It was not even halftime, and already the calls were coming in for Mike McCarthy to be fired as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Facing his old team, the Packers, it was evident from the opening moments of the game that McCarthy’s team was not ready for this moment and was on its way to another distressing playoff flop.
It’s very possible, in fact, that the Packers won the game on the coin toss. They elected to receive the ball to start the game, a somewhat unusual choice, but it was clear that coach Matt LaFleur wanted to be aggressive and put the Cowboys on their heels. Once there, he guessed, the Cowboys would do as they always do: shrink and collapse. The Packers scored on their first possession and built up a 27-0 lead to pave the way to a stunning upset in the first NFC playoff game of wild card weekend.
While it should be pointed out that the Packers were on point from the get-go, and got a sterling performance from quarterback Jordan Love, this game will be looked at more as yet another Cowboys failure than as a brilliant Packers win.
And there is no question who will be taking the fall here: McCarthy.
Mike McCarthy Could Be Fired for Playoff Failures
McCarthy has been in Dallas since 2020 and has put together an excellent regular season mark, at 42-25. That includes three straight 12-5 seasons. But the Cowboys have gone just 1-3 in his tenure in the playoffs and have never reached the Super Bowl. That is grounds for McCarthy to be fired.
That was the sentiment from Fox Sports talker and noted Cowboys backer Skip Bayless, who was not alone in that assessment. Bayless posted on Twitter/X:
“I now pronounce this game OVER. CONGRATS TO THE PACKERS. CONGRATS, TO MY BROTHER LIL WAYNE. CONGRATS TO ME, FINALLY BEING RID OF MIKE MCCARTHY, WHO HAD BETTER BE FIRED TOMORROW.”
I now pronounce this game OVER. CONGRATS TO THE PACKERS. CONGRATS, TO MY BROTHER LIL WAYNE. CONGRATS TO ME, FINALLY BEING RID OF MIKE MCCARTHY, WHO HAD BETTER BE FIRED TOMORROW.
From Complex Sports came the much-repeated notion that not only will McCarthy be out but that former Patriots boss Bill Belichick will replace him. “Bill Belichick on his way to Dallas to replace Mike McCarthy after this game,” the site posted on Twitter/X.
Bill Belichick on his way to Dallas to replace Mike McCarthy after this game
At the sports betting site FanDuel, the question was posed: “How cooked is Mike McCarthy?” The answer was a pitch-black burnt slab of meat on a grill.
“How cooked is Mike McCarthy?”
Cowboys Were Heavy Favorites
The Cowboys entered the game as heavy favorites (seven points or more according to most sportsbooks), having gone 12-5 during the regular season and 8-0 at home in Dallas. They were well-established as one of the best teams in the NFL, ranked No. 4 overall at Pro Football Focus with a 93.5 grade. They had the No. 4 defense (87.8 grade) and the No. 4 offense (81.8 grade) in the NFL.
The Packers, meanwhile had to scrape their way into the playoffs at 9-8, winning three in a row to beat out the Seahawks and Saints, who were also 9-8, to earn the right to play the Cowboys. The Packers started the season by raising hopes for the new post-Aaron Rodgers era with a win over Chicago, a tight loss to the Falcons and a dramatic comeback win over the Saints. But a four-game losing steak followed, dropping the Packers to 2-5. They won seven of their final 10 games, though.
McCarthy is the big common link between the teams, having been fired by the Packers in 2018. But he downplayed that connection heading into Sunday’s, which might well have been his last with the Cowboys.
“This game’s about our commitment. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, and it really doesn’t,” McCarthy said this week, indicating he was not rooting for or against the Packers during the season. “I had no stake, I didn’t watch one game prior to yesterday’s contest in preparation. I started (Sunday) night on the plane. That’s where I am.”
Comments
Calls Erupt for Cowboys’ Mike McCarthy to Be Fired During Blowout