You know that moment when you break up with someone, and at first, you feel justified? Maybe they weren’t the right fit. Maybe you thought you could do better. Maybe you believed they had maxed out their potential with you.

Then, a year or two later, you see them thriving—happier, more successful, reaching goals they only talked about when they were with you. And suddenly, everyone is looking at you, wondering what went wrong.

That’s the Dallas Cowboys right now.

On Saturday night, former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn led his new team, the Washington Commanders, to a dominant 45-31 win over the Detroit Lions, punching their ticket to the NFC Championship. That’s a stage the Cowboys haven’t reached since January 14, 1996.

With the win, Washington ended what was the NFC’s longest championship-game appearance drought—only to hand off the dubious title to the Cowboys.

Before the Commanders’ confetti even hit the ground, Cowboys Nation was already pointing out the irony.

Cornerback Jourdan Lewis kept it subtle, tweeting: “No way DQ left and immediately did this.” Those eight words elicited hundreds of replies and reposts (and counting), all echoing the same sentiment: What does Quinn’s success say about the Cowboys failures as an organization?

Former Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant was more direct, telling fans not to expect Dallas to turn things around anytime soon because the franchise is more focused on politics than winning.

That sentiment has been gaining traction all postseason, especially after a viral clip of Magic Johnson explaining the Commanders’ success. The new Washington co-owner, standing with managing partner Josh Harris, summed it up like this:

“What does it take? New vision. New owner with a strategy. Picking the right people. First our coach, Coach [Dan] Quinn, Adam Peters, and then we all step out of the way and let them do their jobs.”

For Cowboys fans, that hit close to home.

Revisiting the relationship analogy, this is Dan Quinn’s new boo out here saying the quiet part out loud—listing all the things that supposedly made the old relationship impossible.

The idea that Cowboys leadership meddles too much in football decisions has long been debated, but this season, the whispers became a roar. Now, with Dallas searching for its next head coach, the pressure is on.

Because once everyone is convinced you are the problem, the only way to prove otherwise is to show you’ve finally learned from your mistakes.