It is just about impossible to remain positive in the Dallas Cowboys right now.
Things are not great in Dallas, to say the least. Yet another loss to the 49ers have brought the team to arguably its lowest point of the Mike McCarthy era, and their next opportunity to right the ship comes on the road against a Falcons team that’s won four of their last five and seems to be rounding into form.
As far as things go in Dallas, the odds of a dramatic turnaround are pretty low. Their next four opponents have a combined record of 24-9, with two of them being divisional foes. The Cowboys are on a path where they may very well be effectively out of the NFC East race by Thanksgiving, and it already feels like morale can’t go any lower.
Are they really approaching the point of no return, or are we being a little too dramatic? Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman have some differing views on the doomsday machine that is America’s Team.
David: To quote Hudson himself, “That’s it, man! Game over, man! Game over!” I have zero confidence that this team can turn it around. The 49ers game proved that to me. They came out with some admirable energy, but it faded fast. Even so, the energy was not accompanied by a new focus, as Mike McCarthy later admitted that there were several miscommunications on the opening drive. Miscommunication happens, but it cannot happen on scripted drives like the ones teams start games with.
If the Trevon Diggs incident wasn’t proof enough, this team is soft and they’re tuning out their head coach. That’s not a recipe for a big turnaround on the year, and in fact it’s quite the opposite. I think this team is cooked, and it’s time to break out the mock drafts.
Tom: Woof. I think it’s fair to say you are out of optimism.
It’s OK. I don’t think you could slip a 3X5 card between our takes this week. We could dive into the dismal stats or how poorly the roster stacks up according to things like PFF, but to me, the miasma of failure is almost visible.
The players seem lost. The coaches seem out of ideas. And Jerry Jones continues to display unparalleled levels of cluelessness. For years this team has insisted on doing things their way despite a lack of success. Now the pig-headed approach is finally blowing up in their faces.
The only question about this being a lost season is whether they are still approaching that point, or have already crossed the line.
David: I think things would be more salvageable if not for the state of the division around them. The Commanders are one of the best teams in the NFL right now, with Jayden Daniels looking like a legitimate phenom and Kliff Kingsbury rediscovering his mojo as a coordinator. Washington has great odds to at least make the postseason, if not outright win the division. And hot on their heels are the Eagles, who have continued their trend from last year of trying to lose every game before ultimately coming out victorious.
Both teams have just two losses on the year, which has created a steep hole to climb out of for the Cowboys. Not only does Dallas need to suddenly start winning, but they need either Philadelphia or Washington to start losing. That’s not impossible, but it does seem improbable with the way each team is trending right now.
Oh, and then there’s the rest of the NFC. There’s only three Wild Card spots available, and it’s very possible the NFC East runner-up claims one of them. The NFC South looks to be a tight two-man race between the Falcons and Buccaneers, both of whom play the Cowboys this year. And the entire NFC North has a winning record right now and is probably a safe bet to make up at least two Wild Card teams.
In other words, a lot of things have to suddenly start going the Cowboys’ way for them to even make the playoffs. Which, of course, is only half the battle for the sky high expectations that always exist in Dallas.
Tom: Those are the external things, which of course the Cowboys can do little to change. They are also a bit transient, as this year’s playoff contenders illustrate. There is always about a 50% turnover year to year, and Dallas is a bit overdue to miss.
The problem is how they are likely to miss. After three 12 win seasons in a row, they may well be eliminated from the postseason before December.
It is harder than ever to argue against Jerry Jones setting Mike McCarthy up to fail. If anything, the decision to change head coaches was made shortly after the most recent playoff debacle. It’s mystifying why McCarthy was brought back.
That shouldn’t necessarily affect the roster, but it certainly appears it has. The team is rudderless, likely because they understand they were not really given a chance to excel. This may have felt like a good plan to the ownership, but the cost of doing it this way may extend well beyond one season.
David: I’m not so sure it’s mystifying why McCarthy was brought back if ownership was already prepared to move on. Jerry Jones has only officially fired his head coach twice this century, as he prefers to let the contract lapse instead of paying buyout money. It’s the same mentality that’s led to the team’s overly cautious approach in free agency. Which ultimately amounts to a business approach rather than a football approach.
That’s the underlying problem right now, as you hint at. McCarthy is a pure football guy, while Jones really only cares about making money and minimizing financial losses. The path to success in Dallas is finding a coach who can tune out the noise that Jones so frequently invites into the building, something McCarthy has been able to do for an impressive amount of time.
However, Jones robbed him of any authority by making him a lame duck coach this season, and players took note. Now that the adversity has hit, nobody wants to play for their coach anymore, which is why we’re seeing what we’re seeing. McCarthy may be able to find some new way to motivate his players, but it certainly feels like he’s run out of tricks to compensate for being thrown under the bus by his boss.
