Garrett had been a 2-1 underdog to keep his job when the season began, according to sportsbetting.ag. As this bad run continued, the odds became 4-1, and then 7-1.

The three-game skid was capped by a loss to a weak Bears team that left the Cowboys at 6-7. The news media was now openly speculating about who Garrett’s replacement would be. Sports Illustrated: “Who Will Coach the Cowboys in 2020?” CBS: “Cowboys have interest in Urban Meyer, Chris Petersen as possible candidates to replace Jason Garrett in 2020.” NFL Network reported that only a “deep” playoff run would save Garrett’s job.

Last chance

Despite the bad losses, the Cowboys rebounded to trounce the Los Angeles Rams and had the opportunity to win the division and a playoff berth by beating the Eagles again, this time in Philadelphia in Week 16. They were 2-point favorites. They lost, 17-9. “It’s very disappointing,” Jones said after the game. “We all expected to leave here as N.F.C. East champs. We’re not.”

A win over the woeful Redskins in the finale was not enough. The Cowboys finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. The Garrett-is-fired watch went into overdrive.

A loyal servant

Garrett played quarterback at Princeton, and his time with the Cowboys dates to 1992, when he was a member of the practice squad. He made the regular roster the following season and spent seven seasons as a backup quarterback for the team. After short stints elsewhere, he retired as a player and then returned to Dallas as offensive coordinator in 2007.

Garrett, 53, replaced Wade Phillips midway through the 2010 season, when the Cowboys were 1-7. Working on an interim basis, he led the team to a 5-3 record the rest of the season, then was named the head coach.

One of the biggest disappointments of Garrett’s reign came in 2016, when the Cowboys had the best record in the N.F.C. at 13-3 but lost their first playoff game to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. That was the postseason debut for Prescott and Elliott, dynamic young players who raised expectations for a new golden era for the Cowboys. But in the three seasons since, the team has a single playoff win.