IRVING, Texas -- "Fight" has been one of Jason Garrett’s buzzwords the past two years for the Dallas Cowboys. He has printed up a couple hundred T-shirts with the message on the front.

For the most part, the Cowboys have fought. Effort has not been an issue. Execution has. Scheme has.

At 4-9, the Cowboys have their worst record since 2010, when Garrett took over at the midway point of the season for Wade Phillips. They need almost a miracle to remain in playoff contention and are staring at their worst record since 2002, when they finished 5-11, if they can’t win two of their final three games.

For the tenured core of this team, they are staring at their first stretch of games without playoff implications in the past six seasons. Only the die-hard will hold out hope that a 7-9 record will be good enough for a playoff spot.

This will be Garrett’s truest test of his message since taking over.

Will the Cowboys fight?

“The makeup of the guys on our football team is outstanding,” Garrett said. “The football character is outstanding. They come to work. They practice hard. They play hard. So I don’t expect anything different ... We expect our guys to respond the right way.”

It’s easier to fight when there is something to play for late in a season. A year ago the Cowboys were a game out of first place at the start of December and won their final four games to clinch the NFC East. In 2011-13, they were in the thick of the NFC East chase until Week 17, losing de facto NFC East championship games to the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.

Even with that 4-9 record through 13 games in 2010, the Cowboys had to fight. Garrett was fighting to remove the interim coach tag. Players were fighting to show they deserved a roster spot.

At 4-9, the writing looks to be on the wall for the 2015 Cowboys.

"I don't look at any writing, really, like I can’t read," defensive end Greg Hardy said after Sunday’s 28-7 loss to the Green Bay Packers. "Wonderful education at a private school went completely to waste; we just put up blinders, man, put them up here and you've got to keep going straight. That's the only way to the rest of the season to keep the mindset in this kind of situation, this circumstance."

There is plenty to quibble with Garrett about offensive and defensive schemes and clock management, but he has had his team emotionally ready to play. Since 2011, 21 of the 37 losses have been a touchdown or less.

The Cowboys are coming off a 21-point loss to the Green Bay Packers but have not had back-to-back double-digit losses since 2011.

“We just got to tackle better, we got to set edges better, we got to do a lot of things better,” defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. “Me as a player, I’m going to focus on getting better as a player regardless, and I’m sure the rest of my teammates are going to do the same.”

These circumstances are different now. Interim Miami Dolphins coach Dan Campbell, who was part of a 6-10 season with the Cowboys in 2004, saw his team get mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with Monday’s loss to the Giants.

"You find out who loves the game because that's what you're playing for," Campbell said. "There's three games to go. Who really loves the game?"

It’s the same question that will be asked of the Cowboys over these final three weeks.

“Early on these past couple weeks, we’ve been able to control our destiny. Now to leave our fate in the hands of other teams losing sucks,” safety Barry Church said. “But we’re in a position where we are now and just got to take one game at a time now.”