The Dallas Cowboys will not have a playoff game at home. They won’t have playoff momentum, or a perfectly healthy roster. Indeed, they can’t even have complete confidence in the team that is going to show up. against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wildcard round on Jan. 16.
But what they will have are expectations. Specifically the expectations of team owner Jerry Jones, who clarified nearly six months ago what he expected from this team and head coach Mike McCarthy: A significant step forward.
As Jones said in his “State of the Cowboys” speech in July, “I think we’re in better shape today to get going than when we were sitting here at this time last year.”
Well, get out the measuring sticks because that’s where the rubber meets the road for McCarthy, whose pro performance this season will hinge more on the next few weeks than anything he’s done in the last six months. As unfair as that sounds, it’s the harsh reality of a franchise that failed a year ago. When a lot is expected in the playoffs and nothing is delivered, the margin for failure is considerably smaller going forward. And that’s why McCarthy is in tight quarters right now.
His offence, despite the establishment of a inconceivable miss in a 26-6 loss in Washington on Sunday is one of the best in the NFL. His defense, while not completely sound, still features a passing rush that should feast on a poor Tampa Bay offensive line. And his quarterback, Dak Prescottdespite a career-high 15 interceptions this season, is paid to win playoff games like these.
Dallas has shown too much potential this season to fall flat in the wild card round. If the Cowboys do, questions are going to be raised about McCarthy’s ability to step up and prepare when it matters most. The same kind of questions were asked about his predecessor, Jason Garrett, with the same job security implications. If you don’t believe him, flash back to July, when Jones made it clear that his continued support for McCarthy (despite “choices” at the head coach) was rooted in his belief that the next step was possible. While this may not have been a Super Bowl step for Jerry, it was most definitely a vision of playoff success.
“I need to earn it, but I’ll be honest with you, there are degrees [of success]says Jones. “I want to be fair to everyone involved. We have to be in the playoffs. We have to be playoff viable for it to be a successful season.
At the time, there was little need for a debate about the meaning of the word “viable”. The implications of this language were clear. McCarthy couldn’t put together a season like this — finishing 12-5 and battling for a No. 1 seed — and then losing another first-round playoff game. There had to be tangible success. To think anything has changed in the last six months would be madness. Especially with one of Jerry’s “choices” as head coach, Sean Payton, earlier. start flirting with Denver Broncos.
Add it up and what you have is a critical moment for Dallas and the identity McCarthy is trying to create. It’s a time when the Cowboys can look at each other and wonder what they want to be. Do they want to be a team defined by not having a season finale against Washington and then dropping their first playoff game? Or do they want to show off their ability to bounce back and make a fundamental gain that continues their upward trajectory?
Anything less than a win next week will be the critical response Jones is looking for. Failure this time around can’t be dressed up with talk of learning to win or empty congratulations of qualifying for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, especially against a Tampa team that enters the playoffs with a losing record And an offense that has been an all-you-can-eat buffet of mediocrity.
As much as the match will be publicized as one of those.you can never rely on tom bradygames – and as much as we will play in Tampa 19-3 win in season opener at Dallas It’s a game the Cowboys shouldn’t lose. Their roster is younger and better. They are healthier. Their coaching throughout the season has been better. Add it up and it’s something that can’t end in another downturn.
Six months ago, that’s what Jones was talking about when he said he wanted a viable playoff team. That’s the opportunity he envisioned when he talked about having “choices” that weren’t McCarthy. And that’s the roster he proclaimed to be in “better shape” to race than the 2021 edition.
We’ll see if he’s right on Monday Night Football. For Mike McCarthy, this is where the measuring season begins.
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