Jerry Jones has twice seen his Dallas Cowboys lose in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The club's owner and general manager withstood Dez Bryant's catch that wasn't Green Bay when Dallas was good enough for a deep run, but lost in the divisional playoffs to the Packers after that call.
Still, in the last 28 years the Cowboys have reached the NFC Championship Game, it's hard to imagine a more shocking postseason failure than Sunday's 48-32 wild-card loss to Green Bay. .
“I don't want to rank,” Jones said outside a moody Dallas locker room. “But let me tell you this was beyond my comprehension.”
The Cowboys (12-6) had won 16 straight at AT&T Stadium and had a chance to play in at least two home playoff games. The Packers needed to finish 6-2 to stay in the NFC's final playoff spot.
The Cowboys have seven Pro Bowl players, four of whom were also named All-Pro. The Packers were eliminated from the Pro Bowl, and unproven quarterback Jordan Love made his playoff debut.
Dak Prescott threw the key interceptions, including a pick-six. Dallas' defense had nothing to thrive on turnovers and sacks, and it ended up being worse than usual.
Even before the game was over, and the Packers were leading 27-0 and 48-16, pundits were already replacing coach Mike McCarthy.
There appears to be no direct news from Mr. Jones on this point. Coach McCarthy met with players for his exit interviews on Monday and will not speak to reporters until after that.
There's nothing unusual about this approach, but if he doesn't meet with the media in the next few days, it's going to start to look like the last time there was this much uncertainty regarding Dallas' coach.
After the 2019 season, Jason Garrett's contract was up for a week and he never spoke to reporters. The Cowboys interviewed McCarthy before publicly confirming that Garrett would not return.
McCarthy has one year left on his contract and just completed his first season as Prescott's play-caller after Dallas moved on from Kellen Moore following last season's district loss to San Francisco.
In his 12-plus seasons with the Packers, McCarthy, a Super Bowl champion and three other playoff runners, led the Cowboys to 12 wins in three straight playoff seasons.
But right now, Dallas is the only team that hasn't reached the conference title game in three seasons.
“It's new to me right now, as it is for everyone else, but I'm not going to address any aspect or part of it,” Jones said. He usually appears on the radio the Tuesday after the season ends. “From the coaching to the players to what’s going to happen.”
QB question
Like McCarthy, Prescott is in the final year of his contract. The eighth-year pro will hit a hefty $59 million salary cap hit in 2024, which can only be reduced if he signs a contract extension.
So the Cowboys need to ask themselves if they want to reinvest in a player who has been in the MVP conversation several times in his career, including this season, but hasn't been able to consistently perform in the playoffs.
Prescott is 2-5 in the postseason, with three of those losses coming in the playoff opener at home.
“Like I said at the beginning, I'm shocked because I never thought this would be our position,” Prescott said. “To be honest, it will take a little longer to fully digest.”
no show defense
The Cowboys gave up touchdowns on six of Green Bay's first seven possessions.
It's the same unit that allowed the game-winning shot in a loss to Miami in Week 16, and it would have done the same thing a week later against Detroit if there hadn't been a penalty issue. The decision invalidated his two-point conversion that would have given the Lions a one-point lead with 23 seconds left.
Star pass rusher Micah Parsons had no impact against the Packers, going 1-3 with one sack in the playoffs.
Cornerback Daron Brand's NFL-leading nine interceptions and five pick-sixes are now a distant memory. He received a major illegal contact penalty on Green Bay's first possession and was hit several times afterward.
This dismal performance even raises questions about the viability of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn's bid to return as head coach. The former Atlanta coach is expected to interview for several vacancies, as he has the past two years, before deciding to stay.
“I'm a little distraught,” cornerback Jordan Lewis said. “You don't know what to feel. We just never knew we'd be feeling this way so early.”
Please bring your checkbook
Lamb, who set club records for catches and yards receiving this season, didn't get his first glove against the Packers until the Cowboys lost 20-0.
He is entering the final year of his rookie contract, while the Cowboys have a March deadline to exercise the fifth-year option in Parsons' contract.
Both developments mean the first-round draft pick is in for a big payday, and it could all be tied to what Dallas does with Prescott.
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