Do you think a Cowboys win against the 49ers would at all calm things down?
If there’s been one constant in the Mike McCarthy era, it’s playing the 49ers. For the fifth time in as many years, the Cowboys will face San Francisco as they come out of their bye, and they’ll be looking for just their second win in those five tries. Two of those losses came in the playoffs in back-to-back years, and last year’s regular season matchup was about as brutal of a loss as the last time this year’s Cowboys squad played a game.
To say that the 49ers are the big bad bully of the McCarthy-era Cowboys would be an understatement. Their only win over this team came in 2020, when Andy Dalton outdueled Nick Mullens at the end of a lost season for both teams. Since then, San Francisco has had their number, and stacking another loss to Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy, and company may just be the thing that breaks the morale of these Cowboys.
Of course, that may not happen at all. The 49ers are riddled with injuries, especially on offense, and they could potentially play this game without many of their top weapons, in addition to the still-absent Christian McCaffrey. Would a win over this team, barely keeping it together from an injury standpoint, actually mean anything for the Cowboys? Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman discuss.
Tom: I agree, this is not at all a win we can count on, but even if so, it is hard to see that it points to a strong finish to the season. Not only was the team dismal in its last outing before the bye, there seems to be a new off field flag every day. Players are complaining (again) about stadium tours, Troy Aikman criticized the entire wide receiver corps for their routes, and the injuries are also piling up for Dallas. Oh, and Jerry Jones just keeps throwing people under the bus.
Should they get a win, and even look pretty good doing so, there comes a time when you have to look at the overall, constantly moving picture, and this is starting to resemble a slasher flick more than a triumphant story. I still maintain that Mike McCarthy was set up to fail. That seems to be almost inevitable. A win over the Niners would just be a momentary respite from a desultory 2024 season.
David: I don’t entirely disagree, because beating this current version of the 49ers definitely won’t be some “we finally got that monkey off our back” type of moment. There won’t be any “we made it” relief or anything like that. But a win is a win, and especially against a team that’s had your number for a while.
It may be psychological for the players more than anything. Going into the bye the way they did was not great, and the chatter around this team in the time since has been nothing but negative. To come out of things and play well, and even beat the 49ers after all the talk about how they can’t beat them, should be a legitimate confidence boost. Even if it won’t be an inauguration of sorts, it can at least serve as some positive momentum, which is desperately needed right now.
Tom: I’m actually more interested in how the players respond on the field. If they still look to be playing hard and giving their best effort, then there is still some hope they can at least have a respectable finish to things.
The danger is if players start to mail it in and make business decisions. There is also the threat of real friction on the sidelines, like we saw hints of between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Those are things another really bad showing could create. Most crucially, those could be a real indication that McCarthy has lost the locker room. That would be almost understandable, if regrettable, but I would suggest he is not the real culprit. That falls on Jerry Jones, who not only had such a major hand in creating the roster that is struggling, but who continues to stir the pot to no good effect. That is why the renewed grumbles about the stadium tours caught my attention. That could be a sign many of the players don’t feel respected by the organization. They can’t really take it out on the owner, however, and McCarthy becomes the scapegoat.
I don’t want to see it go down like that. I want the team to still put effort on the field and at least keep this one competitive. We still have to see how it all turns out Sunday night.
David: I think the most fascinating part of the whole stadium tour saga (can we really call it that?) was when reporters asked both Prescott and Lamb about it. Prescott gave a long response that basically amounted to “If the tours distract you from being the best version of yourself, you were never that great to begin with.” Meanwhile, Lamb said that the tours are “sometimes” distracting and refused to elaborate further.
That, to me, sums up the problem with this team. They seem to be caught between the mentality that Prescott, McCarthy, and other veterans like Jourdan Lewis and DeMarcus Lawrence have – a mentality of blocking out the noise and grinding to be the best – and the mentality that Jaylon Smith once so eloquently put: “If the owner ain’t trippin’, we good.”
McCarthy has done his best to instill a gritty, workmanlike culture in this franchise, and there are times where that absolutely shines through. I believe Prescott is fully bought in, too. But others are not, because the owner that wears far too many hats continues to undercut all of McCarthy’s efforts. To that extent, a win on Sunday night might lend some additional credence for certain players to at least temporarily buy back into what McCarthy is selling.
Maybe that lasts enough for the team to turn around this season. Maybe not. But we’ll surely find out soon enough.
