced to a 23–7 lead as kicker Billy Cundiff proceeded through a huge day, but the Giants behind Kerry Collins erupted, outscoring the Cowboys 25–12 in the second half; the go-ahead Giants score (a 30-yard Matt Bryant field goal) came with eleven seconds left.
A penalty on the ensuing kickoff gave Dallas the ball at its own 40 and a 26-yard catch by Antonio Bryant set up Cundiff's sixth field goal of the game, a 52-yarder with no time left.
The Cowboys hosted former NFC East foe Arizona; they limited the Cardinals to 151 total yards and sacked Jeff Blake twice in the endzone for a safety, ultimately winning 24–7.
But by late in the fourth quarter Duce Staley's 52-yard catch from Donovan McNabb and a Correll Buckhalter score put the Eagles up 21–20.
The embattled Bucs shut out the Cowboys 16–0 as Keyshawn Johnson caught a touchdown pass while Quincy Carter was intercepted twice.
Parcells traveled to Foxboro for the first time since the 1999 season and faced his former assistant Bill Belichick on Sunday night.
John Kasay's field goal at 3:51 to go made it 24–20 late in the fourth, but the Cowboys killed the remaining clock on four Carter completions for 21 yards and a four-yard run aided by a Deon Grant personal foul penalty.
However, because Dallas owned a tiebreaker with Green Bay by virtue of conference record in the event that the Cowboys lost and both the Packers and Vikings won (who were both vying for the NFC North in which the Vikings were leading at the time via a divisional tiebreaker), Dallas had clinched at playoff berth regardless of whether or not the Seahawks were involved in a tie with the Cowboys and Packers.
The Saints were still smarting from a shocking series of laterals ending in a touchdown and missed PAT against Jacksonville the week before.
They responded by intercepting Quincy Carter three times and shutting out the Cowboys the remaining two quarters for the 13–7 Saints win.
The Seahawks' win the previous day and various results in the final week of the regular season dropped the Cowboys to the sixth seed in the NFC as Seattle held the strength of victory tiebreaker.
The result, though, was an ugly 29–10 curtain on the season as the Panthers forced a fumble, picked off Quincy Carter once, sacked him three times, and limited the Cowboys to 204 yards of offense.