Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he “couldn't be happier” with coach Mike McCarthy ahead of the Super Wild Card weekend matchup against the Green Bay Packers. Now, after Green Bay embarrassed the Cowboys 48-32 on Sunday and tied America's Team in the playoffs for the second time in three years, Jones could act quickly and send McCarthy packing.
McCarthy, 60, has led the Cowboys to three consecutive 12-5 seasons and ranks 32nd in NFL history with 167 career wins. But he has had just one postseason win in his last four years at the helm of Dallas and hasn't won a playoff game with the Packers since the 2017 season – or six calendar years ago. That's despite the Cowboys entering Sunday's game as touchdown favorites against Green Bay (9-8), which didn't secure a spot in the playoffs until Week 18.
Jones has always been quick to comment on the state of his franchise and has publicly played both sides in recent years when addressing McCarthy's reputation, both defending the coach's influence and leaving the door open for a change. He notably declined to commit to McCarthy beyond the playoffs ahead of Sunday's contest, saying, “We'll see how each game goes.”
It's not an exaggeration to assume that Jones won't put a satisfactory stamp on Sunday's historic flop, in which Dallas fell 27-0 despite being paired with Dak Prescott, the NFL's best touchdown thrower, and CeeDee Lamb, one of its most productive receivers of the NFL, came into play , and a highly touted No. 5 ranked defense that earned coordinator Dan Quinn multiple head coach interview invitations.
That's the problem with McCarthy's Cowboys; They've never lacked talent and production in the regular season, but those things have yet to translate into big stage results. Prescott garnered MVP attention this fall and winter by scoring 36 points while feeding Lamb, who trailed only Tyreek Hill in receiving yards (1,749). Star pass rusher Micah Parsons recorded a career-high 14 sacks en route to his third straight All-Pro nod. McCarthy's style of play kept the ship sailing even after the departure of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore last offseason.
And what ultimately came of it? A 16-point loss to a wild-card team whose QB Jordan Love was making his first career playoff start after his first season as a full-time player. The fact that it was McCarthy's old team, the Packers, that delivered the blow is just salt in the wound. Perhaps even more troubling is the postseason history of McCarthy's Cowboys. Dallas drew with the 49ers in 2021 and then lost again to San Francisco in the divisional round in 2022.
McCarthy's track record may be safe; His 11 playoff wins still rank in the top 10 all-time and he will always be responsible for bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Green Bay. But to say anything of his is safe after Sunday in Dallas? That would be a mistake.