DALLAS — After a second consecutive 12-5 season, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is excited to see his team in the NFL playoffs once again. However, would another Wild Card round loss put head coach Mike McCarthy on the hot seat? Jones doesn’t believe so.
Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jones was asked about the status of his head coach during his weekly radio appearance on “Shan & RJ” on 105.3 “The Fan” Tuesday, and he was reluctant to say that McCarthy would be a marked man should Dallas stumble once again in the playoffs’ opening round.
“No. I don’t even want to — no. That’s it,” said Jones. “I don’t need to go into all the positives or minuses. I’ve got a lot more to evaluate Mike McCarthy on than this playoff game.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on the terrible outing his team put on film: “I’m not a ‘burn the tape’ guy.” Promises it will be evaluated and learned from. pic.twitter.com/jcMH83mHYo
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 9, 2023
McCarthy, in his third season as the coach of the Cowboys, has led Dallas to 12 wins again this season. One difference for the Cowboys in this 12-win campaign is they won’t enjoy a home playoff game with the Philadelphia Eagles usurping Dallas in the NFC East.
At 12-5, the Cowboys finished in second place in their division behind the 14-3 Eagles. The second-place showing means Dallas will likely venture out on the road for the entirety of their stint in the playoffs and that begins with a date with the 8-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
By virtue of winning the NFC South, despite a losing record, the Buccaneers host the Wild Card round contest.
Even with AT&T Stadium going dark for the playoffs, Jones is anticipating the postseason.
“Life could be more fun in the ensuing year if we win the playoff games,” said Jones. “We’ve had a dose of it without winning. Life did go on, but when you win those, life has a better zest to it, a little better ring, the music sounds better.”
For that better zest to materialize, the Cowboys will be tasked with doing something they’ve never done before: Beat Tom Brady.
Dallas was 0-5 against Brady during his storied tenure as the quarterback of the New England Patriots and has gone 0-2 against Brady since his move south to Tampa. The Cowboys lost the 2021 season opener to the then-reigning champion Buccaneers before losing this season’s opener in Arlington to Brady’s Tampa Bay team.
Tom Brady career vs Cowboys
2003 Week 11 WIN
2007 Week 6 WIN
2011 Week 6 WIN
2015 Week 5 WIN
2019 Week 12 WIN
2021 Week 1 WIN
2022 Week 1 WIN pic.twitter.com/ZtFnBBU9h5— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 9, 2023
Jones is aware of the fact that the Cowboys will be up against history in the Wild Card game but he knows there’s more to Tampa Bay than just the quarterback:
“When you really think about it, we’re not playing Brady. We’re playing Tampa Bay, the team. And it’s conceivable that we could make Brady not play well and get our tails beat by the rest of the team.”
“And I’m not trying to be cute,” Jones continued. “But we’ve got to play the entire team. And this Brady thing has got to be sensitive. I know it’s there and I respect that. [The losing streak against Brady] gives us a challenge to do something we haven’t done before and that’s beat Tom Brady.”
The Cowboys will have their shot at beating Brady and the Bucs on Monday night from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Do you think Jerry Jones will stick to his guns if the Cowboys are bounced from the playoffs on Monday night? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @wfaasports.
