Why three-time Super Bowl champion Michael Irvin compares Cowboys’ performance to a ‘failing grade’

The Cowboys are having a rough season. After a brutal loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Dallas Cowboys' playoff hopes have been drastically slashed. It’s not impossible for them to be in the playoffs but at 6-7-1, their chances sit at just 1 per cent.

Dak Prescott remains hopeful, though Dallas would need an unlikely late-season surge to reach the postseason.Hall of Fame wide receiver and three-time Super Bowl champion Michael Irvin recently spoke about the Cowboys and didn’t hold back when discussing his former team. He appeared on the Dan Patrick Show and offered a blunt assessment of the Cowboys. Dan Patrick asked him to grade the 2025 version of Dallas, and Irvin responded hilariously.

Why three-time Super Bowl champion thinks the Dallas Cowboys are failing

“There is no grade to give outside of a failure grade,” Irvin responded. “... I don’t want to hear how many records you broke this year, I don’t want to hear what you did in statistics. I want to hear wins and losses, and are you in the playoffs with a chance to win a ring—and they are not. That’s a failing grade.”

Michael Irvin himself of course, has had a legendary run with Dallas Cowboys. He was known as "The Playmaker," and won three Super Bowl rings with the team in the 1990s, as part of "The Triplets" with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, in ‘93, ‘94 and ‘96.

The Cowboys’ postseason isn’t exactly a shock for the fans. The team’s woes have hung over them for nearly 30 years. Dallas hasn’t advanced beyond the divisional round since its last Super Bowl win in 1995. Cowboys veteran Dak Prescott himself has led the team to the playoffs six times, but the tricky postseason run always seems to get in the way of the team’s ultimate victory.Irvin noted that Dallas has made progress in certain areas this season, and he reminded fans of certain upgrades like the addition of George Pickens and a stronger defensive line. But he still believes the Cowboys should be more proactive and strategic about approaching playoffs and function more cohesively as a team.