The Cowboys were eliminated from the NFL playoffs far sooner than expected on Sunday, and they did so in terrible fashion. Dallas was the first No. 2 seed to lose to a No. 7 seed since the playoffs expanded to 14 teams in 2020, falling 48-32 to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round.
The Cowboys, who were on a 16-game home winning streak, fell behind 27-0 before halftime at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Dallas entered the locker room down 20 points and never went closer than 16 points, as Green Bay cruised to a dramatic shock victory.
The question on the mind of many after the stunning playoff result was whether Dallas’ loss would cost McCarthy his job. Well, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked about McCarthy’s future postgame but said he hadn’t even thought about what’s next for the team.
“I haven’t thought one second about it,” Jones told reporters of McCarthy’s future, via ProFootballTalk. “My whole thought process was getting ready for a playoff game here next week. I am amazed to be sitting where we are right now.”
Jones also stated that Sunday’s loss “seems like the most painful” playoff setback since he owned the franchise in 1989.
McCarthy, 60, has a year left on his deal with Dallas. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Sunday that McCarthy was expected to be judged on how Dallas’ final game of the season went.
That could be bad news for McCarthy’s chances of making it to his fifth season as Cowboys coach. Dallas is 36-15 with two division titles over the last three regular seasons, but both of those campaigns have already concluded with a home loss in the wild-card round.
The Cowboys became the first team since the 1970 merger to win 12 games in three consecutive seasons and fail to make a conference championship game in any of them, according to ESPN. Dallas is still seeking its first conference title game appearance since the 1995 season when the franchise won it all.
With Bill Belichick suddenly available, could Jones make a move for one of the greatest coaches of all time in an effort to make it back to the Super Bowl?
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