WATCH: Jerry Jones addresses Cowboys playoff window following playoff loss

After a 12-5 finish to the regular season, an NFC East crown and the first NFL Playoff berth since 2018, the Dallas Cowboys were bounced in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers, behind some poor late-game clock management and a failed attempt at a game-winning touchdown drive.

As for where the Cowboys go from here — is their playoff window just beginning, or could they begin a descent in the years to come? According to owner and general manager Jerry Jones, the Cowboys are just getting started, as he believes he has one of the most talented rosters in the NFL.

“I think this is a time when you get this combination of players together you need to have success,” Jones said after the loss. “Because we all know how it goes in the NFL. The whole thing is set up to take away from the best and add to the ones that need improvement. And personnel wise, I think we have one of the best.”

Jerry Jones: “When you get this combination of players together, you need to have success.” pic.twitter.com/4lJFL0RIhG

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 17, 2022

Dak Prescott explains final sequence of bizarre ending in Cowboys playoff loss

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott came close to pulling off a historic comeback against the San Francisco 49ers, overcoming a 23-7 deficit late in the third to set up a potential game-winning touchdown drive, but the Cowboys’ poor clock management forced them out of the Playoffs in the first round.

Dallas fought all the way back to a 23-16 deficit and the Cowboys received the ball for their last drive of the game on their own 20-yard line. McCarthy called for a Prescott pass to CeeDee Lamb, which was good for a nine-yard gain, followed by a 10-yard pass to Tony Pollard and nine-yard gain to Dalton Schultz. McCarthy then used the Cowboys’ final timeout with 14 seconds left, his offense setting up at the 50-yard line.

Then, the inexplicable: Prescott on second-and-1 took a quarterback draw up the middle to the 49ers’ 24-yard line, a 17-yard gain that would, in theory, bring the Cowboys out of Hail-Mary range and into reasonable touchdown range. But the offense was unable to get set up for a spike in time to stop the clock, and the Cowboys ended up having no final chance to win.

“We’ve practiced it,” Prescott said after the game, explaining the strange situation surrounding the spike. “You hand it to the center. The umpire, all he has to do is usually come in and tap the ball. Don’t necessarily know exactly … why the hit (with the official) happened, I guess. Yeah, I know he’s going to come in and touch the ball. We could say, yeah he needs to be closer to the ball or whatever, but in hindsight, it’s just tough. Just tough to accept.”