FRISCO, Texas — Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, has ruled out any consideration of a coaching change at this juncture. His 82nd birthday turned out to be less than celebratory for the franchise, as they faced yet another bewildering defeat at home — this time a 47-9 drubbing by the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys find themselves at a critical juncture as they prepare for their upcoming bye week before heading to San Francisco, a site where they struggled significantly last season.
Despite the disappointing outcome, there’s a silver lining for Dallas (3-3); they remain unbeaten on the road and only trail the division leader by a single game as the defending NFC East champions. Unfortunately, that glimmer of hope was overshadowed by the harsh reality of a loss that marked the worst home defeat in the Jones era, which began in 1989, and the most significant loss at AT&T Stadium since it opened in 2009. After winning 16 consecutive games under its retractable roof, the Cowboys are now on a four-game losing streak, all alarming defeats that started with a lackluster performance in the wild-card round against Green Bay last January.
“This was a shocker,” expressed Jones. “So, don’t have a lot of answers. What are you going to do about it? We’re going to go to work.” He confirmed that Mike McCarthy will remain the head coach, barring any sudden shift in his outlook regarding the team’s leadership. When pressed about his past decision to change coaches mid-season, Jones dismissively suggested that such talks were purely hypothetical. “In that matter, do you think I’m an idiot? Do you? OK. Well, I’m not going to (be) hypothetical with you about would I consider a coaching change in light of the timing we’re sitting here with. I’m not. At all,” he pointed out, indicating further that comparisons to previous instances of midseason changes, such as the dismissal of Wade Phillips in 2010, are not applicable in this case.
Questions surrounding the team’s effort are certainly mounting, especially given that they have been outscored 110-35 in the first half during their last four home outings. Nonetheless, quarterback Dak Prescott stood firmly in support of McCarthy. “I’ll go to war for that guy, with that guy, every single day,” Prescott stated after a game where he struggled, throwing two interceptions and achieving one of the lowest passer ratings of his career (42.2). “And I’m not the only one in that locker room. I feel like everybody feels that. I know he said it to you guys, he said it in there, he’s looking in the mirror, as we all should.”
In terms of positives, KaVontae Turpin is emerging as an asset in the return game. He made a career-best 79-yard kickoff return that helped secure a field goal right before halftime, averaging an impressive 48.5 yards across four kickoff returns, marking a franchise record.
However, the Dallas defense has been incredibly porous at home. To date, opponents have found the end zone on 20 of 30 possessions, excluding the kneel-downs to wrap up three games. The Cowboys have surrendered an average of 460 yards per game, representing the most allowed in franchise history for the opening three home games. The previous record was just over 400 yards, set back in 2013.
Damone Clark made his presence felt on defense by recording his first career sack, collaborating with Chauncey Golston to bring down Jared Goff. Clark also prevented an embarrassing touchdown reception by an offensive lineman during a 2-yard opportunity for the Lions by breaking up a pass intended for Taylor Decker.
On the downside, Prescott’s recent performance has been marred by five turnovers across the last two games. Although the Cowboys managed to recover from two interceptions and a fumble in a narrow 20-17 win against Pittsburgh, there was little chance for a comeback against the Lions. After throwing an interception in the Detroit end zone while the score was 7-3, the Cowboys didn’t secure another first down until the Lions had built a huge lead of 34-6.
Currently, there are no immediate injury concerns reported for the Cowboys after the game against Detroit. However, they anticipate the return of three key defensive players after the bye week: All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons (high ankle sprain), linebacker Eric Kendricks (calf/shoulder), and cornerback DaRon Bland (who underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his foot). This would mark Bland’s season debut; he previously set an NFL record last season with five interception returns for touchdowns.
An alarming statistic for the franchise is that the current four-game home losing streak is the longest since 2015-16 when they unexpectedly lost eight consecutive games, culminating in the last seven fixtures of the 2015 season and the opening contest in 2016. The Cowboys have faced longer home losing streaks on only two other occasions in their storied history.
Moving forward, it will take some time before the Cowboys have a chance to break this streak. After the upcoming bye week, they will travel to face the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons. Their next home contest will take place against division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, on November 10.