NFL Rumors: Insider hints at Cowboys coaching change if playoff failure continues

The Dallas Cowboys are one win away from the NFC East crown and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. It has been another remarkable season for the Cowboys, who have a frontrunner for both MVP (Dak Prescott) and Defensive Player of the Year (Micah Parsons). In total, seven Dallas players were named to the Pro Bowl roster. There's not much to complain about.

And yet, Mike McCarthy's job is not 100 percent safe. At least, not according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"All indications are Mike McCarthy is well liked in Dallas, and it's hard to argue with the results. I keep going back to what Jerry Jones told reporters in November: 'This team is certainly capable of winning the whole thing.' If the Cowboys don't make it past the divisional round for the third consecutive year, do Jones' feelings about his team inform his decision-making on his coach? That's why I classify this one as a bit of a wild card.."

Jerry Jones excercises complete control over the Dallas front office. As team owner, he essentially gets to predicate moves on his every whim. If he is yet again unsatisfied with the Cowboys' postseason performance, it's not difficult to imagine Jones overreacting and firing McCarthy (or properly reacting, depending on who you ask).

An early postseason exit could doom Cowboys' Mike McCarthy

McCarthy has been Dallas' head coach since 2020. He has a 41-25 regular season record to date, but the Cowboys have lost in the divisional round in back-to-back postseasons.

It's hard to win in the playoffs. It's single elimination. Any number of factors, most of all bad luck, can prevent a team from achieving at the expected level. That said, the Cowboys have now won double-digit regular season games thrice in a row. Dallas is America's team, with a certain reputation to uphold. Or, perhaps more accurately, a reputation to shed. The Cowboys are known for producing untimely duds in the playoffs. If this team — with talent stacked across the roster and multiple award candidates — can't get over the hump, one could hardly blame for Jones for considering all his options.

It's hard not to get a bit antsy about Dallas when projecting toward the postseason. The Philadelphia Eagles' sudden collapse eases the gauntlet a bit, but the Cowboys have some ugly losses on their ledger. After crushing the Eagles in Week 14, for example, the Cowboys were subsequently crushed by Buffalo, 31-10, the following week. The Cowboys faced the San Francisco 49ers, arguably their most fearsome foe, in Week 5. The Niners won 42-10.

Once a group of players develops a reputation for big-stage failure, it's hard to shake that reputation. Dak Prescott has been brilliant this season, but his track record in the playoffs is spotty. If he falls into another one of his turnover reveries, Dallas' season could end suddenly and sharply. A potential divisional round battle between the Cowboys and Detroit Lions is on the forecast at this point. Last week's narrow Cowboys victory — aided by a blatant referee mistake — probably gives Detroit extra motivation for that game. Let's just say the Cowboys cannot afford to take their foot off the gas pedal. At all.

This is a potential inflection point for the Dallas franchise. McCarthy has held up his end of the bargain since arriving in Dallas, but once your team becomes established in the regular season, those wins mean less and less. It's all about going far in the playoffs. If the Cowboys lose early again, watch out.