He persevered through the 2020 6-10 campaign after the Dallas Cowboys’ hire of him seemed like a lackluster attempt to find someone adaptable and experienced with ownership. In 2021, he came back, going 12-5 and silenced rumors that Sean Payton was still haunting Jerry Jones’s mind. McCarthy complied with the Cowboys owner’s need for greater success in 2022 by stepping up and turning his second 12-5 season into Dallas’ first-ever playoff victory.
2023, right now? He’s in the midst of his third straight season that will end with a playoff appearance after taking over the offense; this accomplishment hasn’t occurred in Dallas since Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer combined to lead the Cowboys to six championships in 1976.
We were still left wondering about Sunday’s road problems and the appropriateness of playing starters deep into a fourth quarter when they are being physically destroyed, despite the offensive output and blowouts against weaker opponents. It’s still difficult to understand how a club that thrashed the Philadelphia Eagles on December 10 could collapse so badly against the Bills, a team that hasn’t yet established its identity this season, only one week later. And all of this taking place against the backdrop of ownership’s position about McCarthy’s possible contract extension.
There’s no guarantee that these Cowboys are superior to the last two editions where it matters most, so Sunday and the rest of the season should serve as reliable gauges.
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