The Dallas Cowboys lost a heartbreaker in the Wild Card playoffs this weekend.
To be fair, the team did not start well and played catchup to the San Francisco 49ers throughout the entire game.
However, there was still a glimmer of hope the team could pull out what would have been one of its most miraculous playoff wins ever.
But it was not to be, and so of course, the microscope will fall on the coaches and players that could not get the job done.
The game-ending play for the Cowboys ⬇️
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/zQeC95h4zi
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 17, 2022
To begin with, the buck starts with head coach Mike McCarthy, in his second season as the Cowboys head coach.
Should he be fired for not getting this very talented team further into the postseason?
The answer is no, and here is why.
3. Cowboys Made The Playoffs
The Cowboys are the 2021 NFC East Champions.
DIVISION SWEEP 🧹
The @dallascowboys finish the season a perfect 6-0 vs the NFC East. It's just the 3rd time an NFC East team has swept the division (1998 Cowboys, 2004 Eagles). pic.twitter.com/uL9hGslocm
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 9, 2022
While the NFC East has not been as competitive in recent years, they still won their division.
McCarthy turned around the 6-10 team in 2020 to 12-5 winners in 2021.
He deserves another year to work with this team.
2. Cowboys Don’t Fire Coaches Quickly
The Cowboys’ most notorious, unnecessary, and outrageous head coach firing was Jimmy Johnson in 1993, and he lasted five seasons after delivering two Super Bowl championships.
He was a winner but got fired anyway.
It took Jerry Jones FOREVER to fire Jason Garrett. Mike McCarthy will be back unfortunately #DallasCowboys
— Matt Barry (@oobcards) January 17, 2022
Jason Garrett should have been fired sooner; he lasted 10 years with nothing to show for those years except a disappointing 2-3 playoff record.
McCarthy is a Super Bowl champion coach so that gives him a little more clout than Garrett had, but hopefully, he is on a shorter leash with another season or two to bring this team and city a Super Bowl title.
1. Jerry Jones Was Noncommittal In Postgame Interviews
Jones was obviously disappointed by the team’s loss on Sunday; however given his history with retaining coaches and the talent on this team, it would be more shocking if Jones fired McCarthy at this point.
When asked about coaching changes during postgame interviews, Jones said:
“I’m not going to discuss coaching, preparation, any of those things. That is not on the table…When you get this combination of players together, you need to have success. We all know how it goes in the NFL, the whole thing is set up to take away from the best and add to the ones that need improvement. And personnel-wise, I think we’ve got one of the best.”
Conclusion
The only good news is that Jones being noncommittal means he will give McCarthy less time to produce results than he did with Garrett.
The bad news is that this 2021 Cowboys roster was the most talented team Dallas had in years.
The Dallas Cowboys are Lucy and Cowboys Fans are Charlie Brown.
The Cowboys always have the talent, but they never have the mental make-up to succeed in the playoffs. The players and coaches change, but the underwhelming playoff games always remain.#DALvsSF pic.twitter.com/tbEMUCliSa
— Tim Donnelly (@DonnellySports) January 17, 2022
Whereas the defense was a weakness in prior seasons, bringing in new draft picks and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn seemed to fix those issues or so it appeared before Sunday.
Offensive coordinator (and former Cowboys player) Kellen Moore was the architect of the offensive successes and ultimate failure with the ill-fated and not well thought out quarterback sneak with no time left to get off another play.
He is supposedly a top coaching prospect though that could change after Sunday so the 2022 Cowboys coaching staff could look different but most likely not at the top with McCarthy staying put.
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