The Dallas Cowboys’ 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday was ugly for a lot of reasons.
The Cowboys became the first team in NFL history to lose a playoff game to a wild card #7 seed. They also put an exclamation mark on their utter postseason feebleness in the Mike McCarthy era, with their record standing at 1-3 in the three years McCarthy has brought the team to the playoffs.
Despite great success in the regular season (with three straight 12-win seasons and two NFC East titles), the team has failed where it matters most. So, now what?
Dallas Cowboys = Los Angeles Dodgers?
In baseball, another historic glamour team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have found themselves in a similar predicament. Widely considered the best team in baseball with the best organization behind it for the last several seasons, their only World Series win came in the abbreviated, asterisked pandemic-abbreviated 2020 season. Last season, they were swept in three games in the NL Division Series by the wild card Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers front office responded to the postseason embarrassment by doubling down on their support for their coaching staff and existing star players by dropping over a billion dollars on Japanese free agents Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Major Changes Ahead?
Few were arguing that the Cowboys were the best team in the NFL this season, but the feeling is pretty unanimous that ownership needs to make some major changes before the fall.
Those changes seem to focus on head coach McCarthy and veteran starting quarterback Dak Prescott, whose two interceptions (including a pick six) in the first half helped the Packers build their insurmountable lead. Both McCarthy and Prescott, are headed into the final year of their respective contracts. Prescott, especially, brings a hefty price tag for his efforts.
The call for change is in the air and the window of opportunity to make that change is open. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not known for his patience.
Right now, though, Jones says he’s too shaken up to think about anything regarding the team’s future.
“I haven’t thought one second about it,” Jones told reporters after the loss, when asked about McCarthy’s future. “I know how much it meant to our fans to advance.
“The only thing on my mind almost this entire game was not an analysis of our strategy, not an analysis of our play, it was, ‘Do we get to play here again next week?’ And we can’t…
“This seems like the most painful [playoff loss] because we all had such great expectations and had hope for this team.
“I’m floored. This is beyond my comprehension.”
Michael Irvin And Public Calls For A Cowboys Housecleaning
However, other prominent Cowboys figures have not been so reserved.
Hall of Fame Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin took to social media in the immediate aftermath of the embarrassing defeat on Sunday and blasted the entire team.
“Every damn where, all across this country, all across the league they stood up to defend their city and defend their team,” an emotional Irvin asserted via video. “Except in the city that deserved it the most. Except the team that’s most recognizable and deserved it the most.
“When I got here, I understood the men before me. They built the Dallas Cowboys. They made this America’s Team. They put a championship on the table before I got here. My job while I was here was to match what they have done because they built it.
“Put my damn championship on the table! That’s all we asked! Put your damn championship on the table and you couldn’t do it! All their a**es gotta go!”
Former Cowboys defensive back Jason Bell would also comment, via Sky Sports.
“They will move on from their head coach, I believe, but there could also be a trade happening to maybe get a new quarterback,” Bell said.
“Do you want to pay him [Prescott] again?”
There are a number of interesting head coaching choices available this year, including the recently fired New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick (who may make for an “interesting” dynamic when paired with Jerry Jones). The quarterback market is considerably slimmer, but there will be some names around and a couple of big-time prospects in the draft, if Dallas wants to consider trading up.
Whatever the case, it’s pretty much a sure thing that some major changes are headed Dallas’ way. Everyone’s demanding them.