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It was an ending as inevitable as it was predictable as the Dallas Cowboys, led by gelatinous lump Mike McCarthy, stalled out in the NFC Divisional Round to a San Francisco 49ers team led not only by a rookie quarterback, but by the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Such is what you can expect when a Mike McCarthy coached team faces any San Francisco squad in the playoffs from any era, regardless of who happens to be coaching that 49ers at the time. Yes, the chess match battle between Kyle Shanahan, one of the best head coaches in the NFL and McCarthy, one of the worst head coaches, not only right now, but of the decade, of his literal era, was laughable. But Dallas has a great team, loaded on offense and defense with one of the best quarterbacks in the league —Dak Prescott at the helm. And, yes, that’s true. If you don’t agree with it, you’re just a hater. I can respect that. I am, after all, a hater myself. Hating shouldn’t keep you from being able to focus in on reality. There’s a stat trail, a wins/losses trail and Prescott is a Top 10 QB in the league. You can hate the Cowboys all you want, but you’re going to have to deal with that.
The faceplant in the playoffs was all but foretold when Jerry Jones, his faculties apparently permanently damaged by the surgical work on his face, hired McCarthy to coach his team in 2020 after dragging his feet in firing Jason Garrett. Ron Rivera should be coaching in Dallas right now. And, if Jones had hired him instead of putzing around and letting the Washington Commanders strike first, would have probably already had another Super Bowl appearance under his belt. Probably a loss, but still. With Rivera at the helm, this team would be dangerous. With McCarthy? They’re constantly an internet meme ready to happen.
Bright spots? Well, you can look at the play of Cooper Rush, in place of an injured Prescott for five games where the team went 4-1. This, of course, led to a potential fan “quarterback controversy” which was ridiculous. Dallas found a capable backup. That’s no small feat and one worth celebrating. But pretending what you saw with Rush is equal, in any way, to what Prescott can do strains, well, reality. And reality, as always, is the Cowboys’ biggest problem.
Outside of that, Prescott bounced back from his injury in a big way. The team only dropped three more games in the season and picked up monster wins over 2022-23 playoff teams like the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles.
After the season wrapped, the Cowboys jettisoned offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (who was immediately hired by the Los Angeles Chargers) and nearly lost defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to a myriad of head coaching opportunities. Quinn decided to stay in Dallas and we’ll talk about that as we roll through.
Prescott finished with an 8-4 record as a starter, completing 66.2 percent of his passes for 2,860 yards, 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He rushed for 182 yards and a TD. Tony Pollard led the team in rushing with 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns to go with 39 receptions for 371 yards and three scores. CeeDee Lamb caught 107 passes for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns. On defense, Micah Parsons had 65 tackles and 13.5 sacks to go with three passes defended, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He also scored a touchdown. Donovan Wilson led the team with 101 tackles and he added five sacks, two passes defended, one pick, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. DaRon Bland had five interceptions with 54 tackles and seven passes defended.
DALLAS COWBOYS
2022-23 Record: 12-5
Playoffs: Lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round
2023 NFC Championship Odds: +600
NOW WHAT?
That is indeed the question, because as long as Jones continues to let McCarthy run this team, what happened last year will keep happening over and over again. It’s why Dan Quinn didn’t take another job in the offseason. He wants to be the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and knows that his best shot at the job is to be on the staff when Jones finally loads McCarthy into the nearest reenforced catapult and fires him into a local Waffle House where he belongs.
For now, McCarthy is still there, still in command of one of the best rosters in the NFC and one of its best quarterbacks. It’s a recipe we’ve seen McCarthy screw up multiple times in Green Bay and he’s the same chef in Dallas.
The schedule is not friendly, and Jones could wise up and make a change early if the team opens 2-7, which is absolutely on the table. More than likely, they’ll be 4-5 and could hang on for a Wild Card spot just to make another quick exit in the playoffs. With Quinn in command, this could be an 11-win team. With McCarthy, a 6-11 finish would not surprise me at all.
THE DRAFT
If there is anything going to change the Cowboys’ fortunes this season, it’s not coming in the draft. I have them a C+ in my draft grades after they seemingly whiffed over the first two days of the NFL’s Annual Amateur Player Selection Meeting. They took Mazi Smith, defensive tackle out of Michigan who looked like a Day Two pick, in the first round. On Day Two, they grabbed Luke Schoonmaker, tight end from Michigan and Demarvion Overshown, linebacker from Texas, who will probably not see the field much as rookies.
FREE AGENCY
Because of the high talent level that McCarthy once again wasted, Dallas didn’t need to add much outside the draft in the offseason. Even to make up for what they lost, including running back Ezekiel Elliott (who could still end up re-signing with the team). As of this writing, they’ve only brought in long snapper Trent Sieg from the Las Vegas Raiders, running back Ronald Jones II from the Kansas City Chiefs and defensive end Ben Banogu from the Indianapolis Colts.
NFC EAST
The Eagles aren’t going anywhere and remain the team to beat in the NFC East and the entire NFC. Dallas finished second in the division a season ago and that’s probably the best result they could hope for this year. Luckily for them, the Washington Commanders are in full tank mode and the New York Giants might be another year away from being a serious problem for the rest of the conference. They could still be a serious problem for the Cowboys, though, in 2022. The sooner Dallas makes the switch to Quinn, the better. So, if you’re a Cowboys fan, start rooting for that 2-7 start.
Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.
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