The Cowboys’ Christmas-week practice report comes with a cute little NFL candy cane logo – and a not-so-cute reality that this team is limping into Washington with more questions than answers and a report card nobody wants to show their parents.

Start with the injuries. “Agent Zero” (concussion) didn’t practice, and that’s a bad sign for Thursday. Ryan Flournoy’s knee scare looks like a sprain, which is good news in the long run, but it doesn’t guarantee he’s ready on a short week. Quinn Williams is no longer listed with a concussion, but he’s now limited with a neck issue … because of course he is.

On the Washington side, Jayden Daniels was limited with an elbow, but Dan Quinn insists Daniels is playing Thursday “no matter what.” The bigger issue is Marcus Mariota who he didn’t practice after getting his hands stepped on against the Eagles and showing up with a quad problem.

Washington even signed another quarterback just to survive the week. If Mariota’s healthy enough to be active, Washington’s 5.5-point favorite status suddenly feels less like Vegas fluff and more like a blunt warning label.

Now for the ugly part.

The grades from Sunday’s collapse against the Chargers. The Cowboys preached “fix the protection,” and technically they did. Tyler Smith at left tackle helped keep Dak Prescott to one sack. Dak’s line (21-of-30, 244 yards, two TDs, 116.5 rating) looks shiny, but it’s the definition of empty calories when the whole thing dies after halftime. Dallas scored 17 points in the first half and zero in the second, then waved the white flag with Joe Milton mop-up duty. Grade: C.

The “magic number” against the Chargers was 28 points. Dallas didn’t sniff it. That’s a straight-up F.

Then there’s the playmaking secondary problem. The Cowboys lost the turnover battle in spirit and on the stat sheet, and the Chargers scored touchdown-touchdown-touchdown on their first three drives, even after the big “move Eberflus to the booth” adjustment. Calling that “okay” is comedy. Grade: F.

Red-zone and conversion football? More meh. A few names produced — George Pickens (7 for 130 and a TD), CeeDee Lamb (6 for 51), Flournoy found the end zone, but it didn’t translate into points when it mattered. Grade: D.

Finally, the “audition” phase is here, whether the Cowboys admit it or not. Tyler Smith at left tackle. Milton finishing games. Veterans drifting, young guys needing reps, and everyone pretending this is still about winning. The truth is simpler: 6-8-1 is bad, and pretending otherwise is how you stay stuck in the same drought year after year. Final grade for the day, and maybe the vibe of the season: F.