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Will Mike McCarthy be fired? Jerry Jones blows question after loss

Vaseline October 14, 2024

Jerry Jones turned 82 on Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys handed him their worst home loss since 1988 to mark the occasion.

The Detroit Lions battered the Cowboys in a 47-9 battle 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 that cost the Lions a shot at the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

The Lions seemed to be toying with the Cowboys the entire game. Detroit coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson ran several trick plays, including one that resulted in a 52-yard touchdown to tight end Sam LaPorta. The Lions often had offensive lineman Dan Skipper running routes near the end of the 38-point victory — a nod to offensive tackle Taylor Decker’s disallowed two-point conversion from their struggles last season.

The nature of the loss, which dropped the Cowboys to 3-3 on the season, raised all-too-familiar questions about head coach Mike McCarthy’s job security.

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones answered these questions, but did not respond kindly to the question.

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Will Cowboys fire Mike McCarthy?

Jones was asked directly if the Cowboys would consider making a coaching change during the season following their 38-point loss to the Lions.

“Oh, I haven’t even thought about that,” an irritated Jones told reporters. ‘I’m not considering that. To be clear, I’m not considering that.’

During the exchange, Jones was reminded that he once made a coaching change during the season. In 2010, he fired Wade Phillips after a 1-7 start to the 2010 season before appointing Jason Garrett as interim coach.

The 82-year-old criticized the question and suggested that Sunday afternoon was not the time to discuss such matters.

‘That would be hypothetical. Do you think I’m an idiot about that? Do you think so?’ Jones was cooking. ‘Okay. Well, I’m not going to argue with you about whether I would consider a coaching change given the timing we’re in here. I don’t do that. Not at all.’

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Jones will have plenty of time to reconsider his decision. The Cowboys have a bye in Week 7 before returning in Week 8 for an expected clash with the San Francisco 49ers.

Dallas could be 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 games with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants.

Regardless, Jones isn’t happy with the Cowboys’ 3-3 record and current tie for second place in the NFC East standings. Yet he does not entirely blame McCarthy for these problems.

“We’re disappointed to be 3-3,” Jones told ESPN. “I don’t necessarily have to fully blame McCarthy for the three losses. 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 certainly will.” narrate.” You had something to do with it, so it’s not just him.”

So barring a change of heart from Jones, McCarthy appears to remain Dallas’ head coach.

Mike McCarthy’s coaching record

McCarthy entered the 2024 NFL season with a 167-102-2 record as an NFL head coach. That included a 125-77-2 mark 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 are McCarthy’s year-over-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 performed well in the regular season, he has an 11-11 record in the postseason. That includes a 1-3 mark with the Cowboys and 6-9 since winning his only Super Bowl with the Packers during the 2011 playoffs.