After that beautiful Sunday a week ago when the Cowboys played the Broncos with the roof closed on the stadium, we got to talking in the office about how the roof’s disposition may or may not correlate with the team’s win-loss record. So with a little help from the Cowboys front office and the internet, I put it all together. What you see below is the most comprehensive data set ever assembled in the history of mankind that shows the correlations between the Cowboys’ record, the stadium roof, and the prevailing meteorological conditions.
Short version is this: the Cowboys have played 37 home games at the Death Star. I’m including the one playoff game at the end of the 2009 season. I am excluding preseason games. The team is 6-7 with the roof open (46 percent wins) and 15-9 with it closed (62 percent). So the next time the weather is really nice and you wonder why Jerry hasn’t pulled out his LiftMaster garage-door clicker to open the roof — don’t. Obviously, the battery died in the clicker at the end of the 2012 season, when Jerry was using it for nearly every game. He didn’t bother to replace the battery because he knows the team fares better with the roof closed.
DATE OPP W/L TIME ROOF, DOORS WEATHER
9/20/09 Giants L 7:20p open open 84 partly cloudy
9/28/09 Panthers W 7:30p closed closed
10/25/09 Falcons W 3:15p closed closed
11/1/09 Seahawks W 12p closed open
11/22/09 Redskins W 12p closed open
11/26/09 Raiders W 3:15p open open 62
12/13/09 Chargers L 3:15p open open 74
1/3/10 Eagles W 3:15p closed closed
1/9/10 Eagles W 7p closed closed
9/19/10 Bears L 12p closed closed
10/10/10 Titans L 3:15p closed closed
10/25/10 Giants L 7:30p open open 84
10/31/10 Jaguars L 12p closed closed
11/21/10 Lions W 12p closed closed
11/25/10 Saints L 3:15p closed closed
12/12/10 Eagles L 7:20p closed closed
12/19/10 Redskins W 12p open closed 51
9/26/11 Redskins W 7:30p open closed 85
10/2/11 Lions L 12p closed closed
10/23/11 Rams W 3:15p closed closed
11/6/11 Seahawks W 12p closed closed
11/13/11 Bills W 12p closed closed
11/24/11 Dolphins W 3:15p closed open
12/11/11 Giants L 7:20p closed closed
12/24/11 Eagles L 3:15p closed closed
9/23/12 Bucs W 12p closed closed
10/1/12 Bears L 7:30p open open 80 sunny
10/28/12 Giants L 3:25p open open 62 sunny
11/18/12 Browns W 12p open open 65
11/22/12 Redskins L 3:25p open open 75 w little rain in 2Q
12/2/12 Eagles W 7:20p open open 75
12/16/12 Steelers W 3:25p open open 72 clear
12/23/12 Saints L 12p open open 63
9/8/13 Giants W 7:30p closed closed
9/22/13 Rams W 12p closed closed
10/6/13 Broncos L 3:25p closed closed
10/13/13 Redskins W 7:30p closed closed
