IRVING, TEXAS ? Keyshawn Johnson sat alone at his locker for a long time with a blank stare on his face. Then he found it hard to put his frustration into words.

How could things have gone so wrong for the Dallas Cowboys? What’s next after losing for the fifth time in six games, each of the last three losses by more than 20 points?

“I haven’t felt this way in a very, very long time in terms of not knowing what the next step is,” Johnson said late Monday night after the Cowboys’ 49-21 loss to Philadelphia. “Maybe my expectation is too high for us. I don’t know, I just don’t know. … It’s mind-boggling.”

Bill Parcells’ teams always have been better in his second season — until now. The New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets improved between Years 1 and 2 under Parcells and went to the playoffs.

The Cowboys (3-6) would have to win their last seven games just to match last year’s surprising record that got them back into the playoffs. Only three NFL teams have worse records, and Dallas is tied at the bottom of the NFC East with Washington.

Still, Parcells refused to concede after the Philadelphia defeat that this season was a lost cause.

“No, it’s not lost,” said Parcells, offering only short pointed responses.

“I’m not going to go into a litany of this stuff,” he said. “We’ve got to get back to work, try to get ready to play Baltimore, and I’m not going to get into the state of the union right now. … I’m not giving you any sound bytes.”

Dallas coach Bill Parcells, right, grimaces as Tyson Walker comes off the field against Philadelphia. The Eagles beat the struggling Cowboys, 49-21, Monday in Irving, Texas.

The Cowboys took their regular day off Tuesday, and Parcells didn’t have a media availability.

Philadelphia (8-1) rebounded from its only loss by scoring its most points since November 1981 in the highest-scoring game by an opponent at Texas Stadium. The Eagles scored touchdowns on five straight possessions, becoming the first team with four in one quarter against Dallas.

Still, Dallas was within 35-21 when Eddie George scored on a 15-yard run to cap the opening drive of the second half. The Eagles then went 83 yards on a drive capped by Terrell Owens’ third touchdown catch, a 16-yarder over defenders Terence Newman and Tony Dixon.

A month ago, the Cowboys led Pittsburgh 20-17 and had the ball near midfield with less than 3 minutes left. Vinny Testaverde was stripped of the ball after dropping back to pass. The Steelers recovered and drove for the winning touchdown in the final minute, and haven’t lost since. They remain with Philadelphia and New England as the league’s only one-loss teams.

After that, Parcells challenged his team to get to 4-4 by the midpoint of the season. But the downward spiral only continued.

The Cowboys lost 41-20 at Green Bay before a 31-21 win over Detroit that kept their midseason goal in reach. Then came a 26-3 loss at Cincinnati.

“It’s tough. We had higher expectations than we showed,” Testaverde said. “It’s just disappointing. I don’t know any other words to describe it. It’s just back to the drawing board.”