Jerry Jones turned 82 on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys gifted him their worst home defeat since 1988 to celebrate the occasion.
The Detroit Lions manhandled the Cowboys in a 47-9 romp at AT&T Stadium. The victory was a measure of revenge for Detroit, which suffered a one-point loss to Dallas at the end of the 2023 NFL season, which cost the Lions a chance at the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
The Lions seemed to toy with the Cowboys throughout the contest. Detroit coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson dialed up several trick plays, including one that resulted in a 52-yard touchdown to tight end Sam LaPorta. The Lions frequently had offensive lineman Dan Skipper running routes near the end of the 38-point win — a nod to offensive tackle Taylor Decker’s disallowed two-point conversion from their battle last season.
The nature of the defeat, which dropped the Cowboys to 3-3 on the season, brought up all-too-familiar questions about head coach Mike McCarthy’s job security.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones addressed those queries but did not take kindly to the line of questioning.
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Will Cowboys fire Mike McCarthy?
Jones was asked directly if the Cowboys would consider making an in-season coaching change after their 38-point loss to the Lions.
‘Oh, I haven’t even considered that,’ an irritated Jones told reporters. ‘I’m not considering that. Just so you’re clear, I’m not considering that.’
During the exchange, Jones was reminded that he once made an in-season coaching change. In 2010, he fired Wade Phillips after a 1-7 start to the 2010 season before installing Jason Garrett as the interim coach.
The 82-year-old decried the question and implied that Sunday afternoon was not the time to discuss such matters.
‘That would be a hypothetical. In that matter, do you think I’m an idiot? Do you?’ Jones fumed. ‘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.’
Jones will have plenty of time to reconsider his decision. The Cowboys will be on a bye in Week 7 before returning in Week 8 for an anticipated clash with the San Francisco 49ers.
Dallas could find itself in third place in the NFC East ahead of that game, depending on what happens with the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles in their Week 7 matchups with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.
Either way, Jones isn’t happy with the Cowboys’ 3-3 record and current tie for second place in the NFC East standings. Still, he isn’t fully blaming McCarthy for those issues.
‘We’re disappointed that we’re 3-3,’ Jones said, per ESPN. ‘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.’
Thus, barring a change of heart from Jones, McCarthy appears to remain Dallas’ head coach.
Mike McCarthy coaching record
McCarthy entered the 2024 NFL season with a record of 167-102-2 as an NFL head coach. That included a mark of 125-77-2 with the Packers and a 42-25 record with the Cowboys.
McCarthy has had just four losing seasons compared to 11 with double-digit wins during his 17 full NFL seasons. The 2024 season marks his 18th as a head coach at the NFL level, dating back to 2006.
Below is a look at McCarthy’s year-by-year records in charge of the Cowboys, as well as the team’s finish in the NFC East race:
2020: 6-10 (third place)
2021: 12-5 (first place)
2022: 12-5 (second place)
2023: 12-5 (third place)
2024: 3-3 (TBD)
While McCarthy has often fared well in the regular season, he has a record of 11-11 in the postseason. That includes a mark of 1-3 with the Cowboys and 6-9 since he won his lone Super Bowl with the Packers during the 2011 playoffs.