The Dallas Cowboys may finish the 2023 regular season with a surprising division title, but that doesn't mean Mike McCarthy's 2024 job is safe.
The fourth-year head coach's job will depend on how the team finishes the season in the playoffs, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, who will manage the Cowboys' final regular-season game against the Washington Commanders.
“If the Cowboys play well in the postseason, McCarthy will have a great chance to keep his job. But if they struggle and end the season with an embarrassing loss, as has happened in each of the past two years, McCarthy will have a great chance to keep his job.” Some say that once we're done with that, we might see change in Dallas.”
This followed Dallas' five-game winning streak, which included a 33-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14, and just weeks after it was reported that McCarthy was in line for a potential contract extension. .
Via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:
“It's going to be a course that pursues its own timeframe,” owner Jerry Jones said in December. “We won't do anything like that until the season is over.”
If the Cowboys beat the Commanders this weekend, they enter the game as -13 favorites, even though the Eagles started the season 5-0 and are the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL. Regardless, they will win the NFC East.
But if Dallas continues its recent history of falling far short in the postseason, the district title will all be for naught. It's no secret that the Cowboys haven't advanced to the conference championship game since the 1995 season. To make matters worse, the Cowboys are 5-12 in the playoffs since the 1996 season, with five of those losses coming at home and two of those losses as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Additionally, Dallas has lost two straight to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs, once in 2021 as a division champion with home-field advantage, and once again in 2022 with an elimination in the divisional round, and a third time to the Niners. Or losing to other elite teams. The NFC team before the conference championship will likely spell the end for McCarthy.
McCarthy's 41 wins with Dallas are actually the most by a Cowboys coach in franchise history through his first four seasons, and Dallas has the second-most wins in the NFL after the 2021 season behind only the Kansas City Chiefs. are recorded.
It's also worth noting that the Cowboys' offense remains among the best in the league despite the departures of former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott. It was McCarthy who took over the offensive play-calling, with quarterback Dak Prescott benefiting the most, with a league-leading 32 touchdown passes and just 15 after throwing 15 in just 12 games. He had an MVP-caliber season with eight interceptions. season.
But the Cowboys, led by owner Jerry Jones and known as America's team, have higher expectations than any other franchise in the NFL. Add in Dallas' lack of postseason success over the past 28 years, and regular season success means little in the grand scheme of things.
This report isn't all that surprising considering many observers entering the postseason thought this was a make-or-break season for McCarthy. In fact, McCarthy entered the season with the highest chance of being fired before any head coach.
If the Cowboys enter as the No. 2 seed, they will get at least two playoff games at home, which is essential considering their success at home compared to their lack of success on the road. Dallas has won 16 consecutive home games this season while going 3-5 on the road.
Additionally, entering the playoffs as a No. 2 seed would postpone a potential matchup with the No. 1 seed Niners until the NFC Championship Game, a measure of whether McCarthy wants to remain in Dallas for a fifth season. It is highly likely that
The Cowboys have the fifth-longest drought of any NFL team in reaching the conference championship game. Dallas will certainly go into the playoffs hoping to win the Super Bowl, but a conference championship game appearance would be enough for McCarthy to spend another year with the Cowboys.
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