PHILADELPHIA -- A season that has been among the most disappointing in Dallas Cowboys' history has reached its low point.

Sunday's 17-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles does not cost the Cowboys a chance to win the NFC East, but for it to happen, they now need some help.

The Cowboys (7-8) will have to beat the Washington Redskins (3-12) in Week 17, and the Eagles, who have now won three straight, will have to lose to the New York Giants (4-11) for Dallas to advance in the postseason.

Even as they lost seven of 10 games after their 3-0 start, the Cowboys kept falling back on a familiar refrain of controlling their destiny within the division. The only reason why they maintained that chance was because of the struggles by the Eagles, Giants and Redskins.

Now all Dallas can do is hope.

This is the fourth time in coach Jason Garrett's nine seasons the Cowboys lost de facto NFC East championship games in Weeks 16 or 17. In 2011, the Cowboys lost to the Giants. In 2012, they lost to the Redskins. In 2013, they lost to the Eagles.

When they look back at Sunday's result, the Cowboys can blame:

• A bad start for the defense, giving up 125 yards on the first two drives to fall behind 10-0 after giving up 120 yards in the first half of their Week 15 blowout win against the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles did not have their best offensive target, Zach Ertz, for a stretch of the game, and their offense had been gutted by injuries, but the Cowboys could not get a takeaway.

• A bad start for the offense with the unit gaining 14 yards in the first quarter, the Cowboys' fewest in an opening quarter since putting up 3 yards against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 of the 2017 season. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, who had at least 96 yards rushing in his five career contests against the Eagles, gained 9 yards in the first half, the second fewest of his career.

• A bad decision in the third quarter that saw the Cowboys go to rookie Tony Pollard on third-and-1 from the Eagles' 25-yard line with an option run. The rookie fumbled on the play, ending a scoring threat. Elliott was off the field even though he had 20 yards on four runs on that drive. Just a reminder, the Cowboys made Elliott the richest running back in NFL history with a $50 million guarantee in September.

As a result, a bad season has one week left and Garrett's tenure might be entering its final week -- win or lose against Washington.

QB breakdown: All eyes were on Dak Prescott entering the game because of a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder that kept him from taking a meaningful snap in practice during the week. Prescott completed 56.8% of his passes -- his second lowest of the season. While he won't admit it, the shoulder had to affect the quarterback's accuracy, but he wasn't helped by a few drops as well. He was wild with some easy throws and missed wide receiver Tavon Austin late with a deep ball that could have gone for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Troubling trend: Amari Cooper should sign one of the richest deals for a receiver in the offseason, and if he could have produced better on the road everybody might feel a little bit better about it. He was held to four catches for 24 yards against the Eagles, and unlike his low-production games against Detroit, New England and Buffalo, he was not facing cornerbacks Darius Slay, Stephon Gilmore and Tre'Davious White. At crucial parts of Sunday's game, Cooper was not on the field. While no injury announcements were made during the game, Cooper has been bothered by injuries for most of the season.