As fantastic as they can be at times, there are some serious issues.
In those six losses, the Cowboys allowed 199 of their 18-game total of 363 points, for an average of 33.1 points per game. Granted, the defense was only responsible for 41 points in the playoff loss to the Packers, but even in the one game in which the Cowboys allowed a losing low of 22 points, the defense enabled the Dolphins to drive 64 yards in 12 plays before kicking the game-winning, walk-off 29-yard field goal as time expired.
Otherwise, they would have defeated the Dolphins 20-19, a remarkable occurrence as defeating Detroit 20-19 meant winning two games by the same score for the first time in a season and just the third and fourth times in team history. The two other 20-19 triumphs were during the 2011 season, when they defeated Miami on Thanksgiving, and in 2012, when they upset Cincinnati.
When it came to rushing yards in those six losses, why, they only held Miami to less than 100 yards (91), thus giving up an average of 166.8 rushing yards in those six losses. And the Cowboys were able to beat Detroit by only a point – the Lions deciding against kicking the extra point that most assuredly would have sent the game into overtime – while giving up 125 rushing yards.
Again, this is what has been so misleading about McCarthy’s third consecutive 12-5 season, as well as his 1-3 playoff record over the previous three seasons. The Cowboys were just 4-5 against teams who finished with winning records, defeating the Rams (10-7), Eagles (11-6) twice, Seahawks (9-8), despite having to score 41 points to win by six, and Lions (12-5).
McCarthy did a terrific job of turning around the offense, but he was equally awful at game management, particularly late in games. McCarthy gave several opponent teams life late when they had no business being in that position.
McCarthy’s squad maintained a three-point lead over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13 and faced a third-and-3 with 1:46 remaining. The Seahawks had no timeouts remaining, and the Cowboys could have slowed the clock to roughly a minute or run out the clock if they ran for the first down. Instead, McCarthy called for a throw that was incomplete, and the clock halted, allowing the Seahawks an extra 40 seconds to launch a comeback that, fortunately, failed due to a defensive stop.
Four weeks later, McCarthy was doing the same thing against the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys could have burned up the clock and forced the Lions to use their timeouts under the two-minute warning, but McCarthy opted for a pass on second down. The missed pass saved the Lions 40 seconds and improved their comeback chances.
The Seattle Seahawks’ search for Pete Carroll’s replacement is still underway. After 14 years on the job, a change was necessary, but there has been no quick reversal.
Despite the conjecture, one figure that has consistently been connected to the Seahawks is Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. While he feels like a certain hire given to his past involvement with the series, nothing has happened yet.
But ESPN analyst Field Yates believes Quinn will eventually end up in Seattle.
“It felt like within hours of that announcement, ‘Dan Quinn to Seattle’ had generated a lot of steam,” Yates told Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “And it’s natural because, of course, Dan knows almost everyone who has been in the building for a long time. He’s been a head coach before, so you have a sense of what he can bring to the table; he’s a defensive-minded man, which is obviously crucial for a club that I believe is in very excellent position offensively but just has to figure it out on defense. My basic impression is that we’re still headed for the Dan Quinn outcome.”
2022 PFF grade: 71.9.
2023 PFF grade: 90.4.
Bland improved dramatically from his debut season in 2022, earning consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. He established an NFL record with five pick-sixes and had the second-best PFF overall grade among cornerbacks.
Cowboys will have to make some tough decisions.
