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Despite losing their last five games after Monday’s 34-10 defeat against the Houston Texans, Jerry Jones still believes head coach Mike McCarthy has control of the Dallas Cowboys’ locker room.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Jones said any notion that McCarthy has lost the team is “so overblown” based on what he sees being around the team:
“These guys are so, first of all, they’re natural competitors. Secondly, they’re so proud of the fact that they are professional and disappointed in maybe the way they executed the play, but that’s not anything that’s brother or first cousin to give up. … Everybody’s certainly disappointed, but that’s a big difference in not knowing that you got to put the foot in front of the other to go.”
McCarthy doesn’t see effort as a problem for the team right now as much as execution.
“Yeah, I thought they fought. Absolutely. We’re just, you know, our problem isn’t effort. It’s not ever during the week. I haven’t seen that. We’re not making critical plays,” the Cowboys coach told reporters after the game.
The Cowboys did put together a good effort in the first half against the Texans. They were only down 17-10 and had a chance to get closer, but Brandon Aubrey’s 40-yard field goal late in the second quarter was no good.
It really wasn’t until the fourth quarter when Derek Barnett stripped the ball from Cooper Rush, recovered it and returned it for a touchdown that the Texans broke the game open.
This was yet another game when the Cowboys’ weaknesses and mental mistakes were on display. They tried a fake punt on fourth-and-9 from their own 33-yard line, but the pass only gained four yards.
Dallas’ run defense remains horrendous, allowing Joe Mixon to run for 109 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. The loss was Dallas’ sixth straight home defeat dating back to the NFC Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers in January.
Those six losses have come by an average of 22.3 points. The only game during this stretch decided by fewer than 16 points was a 28-25 loss in Week 3 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Whether or not McCarthy has lost the locker room, it certainly seems like he is in his final weeks coaching the Cowboys. His contract expires after this season, so it would be easy to move on if that’s what Jones wants to do.
Jones has already talked about how former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who is currently a high school coach in Texas, will be an NFL head coach someday.
The Cowboys were facing an uphill battle even when Dak Prescott was healthy. He is now out for the season after being placed on injured reserve Monday following surgery to repair a hamstring injury.
Now that their record is 3-7 after Monday’s loss, Jones and the Cowboys front office should start planning for the offseason and draft to see if they can get the team back into playoff contention in 2025.
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