Okay, so the Cowboys aren't likely to contend for a playoff spot, much less finish the season at 19-0 and as the Super Bowl champs. They're also not likely to become the first team since the expansion 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish a season winless. How will the 2001 season play out for Dallas?

Here's a sneak peek.

Week 1: The Bucs come to Texas Stadium on a mission after falling short in an expected Super Bowl bid for the second consecutive season in 2000. They're still not adjusted to new QB Brad Johnson, but Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn run wild, while Warren Sapp leads the NFL's best defensive in hemming up Emmitt Smith and confusing Dallas rookie signal-caller Quincy Carter into several turnovers. Tampa Bay cruises, 21-6, as the Cowboys manage just two Tim Seder field goals.

Week 2: On the road in the NFL for the first time, Carter learns just how noisy a domed stadium can be, as Detroit fans fill the Silverdome to cheer on the much-improved Lions. Emmit has a good day and scored the first Dallas touchdown of the season, but the Lions pound their own 1,000-yard back, James Stewart, into the shaky Dallas defensive line, and Marty Mornhinweg's squad prevails, 21-10

Week 3: San Diego comes to Irving, and rookie RB LaDainian Tomlinson, late of TCU, is finding his NFL groove. Inspired by his "homecoming," LT runs wild, allowing Doug Flutie to stay in the pocket and pick on the Dallas secondary. Carter has his first genuinely decent NFL game against an average Charger defense, and even throws the first scoring pass of his career. It's not enough, though, as San Diego matches its 2000 team win total (1-15) by topping the Cowboys, 24-14.

Week 4: The 0-3 Cowboys limp into Veterans Stadius to face division favorite Philadelphia. Weird things always seem to happen to the Cowboys at The Vet, and this year is no exception. After a long kickoff return by Wayne McGarity, Carter is blindsided by Hugh Douglas as he throws his first pass of the game; it wobbles into end zone where it's picked off by Bobby Taylor, who returns it 106 yards for a score. The Cowboys, despite excellent relief quarterbacking by Anthony Wright, never recover and fall, 27-17.

Week 5: It's a Bye Week for the Cowboys, and not a moment too soon. The time off gives Carter time to recover from Douglas' crushing blow, and gives the team 15 days to prepare for a Monday night matchup with their longtime rival Washington.

Week 6: The Monday Night Football folks didn't have this in mind: the 0-4 Cowboys host the 0-4 Redskins in a matchup of the NFC's last two winless teams. For whatever reason, the Cowboys own the Redskins; Carter, back in action, throws for 155 yards and runs for 71 more as Dallas topples Washington, 17-13. Dennis Miller compares the game to "a debate between Walter Mondale and Jerry Brown -- a couple of old-time heroes trying to recapture glory when nobody cares any more. Right, Danno?"

Week 7: The 1-4 Cowboys can't put together their first win streak of the season, as the unbeaten Raiders play rude host in walloping Dallas 38-7. Oakland RBs Tyrone Wheatley and Charlie Garner, along with WRs Tim Brown and Jerry Rice all score. "You look for a silver lining after every game," says Cowboys coach Dave Campo. "But all I saw today was Silver & Black."

Week 8: Sports Illustrated runs a cover story called "Reversal of Fortune" looking at the 1-5 Cowboys and the 5-1 Saints, now competing for the attention of southwest football fans. The SI cover jinx is in full effect, as the Cowboys -- trashed on the cover -- turn around and destroy the Arizona Cardinals, 28-10. It's Dallas' first trip over the 20-point mark on offense, and owner Jerry Jones proclaims it a "real turning point for the young man at quarterback," Quincy Carter.

Week 9: So much for turning points. The Cowboys reach the halfway mark of the season by falling to 2-6 as the defending NFC champion Giants take it to Dallas at the Meadowlands. By the middle of the second half, ex-Cowboy backup QB Jason Garrett is in the game and directs his new Giants teammates to two scores. New York wins, 41-10 as the fearsome Giant defense sends Carter to the bench and backups Wright and Clint Stoerner can't get anything started for the Cowboys.

Week 10: The Cowboys travel to Atlanta, a homecoming of sorts for Carter, who played collegiately at Georgia. With #1 overall pick in the draft Michael Vick watching from the Falcons's sideline, Carter flashes a little of that old Bulldog magic, and plays the best game of his young NFL career. Atlanta football fans lustily boo Carter, who was a disappointment his final year in Athens, as the rookie trots off the field with a 19-14 win. The Cowboys are 3-6, and Jerry Jones gives a post-game press conference outlining how Dallas will make the playoffs.

Week 11: Maybe Jerry has a point - the Cowboys upset the 7-2 Eagles as Emmitt Smith recaptures some of that early-'90's magic and runs for 140 yards and three touchdowns in front of an appreciative hometown crowd. Carter doesn't do much, but he doesn't have to, as Dallas contains Eagles QB Donovan McNabb well enough to secure the win, 24-16. The Cowboys are 4-6 heading into the traditional Thanksgiving Day game.

Week 12: This year it's the Broncos, who are 10-1, coming to Irving for Turkey Day, and with three 1,000-yard backs on their roster, the Dallas run defense is severely tested. It fails. Terrell Davis, now fully recovered and getting in playoff shape, runs for 113 yards, while Mike Anderson adds 109 and Olandis Gary gains 93. The Cowboys barely avoid the ignominy of surrendering three 100-yard rushers in the same game, but does it matter? Denver wins, 32-14.

Week 13: At least this one isn't on Monday Night Football. The 4-7 Cowboys struggle in their rematch with the 2-11 Redskins, but with all due respect to Washington coach Marty Schottenheimer and All-Pro RB Stephen Davis, this Skins team is bad. Emmitt wins the battle of the Smith by running the ball a staggering 38 times, gains a season-high 143 yards and scores a touchdown; it's the only touchdown of the game, as Dallas squeaks out a 13-9 decision.

Week 14: The Cowboys come into the game 5-7 and not only mathematically alive for a playoff spot, but in the parity-driven NFC, able to possibly sneak in with an 8-8 mark. Good thing, too, since the Giants come to Texas Stadium and shut out Dallas in a ho-hum, 10-0 affair. New York QB Kerry Collins completes just eight passes, but that's five more than Carter and Wright combine for as Dallas drops its eighth game of the season.

Week 15: The Cowboys head to Seattle to face an erratic Seahawks team led by young QB Matt Hasselbeck. It marks the first return trip of the Seahawks' #2 all-time leading receiver, Joey Galloway, to the Pacific Northwest as a visiting player. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, Galloway tears his ACL on the game's opening play, a play-action bomb thrown his direction by Carter. Dallas can't recover from the emotional blow of losing the team's star wideout for second consecutive year, and mail it in during a 27-3 loss.

Week 16: Frustrated at being eliminated from the playoff picture, the 5-9 Cowboys take it out on the Cardinals for the second time this season. Defensive back Izell Reese picks off two errant Jake Plummer passes and returns them both for touchdowns, and Dallas rolls by the same 28-10 score that concluded the first Cardinal/Cowboy game. With their sixth win of the year, Dallas clinches third place in their division, ahead of Arizona and Washington, but behind both Philadelphia and the Giants.

Week 17: Playing out the string at home against an 8-7 San Francisco team that desperately needs a win to make the playoffs spells trouble for the Cowboys. Jeff Garcia destroys the Dallas secondary for 455 yards and five scores, while Carter and Wright take turns being ineffective. Stoerner plays the fourth quarter and guides Dallas to its only score of the night. The season ends on a down note as the 49ers win in a walk, 45-7.

Playoffs
Uh, no. NFL teams that finish 6-10 can schedule early off-season tee-times. But the Cowboys can look back on an exciting year that ended with three times as many victories as most pre-season prognosticators deemed probable.

Offseason
Cowboy punter Micah Knorr represents the team at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Quincy Carter makes the NFL's All-Rookie Team, but it's really by default since he's the only rookie QB to play more than token minutes this season. Emmitt Smith ends the year still needing 417 yards to pass Walter Payton as the NFL's all-time leading rusher. Joey Galloway, frustrated after three years of various injuries, announces his retirement.

After "much thought and consideration," Jerry Jones announces that the Cowboys will buy out the remainder of coach Campo's contract, and allow Campo to "pursue other opportunities." Campo immediately takes a position with the Dolphins, joining head coach (and former Dallas assistant) Dave Wannstedt and offensive coordinator (and former Dallas head coach) Chan Gailey on the Miami staff.

Reverting to his fascination with collegiate coaches, Jones publicly offers the head coaching job to Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Texas' Mack Brown and Alabama's Dennis Franchione. Finally announcing that "we're happy to keep the head coaching position in the Dallas Cowboy family and reward a long-time contributor to the great legacy of Dallas Cowboy football with this opportunity," Jones names Arizona Rattlers (Arena League) coach Danny White the new Dallas coach.

Local newspapers are immediately deluged with "Why didn't he bring back Jimmy Johnson?" letters, and the Cowboys begin planning for 2002.

Mick Doherty is a writer and editor for American Airlines in Fort Worth, Texas. He covers the Texas Rangers for ESPN.com Fantasy Sports and has been published in numerous other Web venues, including SportingNews.com and previously for About Dallas.