Tom Brady’s Commentary Curse: The Dallas Cowboys’ 1-3 Record Tells the Story

The Dallas Cowboys faced yet another brutal loss, this time at the hands of the Detroit Lions. In a stunning 47-9 blowout, Dallas failed to make much of a dent, and fans are left searching for answers.

While injuries to key defensive players like Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence might be a significant factor, some are pointing to a more unusual suspect—Tom Brady, who was in the commentary booth during this painful defeat.

Sunday’s Week 6 loss marks the Cowboys’ first defeat to the Detroit Lions since 2013. However, the bigger narrative surrounds the Cowboys’ struggles whenever Brady is on commentary duty.

With Brady in the booth, the Cowboys now hold a troubling 1-3 record. More alarmingly, during those games, they have a point differential of -50, meaning they’ve been outscored by 50 points with Brady providing the commentary.

Contrast this to the Cowboys’ games when Brady isn’t calling the shots—they maintain a positive point differential of +8. For fans and analysts alike, it’s a curious statistic, leading many to wonder if there’s a “Brady curse” at play.

Tom Brady’s curse and the unraveling of Dallas’ home record

This isn’t the first time Dallas has struggled recently, but Brady’s involvement in the commentary booth seems to coincide with some of their worst performances.

Sunday’s 47-9 loss at home to the Lions adds to their streak of home defeats that now extends to four consecutive games. Before this stretch, the Cowboys had a fortress-like record at AT&T Stadium, winning 16 straight games across two seasons.

They were in elite company, alongside only the New England Patriots since 2000, who had similarly impressive home-winning streaks. Yet, all that seems to have crumbled, particularly when Brady is watching from the booth.

It’s hard to overlook the sheer magnitude of their defeats. In these last four home losses, the Cowboys have allowed an average of 41.75 points per game while surrendering a staggering 472.5 yards per game.

The defense, once a force to be reckoned with, appears to be crumbling, and the offense, led by Dak Prescott, has been unable to compensate.

The last game where Dallas even managed to take a lead was a brief 3-0 moment against Detroit on Sunday. After that, the floodgates opened.

Other famous ‘commentator curses‘

Tom Brady isn’t the first to be associated with a commentator curse. The “commentator curse” is a long-held belief that broadcasters or commentators can inadvertently jinx the teams they cover. It’s a running joke that occasionally seems to hold a surprising amount of truth.

Beyond Brady, there are notable examples of the curse at work. One such example involves Jim Nantz, a veteran broadcaster who, in a 2023 game, was blamed for “cursing” the New York Jets after calling the game just as two interceptions happened in quick succession.

Fans and players alike took notice, adding to the superstition surrounding Nantz.

Similarly, there’s a running narrative around the “announcer curse” affecting football games, with teams seeming to fall apart after a commentator praises them or predicts an easy win.

For example, during a Falcons-Jets game, fans pointed to an announcer curse after the Falcons’ offensive line collapsed soon after a commentator praised their consistency.

Can the Cowboys break the curse?

For Dallas fans, the road ahead looks uncertain. Their home game schedule still includes matches against tough teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, New York Giants, and Cincinnati Bengals.

With four home games remaining, there’s a very real chance that the Cowboys may finish the season without another home win—something unthinkable just a year ago when their home turf was one of the most feared in the NFL.

For now, Cowboys fans will be keeping their eyes on both the field—and the broadcast booth—to see if the “Brady curse” continues to haunt their team.

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