Given how badly the Dallas Cowboys have been playing this season, head coach Mike McCarthy is on the hot seat going into Week 9.
The 3-4 Cowboys, who have McCarthy directing plays, are in 15th place with 330.1 total yards per game, 11th with 1,792 passing yards, last with 519 running yards, and 22nd with 21.4 points per game. With an 84.5 quarterback rating, quarterback Dak Prescott has had erratic play this season, tossing 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He is been fired eighteen times already.
After defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to take a position as head coach of the 6-2 Washington Commanders, the defense is in even worse shape. The Cowboys have one of the weakest defenses in the NFL under Mike Zimmer. They are giving up 28.3 points per each The Cowboys’ best players, such as defensive mainstays Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and DaRon Bland, have also suffered from a number of injuries. The team found out this week that Trevon Diggs, an All-Pro cornerback, will not play against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday due to a calf strain.The Cowboys have made the playoffs three times in their five seasons under McCarthy’s coaching, but they have never advanced past the divisional round. According to NFL insiders, a renowned coach will lead the Cowboys the next season if they are unable to salvage their season.
Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys is shadowed by Bill Belichick.
According to Zak Keefer and Jeff Howe of The Athletic, McCarthy and the Cowboys are under the shadow of former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
“Every situation involving the Cowboys is always the most extreme there, and this season’s attention on Mike McCarthy’s job with Bill Belichick possibly lurking in the background is unmatched,” Howe said.
McCarthy’s “future in Dallas at this point is a fait accompli,” Keefer continued.
The Cowboys’ roster is not nearly as deep as it once was, and their play has been far too inconsistent for them to emerge as a viable contender later in the season. McCarthy’s five-year run would come to an end if he missed the playoffs, and it might even allow Belichick to join the circus, Keefer said.
McCarthy’s job looks secure through the end of the season because Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has stated in the past that he will not be switching head coaches during the season. But with Jones, anything may happen at any time. The Cowboys have not won a championship in 29 years, but in Dallas, it is basically Super Bowl-or-bust every season.
On Sunday, the Cowboys will play the Falcons in an attempt to get back on track. Dallas is the away underdog by 3.5 points.
