Imagine being a Dallas Cowboys fan Wednesday evening, flipping channels, looking for a distraction from your team's 3-7 season broadly and its blowout loss to the Houston Texans Monday specifically. You happen upon the CMA Awards—yes! This is the musical diversion you're looking for.

And then, without warning in this apparent safe space, host and Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning lobs a broadside toward your squad.

"Cowboys cry, too," co-host and singer Lainey Wilson says, looking in the direction of Manning.

"But enough about Jerry Jones," Manning responds, referencing the longtime Cowboys owner and earning laughter from the Nashville audience.

To call this year a disaster for Dallas is an understatement. The Cowboys were coming off three straight 12-5 regular seasons, and signed quarterback Dak Prescott to a lucrative extension shortly before the year began. Now, Prescott is injured, and the Cowboys' playoff hopes appear to be dead in the water.

Dallas's fortunes and country music's appear to have passed each other going opposite directions.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Peyton Manning Takes Funny Swipe at Jerry Jones, Cowboys While Hosting CMA Awards.