The Green Bay Packers have stunned the Dallas Cowboys in the first half of the NFC Wildcard game leading 27=7 at halftime.
Green Bay entered the matchup as nearly two-touchdown favorites and the Cowboys haven’t lost at home all season but Dak Prescott and the Dallas the top-ranked Dallas offense have looked confused and off from the start of the opening whistle. On the other side, Jordan Love and the Packers offense have been rolling in the first 30 minutes.
Leading into the game, there was speculation Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy’s job could be in jeopardy if the Cowboys didn’t take care of business in the playoffs, particularly in the first round where they are significant favorites.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has refused to commit to McCarthy when asked about the coach’s future.
“When asked directly about Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys future, owner Jerry Jones said ‘we’ll see how each game goes’ in the playoffs,” according to a post on X by Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Typical of Jones, the response is a vague one. But it definitely shows that Jones is reserving his judgment until after the postseason campaign. Considering that McCarthy, who is finishing his fourth season with the team, is only 1-2 in the playoffs with the Cowboys, Dallas could feel as though they’ve given him enough time to advance in the postseason.
After the Green Bay Packers stunned the Cowboys with a 27-7 start at halftime, rumors began to swirl about McCarthy’s future in Dallas.
Longtime ESPN analyst MIke Greenberg took to social media to praise Packers QB Jordan Love — who has been fantastic in the first half as he has for several weeks — but noted the reality of the Packers hot start if the Cowboys were to lose.
“It feels highly likely we will remember this game as Jordan Love’s coming out party,” Greenberg said. “And Mike McCarthy’s last game in Dallas, in that order.
It feels highly likely we will remember this game as Jordan Love’s coming out party.
And Mike McCarthy’s last game in Dallas.
In that order. #Cowboys #Packers
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) January 14, 2024
During the FOX halftime show, Rob Gronkowski echoed Greenberg’s sentiment.
“If Mike McCarthy doesn’t pull some magic out in the second half, this could be his last game in Dalllas,” Gronk said.
Could Dallas Cowboys Could Hire Bill Belichick To Replace Mike McCarthty If They Lose To Green Bay Packers?
The Cowboys are in the playoffs for the third straight year under Mike McCarthy, but the team is being linked to a move for Bill Belichick. The former New England Patriots head coach is now available after he and the team parted ways on January 11.
NBC Sports’ Mike Florio suggested there is a very real chance Belichick’s future lies in Dallas. But it primarily rests on how much McCarthy succeeds in his third playoff campaign.
“It just makes too much sense. If Mike McCarthy makes the kind of bonehead mistake that we saw in the Week 17 game on Saturday night, throwing the ball on second-and-15 and giving the Lions enough time to drive down the field and score the touchdown … That’s the kind of thing that if he does it in the playoffs and they lose, he’s done,” Florio said on 105.3 The Fan. “Quite possibly. Based upon what Jerry [Jones] has said and the availability of Bill Belichick, it’s quite possibly going to be the end for Mike McCarthy because there is a clear opportunity to upgrade to a guy to give Jerry what he’s been chasing since 1995.”
Obviously there’s a whole second half to be played and the Green Bay Packers would have to hold on for the upset for the Dallas Cowboys to consider a move, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jerry Jones make a move like this.
Belichick is widely regarded as one of the top coaches in NFL history and while he’s been heavily linked to the Atlanta Falcons job opening, if the Cowboys fall to the Packers, it seems highly possible Jones would open the checkbook the legendary former New England Patriots coach.