Fallout figures to linger for a while following the Dallas Cowboys‘ shocking 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, a defeat that ends their season much sooner than many anticipated.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones certainly did not expect his team’s playoff run to be finished after just one game, and neither did star quarterback Dak Prescott. Both men spoke to reporters after the thumping at AT&T Stadium that ended Dallas‘s 16-game home winning streak.
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Jones: No decision yet on futures of Prescott, McCarthy
Jones has owned the Cowboys and made all their major personnel decisions since buying the team in 1989, and even he ranked Sunday’s loss to the underdog Packers as one of the gravest disappointments of his three-plus decades in charge of the NFL‘s most valuable franchise.
“This is one of my biggest surprises since I’ve been involved in sports, period,” Jones said.
After the clock hit zeroes, speculation immediately turned to whether head coach Mike McCarthy would be retained after such a disappointing end to the Cowboys’ season. McCarthy has a 42-25 regular-season record since Jones appointed him before the 2020 season, but his 1-3 mark in the playoffs could be grounds for dismissal. However, Jones claimed he had not thought “one second” about the coach’s future at AT&T Stadium — although links to a free agent coach like Bill Belichick will only grow in the wake of Sunday’s crushing loss.
Prescott: I should be on the hot seat
Prescott is used to feeling the spotlight’s harsh glare, but it has arguably never shone brighter on him than during the 2023 season. Prescott had generated MVP buzz after throwing an NFL-best 36 touchdowns during the regular season, but he made crucial mistakes against Green Bay that cost his team.
Prescott heated up in the second half — but by that time, the damage had been done. The 30-year-old threw two interceptions in the first half — one of which was returned for a touchdown — as Dallas fell behind 27-0. Prescott’s career playoff record fell to 2-5, and he has still never played in an NFC Championship Game, let alone a Super Bowl.
Speaking to reporters following Sunday’s game, Prescott — who has a $59 million cap hit next season and has not been signed to an extension — said he “sucked” against the Packers, although he finished with three touchdown passes on the afternoon. He also backed McCarthy to soldier on as head coach, while piling more pressure on himself to right the ship in 2024. But after that? The future is anyone’s guess.
“This team has had the success they’ve had because of him,” Prescott said of McCarthy. “I understand it’s about winning the Super Bowl, and that’s the standard of the league and damn sure should be the standard of this place. I get it, but add me to the list in that case.”
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