All the latest Christmas Eve Dallas Cowboys news!
Cowboys showed grit last night despite being eliminated from playoffs – Shane Taylor, Inside The Star
The Cowboys, playing for pride, were the better team most of the night against an opponent in the playoff picture.
If the Cowboys decide to extend McCarthy, it won’t be a popular decision.
The Cowboys fanbase is reactionary and has wanted McCarthy out after every playoff disappointment. Retaining him because of a good finish after the Cowboys’ playoff hopes were practically finished will get a lot of criticism, yet here we are, and we are going to see him return in 2025.
The Cowboys have won four of the last five games, but tonight just looked and felt different than the last few games.
This was probably the best game they have played on both sides of the ball at the same time this season. Although Cooper Rush did nearly throw an interception with about 4 minutes left when McCarthy should have been running the ball.
If the Cowboys decide to extend McCarthy, it won’t be a popular decision.
The Cowboys fanbase is reactionary and has wanted McCarthy out after every playoff disappointment. Retaining him because of a good finish after the Cowboys’ playoff hopes were practically finished will get a lot of criticism, yet here we are, and we are going to see him return in 2025.
The Cowboys have won four of the last five games, but tonight just looked and felt different than the last few games.
This was probably the best game they have played on both sides of the ball at the same time this season. Although Cooper Rush did nearly throw an interception with about 4 minutes left when McCarthy should have been running the ball.
Jerry Jones Is Loyal
The last head coach that was fired in season was Wade Phillips and we knew that Jerry was not going to fire McCarthy in season, but I thought after they lost that game to the Eagles, this would be his last year.
Yet, now after the last month, Jerry has seen enough fight from this team to keep him here for another year.
With playoff fate decided, Cowboys believe strong finish can provide springboard to 2025 – David Moore, Dallas Morning News
The Cowboys may have more pieces in place that can help them improve in the future than expected.
Jourdan Lewis made a spectacular interception to prevent a touchdown in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s victory. Earlier this season, he openly questioned the practice habits of his teammates.
Not now. The way the Cowboys have practiced and competed in recent weeks is the team he recognizes from past years.
“The last few weeks, this is the football team I knew we could be,’’ Lewis said.
“We love this game. We love each other. We go out there and play for each other, play for coach Mike.’’
Micah Parsons talks about this team stepping up and showing out in the stretch. The goal is to finish strong and prove critics wrong.
“Everyone had us written off,’’ Parsons said after picking up one of the Cowboys’ four sacks in the win over Tampa Bay. “Everyone had decided our future for us.
“We were like, ‘hold on, hold on. We can be a damn good football team. We can win games.’
“It’s on us.’’
These Cowboys are playing complementary football. Parsons doesn’t know why it took so long, but he finds it encouraging. He’s convinced a strong finish can carry over into next season.
Why?
Because it’s happened before.
Jerry Jones praises Mike McCarthy following Cowboys’ win, declines to discuss coach’s future after the season – Kevin Patra, NFL.com
The entire fate of the Cowboys coaching staff feels like something that is going to drag out at the conclusion of the season.
Eliminated from postseason contention following the Washington Commanders’ victory over Philadelphia, the Cowboys could have rolled over and played dead against a Tampa Bay club fighting for a playoff bid. Instead, Mike McCarthy’s club battled, taking it to the Bucs and making plays from kickoff to the final forced turnover.
“Proud of those guys. They wouldn’t give it up out there. So I’m real, real proud of them,” owner Jerry Jones said after the 26-24 victory, via the Associated Press. “And Mike McCarthy, he just won’t let them not think they’re playing for the Super Bowl out there. He won’t let them do it. So proud of that.”
Jones’ praise of McCarthy is notable. The head coach’s contract expires at the end of the season, and the owner and coach have a decision to make on the future. After things looked grim for McCarthy a month ago, Dallas’ late-season surge could change the calculus. The Cowboys have won four of their last five games. Jones’ comments could be laying the foundation to bring McCarthy back.
Following three consecutive playoff appearances, Dallas was eliminated from postseason contention with three games left, its earliest exit since 2015.
Finding value in Cowboys’ “meaningless” late-season victories – Jess Haynie, Blogging The Boys
How much better the Cowboys can be next year with just a healthier roster, before adding any draft picks or free agents, is the biggest question going into the offseason right now.
The value of these last five games and the two still to come is the opportunity to find clarity ahead of the offseason. If you were on the fence about giving Cooper Rush another few years as QB2, he’s making that decision easier. If you were dubious about Luke Schoonmaker’s potential going forward, his play during Jake Ferguson’s absence gave reason for hope. And if you weren’t sure about how these players still responded to their head coach, McCarthy has at least earned some new respect as a leader and motivator with this late-season surge.
Of course, you shouldn’t keep the bath water with the baby. If Jones is now sold on retaining McCarthy as head coach, perhaps it comes with the caveat of finding a new offensive coordinator and play-caller. We saw this in 2014 when offensive control shifted from Jason Garrett to Scott Linehan, helping break the 8-8 cycle with a 12-4 season and the infamous Dez Bryant “no catch” moment in the playoffs.
In terms of the roster, this 4-1 stretch doesn’t change the fact that this team needs a lot of work in the offseason. With another mass exodus of free agents on the horizon, Dallas can hardly expect to return to competitive status in 2025 if they don’t get aggressive this spring in retaining or replacing talent. It’s not reasonable to rely on the draft and expect immediate results, and hopefully, the front office learned that lesson from this season.
So no, the Cowboys won’t have as good a draft pick next April as they could have. But that tangible loss may be countered by intangible gains in the locker room. A team’s spirit matters. We see what a lack of it looks like in the two New York teams or the current demise of the 49ers, or how suddenly finding some has propelled a group like the Commanders.
Cowboys’ Cooper Rush won much more than just a game after putting up 292 passing yards in win over Bucs – Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports
Remember when any Cowboys backup QB winning a game felt totally impossible?
It was intentional, too. Anyone watching the game could’ve told you what the Cowboys plan was from the start of the game. Head coach Mike McCarthy wanted this to be a Rush game. Despite successful rushing performances from Rico Dowdle, Rush was throwing early and often. Dallas wanted to challenge the Bucs’ banged-up secondary and it paid off.
Rush passed for 292 yards and recorded an average per attempt of 8.3 yards, significantly up from his 5.7 mark entering the game. Rush added two big-time throws, per PFF and completed five passes beyond 10 yards. Out of 15 total first downs the Cowboys got, 12 were through passing plays.
Rush’s first-quarter touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert was one of the best plays of his career.
On third and nine out of empty and with pressure on his face, Rush ripped a laser over the middle of the end zone. A perfectly placed ball for Tolbert, who was being covered by a linebacker who had no shot at making the play thanks to the quarterback’s accuracy.
Rush might just parlay his big night into a solid payday next offseason
Rush’s strong outing is set to win the Cowboys quarterback more than just a game. You see, he is set to hit free agency in 2025 and with a potential coaching change ahead combined with inconsistent play across the board, there’s still a decent chance he’ll be testing the market. Last week, I even had Dallas picking a late-round quarterback in my first 2025 Cowboys Mock Draft.
But it’s clear the Cowboys like Rush. They have for years now and he’s now survived multiple play-caller changes since arriving at Dallas in 2017. He’s the front office’s kind of guy as much as he is the coaching staff’s.
