Some seasons kick off with a bang, while others unfold gradually, play by play, until the trend becomes impossible to overlook. Dallas is back in the playoff hunt, but lurking beneath the excitement is a roster decision that can’t be ignored any longer. A defensive meltdown in Detroit has only shone a brighter light on the issue. Sam Williams’ future now hangs by a thread.

Despite the Cowboys making a strong comeback in the NFC, Williams has seen his role diminish. Veterans and a rookie who are simply more effective have largely replaced his snap count. The former second-round pick played 13 games with 18 solo tackles and has just one sack this season. The staff’s message is clear: performance dictates playing time, and Williams isn’t meeting the standard.

At this rate, Williams could very well be gone before the off-season comes around. The night in Detroit turned into a defensive disaster for the Cowboys, a unit that had been their backbone just weeks ago. Their front-seven got gashed by Detroit Lions’ downhill run game, while the secondary got sliced open by quick throws and big plays, allowing 44 points and over 500 total yards. That meltdown all but buried Dallas’ fading playoff hopes.

Since sidelining Williams, Dallas has been leaning heavily on Jadeveon Clowney. The veteran notched two sacks against Patrick Mahomes in his last game and now boasts four sacks and 12 pressures over nine games. Rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku is also making waves. In the game against Kansas City, Williams was on the field for 19 snaps, while Clowney had 29 and Ezeiruaku logged 40. That distribution isn’t just a coincidence.

The shift traces back to the early season, when first-year coordinator Matt Eberflus kept Williams on the field despite limited impact. But that patience faded. As Dallas tightened its rotation to prepare for a playoff push, Williams became the odd man out. His struggles against the run and lack of pass-rush consistency left little reason for the staff to keep forcing the experiment.

Now he enters the final stretch of his rookie deal with no momentum and no clear role. For a team that has already watched too many draft picks miss the mark, this one appears headed for the same ending. After the defensive letdown in Detroit, the writing only got bolder.

But Williams’ situation wasn’t the only issue exposed in Detroit. The loss also pushed the team’s leader to address the collapse directly.

Dak Prescott owns Cowboys’ collapse as defensive issues deepen playoff uncertainty

After the game, Dak Prescott didn’t sugarcoat the situation. The Cowboys had lost their grip, and he was well aware of it. Just hours after the loss, the quarterback faced the media with the same straightforwardness he displayed in the huddle.

“I don’t know if I can say we control our own destiny,” Prescott said. “I know it was not a stretch saying that before, but I’m pretty sure if we won out, we were going to have a pretty damn good record only having five losses and one tie… we’re going to need some things to happen for us, I don’t think it’s in our control at this point. But what we can do is control the way that we approach this game.”

Prescott made it clear that the frustration wasn’t resignation. Once again, Dallas had not had the best record with turnovers, and the QB’s comments made it clear that the team was raring to rectify things.

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Guys are pissed off right now,” he said. “This isn’t any deflated moment. I think you’re going to get a team that’s pissed, especially as we talk about a team that’s kind of changed since the bye week.”

Prescott didn’t shy away from his own role in the loss. He acknowledged his own fault with the turnovers and laid emphasis on the response rather than dwelling on it. With about a week-long break coming up, the Cowboys are faced with the reality that Prescott has already laid out. The Vikings await as their next opponent, as Dallas’ playoff chances currently stand at about a bleak 6%.