The Dallas Cowboys are now 3-4. After winning 12 games in each of the last three seasons, it seems that Dallas has taken a significant step backward right after giving lucrative contracts to stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
Entering the 2024 NFL season, the knock on Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was that his team wins a lot of regular-season games but then ultimately chokes in the postseason. This year, the former might not even be true. McCarthy is certainly on the hot seat, with Cowboys legend Dez Bryant calling on owner Jerry Jones to “fire everybody.”
Let’s look back on McCarthy’s Cowboys tenure and how we arrived at this point.
Looking at Mike McCarthy’s Time in Dallas
McCarthy’s first season as the Cowboys’ head coach was a write-off in 2020. Dallas went 6-10, but they lost starting quarterback Dak Prescott for the season in Week 5.
In the subsequent three seasons, Dallas went 12-5 each campaign, becoming one of the NFL‘s most consistent regular-season franchises. From 2021-23, the Cowboys had the second-best regular season record at 36-15, trailing only the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs (37-14).
However, the Cowboys failed to reach even the Conference Championship in any of those seasons, extending an ignominious streak that dates back to their last Super Bowl season of 1995. In doing so, the Cowboys became the first team ever to win 12+ games in three straight seasons without ever reaching a Conference Championship.
In that context, McCarthy’s lack of job security makes more sense. Anything short of a Championship Sunday appearance is a failure given Dallas’ recent playoff shortcomings, and the Cowboys don’t even look like a playoff team at the moment.
After going 8-0 at home last season, the Cowboys’ home-field advantage has totally disappeared since a catastrophic Wild Card Round loss to the Green Bay Packers. Over their last four home games, the Cowboys have been totally non-competitive, which suggests a larger trend:
- 2023 Wild Card vs. Green Bay Packers: Trailed by 20 at halftime, led for 0:00
- 2024 Week 2 vs. New Orleans Saints: Trailed by 19 at halftime, led for 0:00
- 2024 Week 3 vs. Baltimore Ravens: Trailed by 15 at halftime, led for 0:00
- 2024 Week 6 vs. Detroit Lions: Trailed by 21 at halftime, led for 2:15
The Cowboys’ Week 6 loss against the Lions was particularly embarrassing, as the Cowboys allowed touchdowns of 52 and 37 yards while generally looking inept in attempting any type of comeback attempt.
In Week 8, the Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 30-24, on “Sunday Night Football.”
The Cowboys had two weeks to prepare for this game against San Francisco, and the 49ers were shorthanded, missing Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, and Jordan Mason (who got hurt early in the game). This was the 49ers’ fourth consecutive win over Dallas over the last three years, and this is what prompted Bryant’s “first everybody” post.
Fire everybody Jerry… quit fucking around
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) October 28, 2024
From here, the Cowboys’ schedule doesn’t get any easier, as their next four games are at Atlanta Falcons, vs. Philadelphia Eagles, vs. Houston Texans, and at Washington Commanders. These teams are a combined 22-9 so far this season.
There have been rumblings that the Cowboys might consider hiring legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick over the offseason if they move on from McCarthy, but it’s unclear if there’s any truth to those rumors.
It remains to be seen if the Cowboys will actually make any changes. It’s worth noting that Jones has been critical of McCarthy and his staff lately.
During a recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones criticized McCarthy, making his head coach’s seat even warmer.
“We’re designing bad plays, or we’re designing bad concepts,” Jones said. “The facts are that there’s some of that, but there’s also some of execution.”
Shortly after, McCarthy was asked for a response. While he didn’t agree with Jones’ assessment, he did take some accountability for the team’s recent struggles.
“I talk to Jerry all the time,” McCarthy said. “We’ve had time to go through the self-scout. I didn’t see the comments specifically, but I don’t think we have bad concepts and bad plays. But I’ll go back and check.
“We’re not where we want to be. That’s clear, and that’s ultimately my responsibility, and I’m fully aware of that. We’re very diligent. We’re on top of what we want to do.”