Troy Aikman says he's 'pretty shocked' by Cowboys first-round playoff exit; still believes in Dak Prescott

Aikman doesn't know how to fix what's going on in Dallas

For the most part, Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys delivered in big moments during their 1990s dynasty that produced three world championships in a four-year span. 

For whatever reason, the Cowboys have gone the polar opposite way since winning their last title in January of 1996. The franchise seems to always come up short when it matters most, a fact that Aikman recently acknowledged following Dallas' season-ending loss to the Green Bay Packers on Super Wild Card Weekend. 

"Pretty shocked," Aikman said of the Cowboys' early playoff exit, via The Athletic. "I really liked this team all year long. I thought they were really talented. … It's just the same old story, and I don't mean that as a criticism. It's just when I'm asked about the Cowboys as to why they have struggled, they've put together some really great regular seasons. 

"They just have not, for whatever reasons, played their best football when the games matter most. That's what you have to do. That's the key to winning in the postseason and then getting to the Super Bowl. What the answer is to that, I'm not sure."

Aikman may not have the answer, but he's probably hoping that someone within the Cowboys' organization does. 

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones clearly feels that a head coaching change at this juncture is not the answer. Jones decided to keep Mike McCarthy on as head coach despite the Cowboys' second early playoff exit in three years under McCarthy, who has one year left on his current contract. 

There are three tangible reasons why the Dallas Cowboys fell short of their ultimate goal in 2023: All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs' absence following his injury, a mediocre running game and running into a hot quarterback in the playoffs. Dallas will surely try to shore up its running game this offseason, and are hoping to have Diggs back at full strength before the start of next season. 

As far as the quarterback is concerned, Dak Prescott is surely motivated to bounce back after he was outplayed by Jordan Love in the playoffs. 

Prescott, though, still has a pretty good supporter in his camp in Aikman. 

"I still believe in Dak," Aikman said, via the team's website. "I feel like until you do it, there are always those criticisms. Peyton Manning heard that his first three years — he didn't win a playoff game — and then you look back at it now and you can't imagine anybody would question whether or not he could win a playoff game."