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Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterOct 13, 2024, 10:59 PM ET
- Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. He joined ESPN in 2010. You can follow him on Twitter at @toddarcher.
ARLINGTON, Texas — After suffering the worst home loss of his time as Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager, 47-9 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Jerry Jones backed his head coach, Mike McCarthy.
“Oh, I haven’t even considered that,” Jones said of a potential change. “I’m not considering that. Just so you’re clear, I’m not considering that.”
When reminded about the previous in-season coaching change he made in 2010 when he fired Wade Phillips and named Jason Garrett as interim coach after a 1-7 start, Jones became terse.
“That would be a hypothetical. In that matter, do you think I’m an idiot? Do you? OK. Well, I’m not going to hypothetical with you about would I consider a coaching change in light of the timing we’re sitting here with. I’m not. At all,” he said.
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McCarthy is in the final year of his contract. Despite his posting three straight 12-5 finishes, the Cowboys’ lack of playoff success — they haven’t advanced beyond the divisional round of the playoffs and have lost two postseason games at AT&T Stadium since he was hired in 2020 — put McCarthy’s future in question entering the season.
The Cowboys are 3-3 after the loss to the Lions, heading into their bye week. They are just one game behind the Washington Commanders in the NFC East but have lost their first three games at home for the first time since 2010 and have been outscored by 66 points in those games.
“Well, we’re disappointed that we’re 3-3,” Jones said. “The three-loss side of it, I don’t necessarily totally blame on McCarthy. The players will tell you they had something to do with it, too. His other parts of the staff will tell you. And the owner sure will tell you he had something to do with it, so it’s not all on him.”
Before Sunday, the largest home defeat in the Jones era came in 2001 (36-3 to the Philadelphia Eagles). There have been only three other home losses that have had larger margin of defeats in team history.
For the third straight home game, the Cowboys faced a big halftime deficit. They trailed 27-6 to the Lions after falling behind 21-6 to the Baltimore Ravens and 35-16 to the New Orleans Saints. In last season’s wild-card loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys trailed 27-7 at halftime.
Without Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain) and Eric Kendricks (shoulder), as well as DeMarcus Lawrence and DaRon Bland, who are on injured reserve with foot injuries, the Cowboys knew they would be challenged defensively.
“How do I explain it? I think clearly, No. 1, we were beaten today,” McCarthy said. “They’re a very good team. The facts are they’re further ahead of us right now at this time in Week 6.”
Dak Prescott was intercepted in the end zone on the Cowboys’ second series. It was his third red zone turnover in two games. After that turnover, the Cowboys went three-and-out twice and four-and-out on their next three possessions.
A 10-3 hole turned into a 27-3 hole with 36 seconds left in the second quarter.
“I didn’t feel like there was another positive play after [the interception] for us to build off of to get anything going,” Prescott said. “Very frustrating.”
The Cowboys will have to stew over this loss for two weeks, as they have their bye next week. They return Oct. 27 at the San Francisco 49ers, who have beaten the Cowboys three straight times, including 42-10 last year at Levi’s Stadium.
“We got a bye week ahead of us, kind of time to reset, refocus and come out there two weeks from now and respond,” tight end Jake Ferguson said. “So that’s a big one. And it’s just about coming back, fighting back.”
As the Cowboys’ quarterback, Prescott is aware of what surrounds his position as well as the coach, but he expressed his belief in McCarthy.
“I’ll go to war for that guy, with that guy every single day. And I’m not the only one in that locker room,” Prescott said. “I feel like everybody feels that. If you heard what he said after that game — not something that I care to let you guys in on honestly — but strong message. Strong message. And in a loss to be able to feel that way, show those emotions and respond, I’ll follow him. I’ll follow him. And especially, I mean, I know he’s said it to you guys, he said it in there, he’s looking in the mirror, as we all should. Thankful for him as my coach. Period.”
Sunday was certainly not the way Jones wanted to celebrate his 82nd birthday.
“Generally speaking,” Jones said, “I think my message is — I know you don’t need to hear me say this — but I’m well aware that we’re in the proverbial s— right now.”
